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Some of the major phases of Hawthorne experiments are as follows: 1. Illumination Experiments 2. Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments 3. Mass Interviewing Programme 4. Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment.

1. Experiments to determine the effects of changes in illumination on productivity, illumination experiments, 1924-27.

2. Experiments to determine the effects of changes in hours and other working conditions on productivity, relay assembly test room experiments, 1927-28;

3. Conducting plant-wide interviews to determine worker attitudes and sentiments, mass interviewing programme, 1928-30; and

4. Determination and analysis of social organisation at work, bank wiring observation room experiments, 1931-32.

1 . Illumination Experiments:

Illumination experiments were undertaken to find out how varying levels of illumination (amount of light at the workplace, a physical factor) affected the productivity. The hypothesis was that with higher illumination, productivity will increase. In the first series of experiments, a group of workers was chosen and placed in two separate groups. One group was exposed to varying intensities of illumination.

Since this group was subjected to experimental changes, it was termed as experimental group. Another group, called as control group, continued to work under constant intensities of illumination. The researchers found that as they increased the illumination in the experimental group, both groups increased production. When the intensity of illumination decreased, the production continued to increase in both the groups.

The production in the experimental group decreased only when the illumination was decreased to the level of moonlight. The decrease was due to light falling much below the normal level.

Thus, it was concluded that illumination did not have any effect on productivity but something else was interfering with the productivity. At that time, it was concluded that human factor was important in determining productivity but which aspect was affecting, it was not sure. Therefore, another phase of experiments was undertaken.

2. Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments :

Relay assembly test room experiments were designed to determine the effect of changes in various job conditions on group productivity as the illumination experiments could not establish relationship between intensity of illumination and production. For this purpose, the researchers set up a relay assembly test room two girls were chosen.

These girls were asked to choose for more girls as co-workers. The work related to the assembly of telephone relays. Each relay consisted of a number of parts which girls assembled into finished products. Output depended on the speed and continuity with which girls worked. The experiments started with introducing numerous changes in sequence with duration of each change ranging from four to twelve weeks.

An observer was associated with girls to supervise their work. Before each change was introduced, the girls were consulted. They were given opportunity to express their viewpoints and concerns to the supervisor. In some cases, they were allowed to take decisions on matters concerning them.

Following were the changes and resultant outcomes:

1. The incentive system was changed so that each girl’s extra pay was based on the other five rather than output of larger group, say, 100 workers or so. The productivity increase as compared to before.

2. Two five- minute rests one in the morning session and other in evening session were introduced which were increased to ten minutes. The productivity increased.

3. The rest period was reduced to five minutes but frequency was increased. The productivity decreased slightly and the girls complained that frequent rest intervals affected the rhythm of the work.

4. The number of rest was reduced to two of ten minutes of each, but in the morning, coffee or soup was served along with the sandwich and in the evening, snack was provided. The productivity increased.

5. Changes in working hours and workday were introduced, such as cutting an hour off the end of the day and eliminating Saturday work. The girls were allowed to leave at 4.30 p.m. instead of usual 5.00 p.m. and later at 4.00 p.m. productivity increased.

As each change was introduced, absenteeism decreased, morale increased, and less supervision was required. It was assumed that these positive factors were there because of the various factors being adjusted and making them more positive. At this time, the researchers decided to revert back to original position, that is, no rest and other benefits. Surprisingly, productivity increased further instead of going down.

This development caused a considerable amount of redirection in thinking and the result implied that productivity increased not because of positive changes in physical factors but because of the change in girls’ attitudes towards work and their work group.

They developed a feeling of stability and a sense of belongings. Since there was more freedom of work, they developed a sense of responsibility and self-discipline. The relationship between supervisor and workers became close and friendly.

