...How do the theories proposed in your chosen reading inform your understanding of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship? Bramel’s theories on the Hawthorne Studies help to inform my understanding of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship by providing a critical analysis of the Hawthorne Studies, which were a major contributor in the development of management practices and the human relations movement. The Hawthorne Studies were a group of experiments undertaken in the 1920's and 1930's at Western Electrics Hawthorne Plant that provided new insights into individual and group behaviours. The study was lead be George Elton Mayo, he concluded that individual and group behaviour are closely related. Mayo concluded that social standards in the workplace were a greater factor in determining the production output of individuals then other factors such as money and environmental factors. The results of the Hawthorne studies are widely disputed due to mismanagement and corruption of some of the experiments. Bramel highlights the corrupted elements of the experiments, particularly the removal and replacement of participants mid experiment, and holds the studies in a negative light. Bramel is not the only one to cast doubt on the validity of the experiments however, there have been many opponents to the hawthorn studies’ findings over the years. Alex Carey was one of the most vocal opponents of the validity of the Hawthorne...
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...The Hawthorne defect: Persistence of a flawed theory “Like other hallowed but unproven concepts in psychology, the so -called Hawthorne effect has a life of its own.” By Berkeley Rice http://www.cs.unc.edu/~stotts/204/nohawth.html Most students of social psych are familiar with, or had better be if they want to pass. For decades, countless textbooks, Ph.D. theses, journal articles, and learned panels have cited it as a possible explanation for everything from why juvenile criminals in experimental program decide to go straight to why insomniacs sleep better in the laboratory. Whenever psychologists gather, one I apt to hear mention of the Hawthorne effect-even though, as it happens, the effect was never actually demonstrated by the original study. Proponents of the Hawthorne effect say that people who are singled out for a study of any kind may improve their performance or behavior not because of any specific condition being tested, but simply because of all the attention they receive. Those who mention the effect usually want to cast doubt on whether a given social innovation, instructional method, or therapy is really responsible for the change in behavior. Though the Hawthorne effect has been generalized to every kind of psychological study, it grew out of a pioneering series of experiments that tested the impact of improved working conditions on productivity. In typical accounts of the findings, current textbooks report: “To the surprise of the researchers, every innovation...
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...century, Elton Mayo, a famous professor of industrial management from Harvard, carried out studies at the Western Electric company’s Hawthorne works, As Jiao(2009) said “with the attempt to find the factors affecting workers’ productivity, the studies included a series of behavior experiments” which was then called as “Hawthorne Experiments”. Regardless of some controversies, conclusions from the studies not only help Mayo extended his own theory in management, but also give loads of enlightenment to other fields (such as educations、sociology 、organizational behavior, etc.) This essay will show the key findings of Hawthorne studies as well as its repercussions in many fields. In the first section, operations and conclusions of each experiment will be simply introduced. Secondly, a series of new ideas originated from these findings by Mayo will be elaborated and also its applications in practice. The final part is to show some criticism on both Mayo’s research method and his theory. 2.1 Experiment One ---------Illumination studies During 1924 to 1927, Mayo’s group tested a department’s productivity under all levels of illumination in order to discover the effects of light on efficiency. However, they ended in failure for there were almost always increasing output during the process. (But, latter it was considered as an evidence of Hawthorne Effect) 2.2 Experiment Two ------- Relay Assembly Test Room Experiment The second experiment concentrated on the relationship between...
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...Do the Hawthorne Studies truly deserve to be recognised as producing a fundamental change in the development of management thought? The Hawthorne Studies were a set of studies carried out by Western Electric between 1924 and 1932 in conjunction with researchers from the Harvard Business School, led by Elton Mayo, at their Hawthorne Works plant (Sonnenfeld 1985 p. 112). Researchers initially set out to find the effects of lighting upon levels of production, but ultimately the evidence gathered lead to a significant shift in management thought: from Scientific Management to Human Relations (Hassard 2012 p. 1432). The methods of the studies and their originality have been censured by some scholars, some of whom feel this invalidates the findings and therefore the significance of the studies, but, despite their flaws, it is impossible to deny the far reaching influence of these studies upon the development of management thought. Scientific management was developed by Frederick Taylor to improve industrial efficiency (Taylor 1911), it was this theory of management which Western Electric was using to direct their employees at the time the Hawthorne Studies commenced. Some of the key principles of the theory were: that managers should scientifically determine how a task should be completed most efficiently and; that managers should then select the best person for the job, train them to do their tasks efficiently, and monitor performance to ensure these specifications are met (Law...