3. Mass Interviewing Programme :

During the course of experiments, about 20,000 interviews were conducted between 1928 and 1930 to determine employees’ attitudes towards company, supervision, insurance plans, promotion and wages. Initially, these interviews were conducted by means of direct questioning such as “do you like your supervisor?” or “is he in your opinion fair or does he have favorites?” etc.

this method has disadvantage of stimulating antagonism or the oversimplified ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses which could not get to the root of the problem, the method was changed to non- directive interviewing where interviewer was asked to listen to instead of talking, arguing or advising. The interview programme gave valuable insights about the human behaviour in the company.

Some of the major findings of the programme were as follows:

1. A complaint is not necessarily an objective recital of facts; it is a symptom of personal disturbance the cause of which may be deep seated.

2. Objects, persons or events are carriers of social meanings. They become related to employee satisfaction or dissatisfaction only as the employee comes to view them from his personal situation.

3. The personal situation of the worker is a configuration, composed of a personal preference involving sentiments, desires and interests of the person and the social reference constituting the person’s social past and his present interpersonal relations.

4. The position or status of worker in the company is a reference from which the worker assigns meaning and value to the events, objects and features of his environment such as hours of work, wages, etc.

5. The social organisation of the company represents a system of values from which the worker derives satisfaction or dissatisfaction according to the perception of his social status and the expected social rewards.

6. The social demands of the worker are influenced by social experience in groups both inside and outside the work plant.

During the course of interviews, it was discovered that workers’ behaviour was being influenced by group behaviour. However, this conclusion was not very satisfactory and, therefore, researches decided to conduct another series of experiments. As such, the detailed study of a shop situation was started to find out the behaviour of workers in small groups.

4. Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment :

These experiments were conducted to find out the impact of small groups on the individuals. In this experiment, a group of 14 male workers were formed into a small work group. The men were engaged in the assembly of terminal banks for the use in telephone exchanges.

The work involved attaching wire with switches for certain equipment used in telephone exchanges. Hourly wage for each worker was fixed on the basis of average output of each worker. Bonus as also payable on the basis of group effort.

It was expected that highly efficient workers would bring pressure on less efficient workers to increase output and take advantage of group incentive plan. However, the strategy did not work and workers established their own standard of output and this was enforced vigorously by various methods of social pressure. The workers cited various reasons for this behaviour viz. fear of unemployment, fear of increase in output, desire to protect slow workers etc.

The Hawthorne experiments clearly showed that a man at work is motivated by more than the satisfaction of economic needs. Management should recognise that people are essentially social beings and not merely economic beings. As a social being, they are members of a group and the management should try to understand group attitudes and group psychology.

The following were the main conclusions drawn by Prof. Mayo on the basis of Hawthorne studies:

1. Social Unit:

A factory is not only a techno-economic unit, but also a social unit. Men are social beings. This social characteristic at work plays an important role in motivating people. The output increased in Relay Room due to effectively functioning of a social group with a warm relationship with its supervisors.

2. Group Influence:

The workers in a group develop a common psychological bond uniting them as £ group in the form of informal organisation. Their behaviour is influenced by these groups. Pressure of a group, rather than management demands, frequently has the strongest influence on how productive workers would be.

3. Group Behaviour:

Management must understand that a typical group behaviour can dominate or even supersede individual propensities.

4. Motivation:

Human and social motivation can play even a greater role than mere monitory incentives in moving or motivating and managing employee group.

5. Supervision:

The style of supervision affects worker’s attitude to work and his productivity. A supervisor who is friendly with his workers and takes interest in their social problems can get co-operation and better results from the subordinates.

6. Working Conditions:

Productivity increases as a result of improved working conditions in the organisation.

7. Employee Morale:

Mayo pointed out that workers were not simply cogs, in the machinery, instead the employee morale (both individual and in groups) can have profound effects on productivity.

8. Communication:

Experiments have shown that the output increases when workers are explained the logic behind various decisions and their participation in decision making brings better results.

9. Balanced Approach:

The problems of workers could not be solved by taking one factor i.e. management could not achieve the results by emphasizing one aspect. All the things should be discussed and decision be taken for improving the whole situation. A balanced approach to the whole situation can show better results.

Related Articles:

• Criticisms Faced by Hawthorne Experiments | Management
• Hawthorne Experiments in Industrial Psychologist: (Stages and Significance)

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Home » Management Principles » Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne Experiment and It’s Contributions to Management

Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne Experiment and It’s Contributions to Management

The term “Hawthorne” is a term used within several behavioral management theories and is originally derived from the western electric company’s large factory complex named Hawthorne works. Starting in 1905 and operating until 1983, Hawthorne works had 45,000 employees and it produced a wide variety of consumer products, including telephone equipment, refrigerators and electric fans. As a result, Hawthorne works is well-known for its enormous output of telephone equipment and most importantly for its industrial experiments and studies carried out.

Hawthorne Experiment by Elton Mayo

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. The experiment lasted up to 1932. The Hawthorne Experiment 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 was that logical factors were far less important than emotional factors in determining productivity efficiency. Furthermore, of all the human factors influencing employee behavior , the most powerful were those emanating from the worker’s participation in social groups. Thus, Mayo concluded that work arrangements in addition to meeting the objective requirements of production must at the same time satisfy the employee’s subjective requirement of social satisfaction at his work place.

The Hawthorne experiment consists of four parts . These parts are briefly described below:-

• Illumination Experiment.
• Relay Assembly Test Room Experiment.
• Interviewing Programme.
• Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment.

1. Illumination Experiment:

This experiment was conducted to establish relationship between output and illumination. When the intensity of light was increased, the output also increased. The output showed an upward trend even when the illumination was gradually brought down to the normal level. Therefore, it was concluded that there is no consistent relationship between output of workers and illumination in the factory. There must be some other factor which affected productivity.

2. Relay Assembly Test Room Experiment:

This phase aimed at knowing not only the impact of illumination on production but also other factors like length of the working day, rest hours, and other physical conditions. In this experiment, a small homogeneous work-group of six girls was constituted. These girls were friendly to each other and were asked to work in a very informal atmosphere under the supervision of a researcher. Productivity and morale increased considerably during the period of the experiment. Productivity went on increasing and stabilized at a high level even when all the improvements were taken away and the pre-test conditions were reintroduced. The researchers concluded that socio-psychological factors such as feeling of being important, recognition, attention, participation, cohesive work-group, and non-directive supervision held the key for higher productivity.

3. Mass Interview Programme:

The objective of this programme was to make a systematic study of the employees attitudes which would reveal the meaning which their “working situation” has for them. The researchers interviewed a large number of workers with regard to their opinions on work, working conditions and supervision. Initially, a direct approach was used whereby interviews asked questions considered important by managers and researchers. The researchers observed that the replies of the workmen were guarded. Therefore, this approach was replaced by an indirect technique, where the interviewer simply listened to what the workmen had to say. The findings confirmed the importance of social factors at work in the total work environment.

4. Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment:

This experiment was conducted by Roethlisberger and Dickson with a view to develop a new method of observation and obtaining more exact information about social groups within a company and also finding out the causes which restrict output. The experiment was conducted to study a group of workers under conditions which were as close as possible to normal. This group comprised of 14 workers. After the experiment, the production records of this group were compared with their earlier production records. It was observed that the group evolved its own production norms for each individual worker, which was made lower than those set by the management. Because of this, workers would produce only that much, thereby defeating the incentive system. Those workers who tried to produce more than the group norms were isolated, harassed or punished by the group. The findings of the study are:-

• Each individual was restricting output.
• The group had its own “unofficial” standards of performance.
• Individual output remained fairly constant over a period of time.
• Informal groups play an important role in the working of an organization.

Effect of Monotony and Fatigue on Productivity

Using a study group other experiments were conducted to examine what effect of monotony and fatigue on productivity and how to control those using variables such as rest breaks, work hours and incentives.