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...Question 2: Elton Mayo’s landmark 1930’s research into worker’s behaviour was later criticised by Daniel Bell and other sociologists. What lessons can Singapore businesses learn from Mayo and his later detractors? George Elton Mayo (1880-1949) was an Australian psychologist, sociologist and organizational theorist. He led a team together with Whitehead and Roethlisberger, set to study the relationship between productivity and physical working conditions. His research results have led to the establishing of new theories like the human relation (Hawthorne) and motivation theory. The Hawthorne study, a new approach that is being introduced by the sociologist, has been called the human relation approach of management. This approach was generated, because the positive aspect of the variables of the scientific management, and the focuses on mechanical and psychological variables, could not bring about a positive response in work behavior and efficiency at work. The key contributions are contained into two points; organizational situation to be viewed in social, economic and technical terms; and the social process of group behavior which can be studied in clinical method analogous. These studies have a historical importance to the behavioral approach of the analysis of management problems. The practical experiments allowed Elton Mayo to deduce the importance of groups in affecting the behavior of individuals at work. Physical conditions or financial incentives had little motivational...
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...The Hawthorne Studies; conducted in 1927 to 1932 by Elton Mayo, has been revered in the fields of psychology and management respectively. Both have derived various lessons from different aspects of the study. For example, the field of psychology looks at the affects that working in a form of an exclusive group has as presented in the Relay Assembly Test Room experiment. Management on the other hand has learned that the human psyche has varying effects on their productivity and are not merely drones driven by a single goal. (Hai, 2011) However, many criticise the relevance and contributions of the Hawthorne Studies to the studies of work and organizations. Criticisms sprouted from the results of the studies conducted which were; for the majority, inconclusive and hence being unreliable. The fact that those making these statements are ignoring is that; many management theories wouldn’t have been developed without these studies. Before the time of the Hawthorne Studies, management viewed their workers as simple drones in the company who do as they were told without question. To cut cost whilst maintaining production levels, companies would subject longer working hours and lower wages under considerably poor working conditions in order to maximise their profit. They did so because they believed the workers would continue production regardless similar to machines. When scientific management was introduced in the early twentieth century by Frederick Taylor, a huge shift in managerial...
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...approaches of management theory. A central part of the study of organisation and management is the development of management thinking and management theory, applying theory can cause change in actual behaviour and managers reading the work of leading writers may see their ideas, attitudes and conclusions being influenced by management practise. The classical approach towards management theory was developed shortly after scientific management came into widespread use as a complementary set of ideas, as while scientific management initially focused on the micro level issue of job design, classical theory attempted to lay down guiding principles for the design and functioning of the whole organisation. The classical writers thought of the organisation in terms of its purpose and formal structure so emphasis was placed on the planning of work, the technical requirements of the organisation, principles of management and the assumption of rational and logical behaviour. This analysis is associated with the work by writers such as Taylor, Fayol, Mooney and Reiley, which will later be discussed in greater detail. The alternative approach known as human relations was developed during the 1920’s, the years of the great depression when greater attention began to be paid to the social factors at work and to the behaviour of employees within an organisation. The turning point in the development of the human relations movement came with the famous experiments at the Hawthorne plan of the western...