At normal conditions the work week was of 48 hours, including Saturdays, with no rest pauses. On the first experiment workers were put on piece-work salary where they were paid on each part they produced, as a result the output increased. On the second experiment the workers were given 2 rest pauses of 5 minutes each for 5 weeks and again output went up. The third experiment further increased the pauses to 10 min and the output went up sharply. For the fourth experiments a 6, 5 min breaks were given and output fell slightly as the workers complained that the work rhythm was broken. On the fifth experiments conditions for experiment three were repeated but this time a free hot meal was given by the company and output wen up again.at the sixth experiment, workers were dismissed at 4.30p.m. Instead of 5.00p.m were an output increase was recorded.

The seventh experiment had the same results as experiments six even though the workers were dismissed at 4.00 p.m. on the eighth and final experiment, all improvements were taken away and workers returned to their original working conditions. Surprisingly, results concluded that output was the highest ever recorded!

Contributions of the Hawthorne Experiment to Management

Elton Mayo and his associates conducted their studies in the Hawthorne plant of the western electrical company, U.S.A., between 1927 and 1930. According to them, behavioral science methods have many areas of application in management. The important features of the Hawthorne Experiment are:

• A business organization is basically a social system . It is not just a techno-economic system.
• The employer can be motivated by psychological and social wants because his behavior is also influenced by feelings, emotions and attitudes. Thus economic incentives are not the only method to motivate people.
• Management must learn to develop co-operative attitudes and not rely merely on command.
• Participation becomes an important instrument in human relations movement. In order to achieve participation , effective two-way communication network is essential.
• Productivity is linked with employee satisfaction in any business organization. Therefore management must take greater interest in employee satisfaction.
• Group psychology plays an important role in any business organization. We must therefore rely more on informal group effort.
• The neo-classical theory emphasizes that man is a living machine and he is far more important than the inanimate machine. Hence, the key to higher productivity lies in employee morale . High morale results in higher output.

A new milestone in organisational behavior was set and Elton Mayo and his team found a way to improve productivity by creating a healthy team spirit environment between workers and supervisors labeling it as The Hawthorne Effect .

The Hawthorne effect is a physiological phenomenon that produces an improvement in human behavior or performance as a result of increased attention of superiors and colleagues. As a combined effort, the effect can enhance results by creating sense of teamwork and a common purpose. As in many ways the Hawthorne effect is interpreted, it generates new ideas concerning importance of work groups and leadership , communication, motivation and job design , which brought forward emphasis on personnel management and human relations.

Although the Hawthorne effect tends to be an ideal contributor to organizational management, it contains a few flaws which such a study is criticized upon. Having the experiments being conducted in controlled environments, lack of validity may exist as the workers knew they were observed hence produced better performances. The human aspect in the Hawthorne experiments was given too much importance were it alone cannot improve production as other factors are a must. Group decision making might also evolve in a flaw as on occasions individual decision making is vital as it might be the way to prevent failures within a system. Another flaw contributes to the freedom given to the workers by the Hawthorne effect. The important constructive role of supervisors may be lost with excess informality within the groups and in fact such a flaw may result in lowering the performance and productivity.

The Hawthorne experiments marked a significant step forward in human behavior and are regarded as one of the most important social science investigations and said to be the foundations of relations approach to management and the development of organizational behavior. Managers are to be aware of the criticism evolved through years on such a study before adopting it. In my opinion, the Hawthorne effect is a validated theory and could be applied within the organisation, though care is to be taken and a limit is to be set. The use of team groups is acceptable as it creates a caring factor between workers and competitively amongst other teams. Supervisors are to keep their role and limit socializing with staff on the shop floor to always keep their role and hence standards are always kept to the maximum. Team meeting are to be held which allows the worker to give out his opinion and feel important by contributing his ideas to the organisation.

Whichever management structure an organisation is to adopt, regular reviews are to be carried out in order to keep a stable output and good standard in quality. Such a strategy will ensure continuous evolution of the organizational management and a successful organization producing maximum efficiency in its produce.

External Links about Hawthorne Experiment:

• A New Vision  (Harvard Business School)
• Elton Mayo  (British Library)

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• 4 Phases of Hawthorne Experiment – Explained
• Understanding the Significance of Hawthorne Studies to Management
• Case Study: Henry Ford’s Contributions to Organizational Behavior and Leadership
• Contingency Approach to Management
• Scientific Management Theory – Directions and Characteristics
• Steps in Management by Objectives (MBO) Process
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Hawthorne Effect: Definition, How It Works, and How to Avoid It

Ayesh Perera

B.A, MTS, Harvard University

Ayesh Perera, a Harvard graduate, has worked as a researcher in psychology and neuroscience under Dr. Kevin Majeres at Harvard Medical School.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Saul McLeod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Key Takeaways

• The Hawthorne effect refers to the increase in the performance of individuals who are noticed, watched, and paid attention to by researchers or supervisors.
• In 1958, Henry A. Landsberger coined the term ‘Hawthorne effect’ while evaluating a series of studies at a plant near Chicago, Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works.
• The novelty effect, demand characteristics and feedback on performance may explain what is widely perceived as the Hawthorne effect.
• Although the possible implications of the Hawthorne effect remain relevant in many contexts, recent research findings challenge many of the original conclusions concerning the phenomenon.

The Hawthorne effect refers to a tendency in some individuals to alter their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed (Fox et al., 2007).

This phenomenon implies that when people become aware that they are subjects in an experiment, the attention they receive from the experimenters may cause them to change their conduct.

Hawthorne Studies

The Hawthorne effect is named after a set of studies conducted at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Plant in Cicero during the 1920s. The Scientists included in this research team were Elton Mayo (Psychologist), Roethlisberger and Whilehead (Sociologists), and William Dickson (company representative).

There are 4 separate experiments in Hawthorne Studies:

Illumination Experiments (1924-1927) Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments (1927-1932) Experiments in Interviewing Workers (1928- 1930) Bank Wiring Room Experiments (1931-1932)

The Hawthorne Experiments, conducted at Western Electric’s Hawthorne plant in the 1920s and 30s, fundamentally influenced management theories.

They highlighted the importance of psychological and social factors in workplace productivity, such as employee attention and group dynamics, leading to a more human-centric approach in management practices.

Illumination Experiment

The first and most influential of these studies is known as the “Illumination Experiment”, conducted between 1924 and 1927 (sponsored by the National Research Council).

The company had sought to ascertain whether there was a relationship between productivity and the work environments (e.g., the level of lighting in a factory).

During the first study, a group of workers who made electrical relays experienced several changes in lighting. Their performance was observed in response to the minutest alterations in illumination.

What the original researchers found was that any change in a variable, such as lighting levels, led to an improvement in productivity. This was true even when the change was negative, such as a return to poor lighting.

However, these gains in productivity disappeared when the attention faded (Roethlisberg & Dickson, 1939). The outcome implied that the increase in productivity was merely the result of a motivational effect on the company’s workers (Cox, 2000).

Their awareness of being observed had apparently led them to increase their output. It seemed that increased attention from supervisors could improve job performance.

Hawthorne Experiment by Elton Mayo

Relay assembly test room experiment.

Spurred by these initial findings, a series of experiments were conducted at the plant over the next eight years. From 1928 to 1932, Elton Mayo (1880–1949) and his colleagues began a series of studies examining changes in work structure (e.g., changes in rest periods, length of the working day, and other physical conditions.) in a group of five women.

The results of the Elton Mayo studies reinforced the initial findings of the illumination experiment. Freedman (1981, p. 49) summarizes the results of the next round of experiments as follows:

“Regardless of the conditions, whether there were more or fewer rest periods, longer or shorter workdays…the women worked harder and more efficiently.”

Analysis of the findings by Landsberger (1958) led to the term the Hawthorne effect , which describes the increase in the performance of individuals who are noticed, watched, and paid attention to by researchers or supervisors.