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...Assignment The Implication of Hawthorne Study in 21st Century Ashab Anis Joy ID: 2012-1-10-255 Class: MGT Course Code: 101 Sec: 7 Semester: Fall East West University Bachelor of Business Administration East West University 20th November 2012 Introduction The Hawthorne Experiments were conducted between 1927 and 1932 at the works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago. Basically the aim of these experiments was to ” attempt to reduce worker dissatisfaction and resist trade union influence by the putting in place of a paternalistic package of social and recreational benefits calculated to sustain workers “loyalty” (Sheldrake 105:1996). Many little assignments were conducted in hope of putting into practice the above theory. Despite the economic progress brought about in party by Scientific Management, critics were calling attention to the severe labour/management conflict, apathy, boredom, and wasted human resources. These concerns lead a number of researchers to examine the discrepancy between how an organisation was supposed to work versus how the workers actually behaved. In addition, factors like World War I, developments in psychology (e.g. Freud) and later the depression, all brought into question some of the basic assumptions of the Scientific Management School. One of the primary critics of the time, Elton Mayo, claimed that this ‘alienation’ stemmed from the breakdown of the social structures caused by industrialisation, the factory system, and its related...
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...The Hawthorne Experiments: Management Takes A New Direction General Electric, the major manufacturer of light bulbs, had preliminary evidence that better lighting of the work place improved worker productivity, but wanted to validate these findings to sell more light bulbs, especially to businesses. GE funded the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an impartial study. AT&T's Western Electric Hawthorne plant located in Cicero, Illinois, was chosen as the laboratory. Beginning with this early test, the “Hawthorne Experiments” were a series of studies into worker productivity performed at the Cicero plant beginning in 1924 and ceasing in 1932. Illumination Studies, 1924 -1927 The earliest experiment (1924) was conducted by the NRC with engineers from MIT. The study would end in 1927 with the NRC abandoning the project. The group examined the relationship between light intensity and worker efficiency. The hypothesis was that greater illumination would yield higher productivity. Two work groups of female employees were selected for “control” and “experimental” groups. By comparing the changes on worker productivity by manipulating lighting in the experimental group with the production of the control group, the researchers could validate and measure the impact of lighting. The study, however, failed to find any simple relationship as poor lighting and improved lighting seemed in increase productivity. Indeed, in the final stage...
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...education and the new psychology of Freud,Jung and especially Pierre Janet. From the beginning he trained himself in public speaking, and became an outstanding lecturer. He spoke at Worker's Education Association classes and tutorials, and addressed unions and professional bodies. Human Relations Movement basically is the study of the behavior of people in groups, particularly in workplace groups and for his research including the Hawthorne Studies which examined the effects of social relations, motivation and employee satisfaction. In 1927, a group of researchers led by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger of the Harvard Business School were invited to join in the studies at the Hawthorne Works of Western Electric Company, Chicago. Elton Mayo and his associates conducted their studies in the Hawthorne plant of the western electrical company, U.S.A., between 1927 and 1930.The experiments that he conducted were Illumination Experiment,Relay Assembly Test Room Experiment, Interviewing Programme and Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment. The Hawthorne Experiments brought out that the productivity of the employees is not the function of only physical conditions of work and money wages paid to them. Productivity of employees depends heavily upon the satisfaction of the employees in their work situation. Mayo’s idea...
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...production-line time studies. Instead of relying on traditional work methods, he analyzed and timed steel workers' movements on a series of jobs. Using time study as his base, he broke each job down into its components and designed the quickest and best methods of performing each component. In this way he established how much workers should be able to do with the equipment and materials at hand. He also encouraged employers to pay more productive workers at a higher rate than others, using a "scientifically correct" rate that would benefit both company and worker. Thus, workers were urged to surpass their previous performance standards to earn more pay Taylor called his plan the differential rate system. CONTRIBUTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY The modem assembly line pours out finished products faster than Taylor could ever have imagined. This production "miracle" is just one legacy of...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne`s the Blithedale romance details the lives of several characters who live through the creation and eventual failure of a utopian commune called Blithedale. Blithedale is founded upon a series of percepts that would be considered transcendentalist. Transcendentalism was an important and persuasive theory in the 19th century often associated with ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalist believed that it was possible to create a system that would allow humanity to live in absolute harmony with nature and one another. Although Nathaniel Hawthorn was in certain ways sympathetic possibility of putting their ideas into practice. Based on his own experiences at a utopian farm in the 1840, Hawthorne wrote The Blithedale Romance in order to show the deficiency of much of transcendentalist beliefs. Hawthorn uses the experiences of his characters in Blithedale critique transcendentalist ideas, such as romantic idealism, ideal communities, and the relationship of self to others, the possibility of communal soul, and the possibility of an idealized pastoral world existing in contemporary society. Hawthorne satirically demonstrates the absorb naivety of these transcendentalist notions through the lens of his novel, showing that his characters unswerving devotion to idealized concepts ultimately fails to achieve real world results and that , in many cases, this idealism in fact leads to tragic disaster. While most of the characters begin their stay at Blithedale strongly...