Bank Wiring Observation Room Study

In a separate study conducted between 1927 and 1932, six women working together to assemble telephone relays were observed (Harvard Business School, Historical Collections).

Following the secret measuring of their output for two weeks, the women were moved to a special experiment room. The experiment room, which they would occupy for the rest of the study, had a supervisor who discussed various changes to their work.

The subsequent alterations the women experienced included breaks varied in length and regularity, the provision (and the non-provision) of food, and changes to the length of the workday.

For the most part, changes to these variables (including returns to the original state) were accompanied by an increase in productivity.

The researchers concluded that the women’s awareness of being monitored, as well as the team spirit engendered by the close environment improved their productivity (Mayo, 1945).

Subsequently, a related study was conducted by W. Lloyd Warner and Elton Mayo, anthropologists from Harvard (Henslin, 2008).

They carried out their experiment on 14 men who assembled telephone switching equipment. The men were placed in a room along with a full-time observer who would record all that transpired. The workers were to be paid for their individual productivity.

However, the surprising outcome was a decrease in productivity. The researchers discovered that the men had become suspicious that an increase in productivity would lead the company to lower their base rate or find grounds to fire some of the workers.

Additional observation unveiled the existence of smaller cliques within the main group. Moreover, these cliques seemed to have their own rules for conduct and distinct means to enforce them.

The results of the study seemed to indicate that workers were likely to be influenced more by the social force of their peer groups than the incentives of their superiors.

This outcome was construed not necessarily as challenging the previous findings but as accounting for the potentially stronger social effect of peer groups.

Hawthorne Effect Examples

Managers in the workplace.

The studies discussed above reveal much about the dynamic relationship between productivity and observation.

On the one hand, letting employees know that they are being observed may engender a sense of accountability. Such accountability may, in turn, improve performance.

However, if employees perceive ulterior motives behind the observation, a different set of outcomes may ensue. If, for instance, employees reason that their increased productivity could harm their fellow workers or adversely impact their earnings eventually, they may not be actuated to improve their performance.

This suggests that while observation in the workplace may yield salutary gains, it must still account for other factors such as the camaraderie among the workers, the existent relationship between the management and the employees, and the compensation system.

A study that investigated the impact of awareness of experimentation on pupil performance (based on direct and indirect cues) revealed that the Hawthorne effect is either nonexistent in children between grades 3 and 9, was not evoked by the intended cues, or was not sufficiently strong to alter the results of the experiment (Bauernfeind & Olson, 1973).

However, if the Hawthorne effect were actually present in other educational contexts, such as in the observation of older students or teachers, it would have important implications.

For instance, if teachers were aware that they were being observed and evaluated via camera or an actual person sitting inside the class, it is not difficult to imagine how they might alter their approach.

Likewise, if older students were informed that their classroom participation would be observed, they might have more incentives to pay diligent attention to the lessons.

Alternative Explanations

Despite the possibility of the Hawthorne effect and its seeming impact on performance, alternative accounts cannot be discounted.

The Novelty Effect

The Novelty Effect denotes the tendency of human performance to show improvements in response to novel stimuli in the environment (Clark & Sugrue, 1988). Such improvements result not from any advances in learning or growth, but from a heightened interest in the new stimuli.

Demand Characteristics

Demand characteristics describe the phenomenon in which the subjects of an experiment would draw conclusions concerning the experiment’s objectives, and either subconsciously or consciously alter their behavior as a result (Orne, 2009). The intentions of the participant—which may range from striving to support the experimenter’s implicit agenda to attempting to utterly undermine the credibility of the study—would play a vital role herein.

Feedback on Performance

It is possible for regular evaluations by the experimenters to function as a scoreboard that enhances productivity. The mere fact that the workers are better acquainted with their performance may actuate them to increase their output.

Despite the seeming implications of the Hawthorne effect in a variety of contexts, recent reviews of the initial studies seem to challenge the original conclusions.