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...Explain the Hawthorne Studies. The “Hawthorne Effect” is when people change their behaviour when they notice that they are being monitored. This was first thought of by Elton Mayo (1880 – 1949), who is also the inventor of the human relations school which, says that any business or an organization which wants to maximize their productivity must ensure that the workers of that organization are fully satisfied. It also says that the management should allow the workers to be a part of the decision making process of the organization, as this will make the workers feel that they have some part to play in the organization. The Hawthorne Studies are known today as the human relations school. The Hawthorne Studies were a series of experiments which were conducted by Elton Mayo and his team over a five year period between 1927 and 1932 at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric company in Chicago. Mayo believed that working environment and working conditions like lighting, heating, rest periods, incentive schemes, hours of work and so on had a significant effect on the workers productivity. During the five year period many experiments were undertaken in an attempt to create the perfect working environment and condition. Basically there were two groups in one group no changes were made. The working conditions remained the same. In the other group the working conditions were altered. Both the groups were observed. In one scenario as the heating and the other conditions were changed...
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...appened in between 1800-1850 in England? 1800: Jan First soup kitchens to relieve hungry poor in London Autumn Robert owen begins philanthropic reform for workers employed in his mills at New Lanark Maria Edgeworth publishes Castle Rackrent, one of the earliest historical novels 1801 Steam carriae of Richard Trevithick carries road passengers at Camborne, Cornwall 1802 June 22 Health and Morals of Apprentices Act, first protective factory legislation, no children under 9 in mills,maximum 12-hour day for children Madame Tussaud mounts the first waxwork exhibition in Lyceum Hall, London Chalotte Dundas, a wooden ship with a single paddle-wheel, covers 20 miles of the Forth and clyde Canal, the world's first steam vessel. 1805 October 21 Battle of Trafalgar, Nelso defeats Franco-Spanish fleet, but is mortally wounded. 1807 Mar 25 Slave Trade abolished in all British possessions June 4 Federick Winsor illuminates part of pall Mall with gas lighting. 1811 Regency Act in favour of Prince of Wales because of George III's insanity. Mar organised machine-breaking (Luddism) in Nottingham Jane Austen publishes Sense and Sensibility Fashionable women reject tight corsets and petticoats 1812 Mar Publication of first 2 cantos of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage causes sensation: "I woke one morning and found myself famous" autumn Countess Lieven, wife of russian ambasador, introduces waltz to London 1813 Jane Austen publishes Pride and Prejudice Smooth-wheeled...
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...environment that encourages creativity and gives employees a sense of control and belongingness, which in turn would allow employees to provide non- standardized advice to their clients. In the past, different models had been developed and tested by people to gain a better understanding of how workers would respond to different styles of management. Some of the more popular models that have been discussed widely are Taylorism, Fordism, the theory of Bureaucracy and the theory of Human Relations. This essay will discuss two opposing management models: Scientific Management and the Theory of Human Relations. The first two sections will discuss each of the models in depth. This will be followed by a discussion of key variances and similarities between the two models. Fredric Taylor was the founder of Scientific Management, also known as Taylorism. The emphasis on increasing productivity from individual workers underlines the emergence of Taylor’s Scientific Management in the beginning of the 20th century. He defined Scientific Management as a theory of...
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