For instance, the data from the first experiment were long thought to have been destroyed. Rice (1982) notes that “the original [illumination] research data somehow disappeared.”

Gale (2004, p. 439) states that “these particular experiments were never written up, the original study reports were lost, and the only contemporary account of them derives from a few paragraphs in a trade journal.”

However, Steven Levitt and John List of the University of Chicago were able to uncover and evaluate these data (Levitt & List, 2011). They found that the supposedly notable patterns were entirely fictional despite the possible manifestations of the Hawthorne effect.

They proposed excess responsiveness to variations induced by the experimenter, relative to variations occurring naturally, as an alternative means to test for the Hawthorne effect.

Another study sought to determine whether the Hawthorne effect actually exists, and if so, under what conditions it does, and how large it could be (McCambridge, Witton & Elbourne, 2014).

Following the systemic review of the available evidence on the Harthorne effect, the researchers concluded that while research participation may indeed impact the behaviors being investigated, discovering more about its operation, its magnitude, and its mechanisms require further investigation.

How to Reduce the Hawthorne Effect

The credibility of experiments is essential to advances in any scientific discipline. However, when the results are significantly influenced by the mere fact that the subjects were observed, testing hypotheses becomes exceedingly difficult.

As such, several strategies may be employed to reduce the Hawthorne Effect.

Discarding the Initial Observations :

• Participants in studies often take time to acclimate themselves to their new environments.
• During this period, the alterations in performance may stem more from a temporary discomfort with the new environment than from an actual variable.
• Greater familiarity with the environment over time, however, would decrease the effect of this transition and reveal the raw effects of the variables whose impact the experimenters are observing.

Using Control Groups:

• When the subjects experiencing the intervention and those in the control group are treated in the same manner in an experiment, the Hawthorne effect would likely influence both groups equivalently.
• Under such circumstances, the impact of the intervention can be more readily identified and analyzed.
• Where ethically permissible, the concealment of information and covert data collection can be used to mitigate the Hawthorne effect.
• Observing the subjects without informing them, or conducting experiments covertly, often yield more reliable outcomes. The famous marshmallow experiment at Stanford University, which was conducted initially on 3 to 5-year-old children, is a striking example.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the researchers, who identified the hawthorne effect, see as evidence that employee performance was influenced by something other than the physical work conditions.

The researchers of the Hawthorne Studies noticed that employee productivity increased not only in improved conditions (like better lighting), but also in unchanged or even worsened conditions.

They concluded that the mere fact of being observed and feeling valued (the so-called “Hawthorne Effect”) significantly impacted workers’ performance, independent from physical work conditions.

What is the Hawthorne effect in simple terms?

The Hawthorne Effect is when people change or improve their behavior because they know they’re being watched.

It’s named after a study at the Hawthorne Works factory, where researchers found that workers became more productive when they realized they were being observed, regardless of the actual working conditions.

Bauernfeind, R. H., & Olson, C. J. (1973). Is the Hawthorne effect in educational experiments a chimera ? The Phi Delta Kappan, 55 (4), 271-273.

Clark, R. E., & Sugrue, B. M. (1988). Research on instructional media 1978-88. In D. Ely (Ed.), Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, 1994. Volume 20. Libraries Unlimited, Inc., PO Box 6633, Englewood, CO 80155-6633.

Cox, E. (2001).  Psychology for A-level . Oxford University Press.

Fox, N. S., Brennan, J. S., & Chasen, S. T. (2008). Clinical estimation of fetal weight and the Hawthorne effect. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 141 (2), 111-114.

Gale, E.A.M. (2004). The Hawthorne studies – a fable for our times? Quarterly Journal of Medicine, (7) ,439-449.

Henslin, J. M., Possamai, A. M., Possamai-Inesedy, A. L., Marjoribanks, T., & Elder, K. (2015). Sociology: A down to earth approach . Pearson Higher Education AU.

Landsberger, H. A. (1958). Hawthorne Revisited : Management and the Worker, Its Critics, and Developments in Human Relations in Industry.

Levitt, S. D., & List, J. A. (2011). Was there really a Hawthorne effect at the Hawthorne plant? An analysis of the original illumination experiments. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3 (1), 224-38.

Mayo, E. (1945). The human problems of an industrial civilization . New York: The Macmillan Company.

McCambridge, J., Witton, J., & Elbourne, D. R. (2014). Systematic review of the Hawthorne effect: new concepts are needed to study research participation effects. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67 (3), 267-277.

McCarney, R., Warner, J., Iliffe, S., Van Haselen, R., Griffin, M., & Fisher, P. (2007). The Hawthorne Effect: a randomised, controlled trial. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 7 (1), 1-8.

Rice, B. (1982). The Hawthorne defect: Persistence of a flawed theory. Psychology Today, 16 (2), 70-74.

Orne, M. T. (2009). Demand characteristics and the concept of quasi-controls. Artifacts in behavioral research: Robert Rosenthal and Ralph L. Rosnow’s classic books, 110 , 110-137.

Further Information

• Wickström, G., & Bendix, T. (2000). The” Hawthorne effect”—what did the original Hawthorne studies actually show?. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 363-367.
• Levitt, S. D., & List, J. A. (2011). Was there really a Hawthorne effect at the Hawthorne plant? An analysis of the original illumination experiments. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3(1), 224-38.
• Oswald, D., Sherratt, F., & Smith, S. (2014). Handling the Hawthorne effect: The challenges surrounding a participant observer. Review of social studies, 1(1), 53-73.
• Bloombaum, M. (1983). The Hawthorne experiments: a critique and reanalysis of the first statistical interpretation by Franke and Kaul. Sociological Perspectives, 26(1), 71-88.

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10 Hawthorne Experiment

Dr.Shafali Nagpal

9.1  Learning Objective

9.2  Introduction

9.3 Definition of Hawthorne studies

9.4 Illumination Experiments

9.5 Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments

9.6 Mass Interviewing Program

9.7 Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment

9.8 Conclusions from experiment

9.9 Summary

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• To gain familiarity about illumination concept.
• To understand the impact and usefulness of Hawthorne Experiment in industries.
• To enable students to learn how to increase efficiency through illumination concept.

Introduction

Mayo’s notoriety for being an administration master lays on the Hawthorne Experiments which he directed from 1927 to 1932 at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). The processing plant utilized essentially ladies labourers who collected phone cabling gear. The point of the investigation was to build up the effect of various states of work on worker efficiency. At first, Mayo analyzed the effect of changes in the production line condition, for example, lighting and dampness. He at that point went ahead to contemplate the impact of changes in business plans, for instance, breaks, hours, and legislative initiative. Not exclusively were the Hawthorne analyzes the main extensive scale investigations of working individuals’ conditions at any point made; they likewise created a scope of surprising outcomes that changed the substance of people administration.

George Elton Mayo was an Australian who ended up noticeably one of the best-known administration scholars after his test takes a shot at worker inspiration in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Mayo was a speaker at the University of Queensland when he chose to move to the University of Pennsylvania in America in 1923 and afterwards to the Harvard Business School in 1926 where he moved toward becoming teacher of mechanical research. It was from here that he went up against the exploration that was to make him a standout amongst the most well-known names in administration history.

Research on efficiency at large assembling edifices like the Hawthorne Works was made conceivable through associations among businesses, colleges, and government. In the 1920s, with help from the National Research Council, the Rockefeller Foundation, and in the long run Harvard Business School, Western Electric attempted a progression of behavioural examinations. The initial, an arrangement of enlightenment tests from 1924 to 1927, embarked to decide the impacts of lighting on labourer proficiency in three separate assembling offices. Records of the investigation uncovered no critical relationship amongst efficiency and light levels. The outcomes incited analysts to examine different variables influencing specialist yield.

The following investigations starting in 1927 concentrated on the hand-off get together division, where the electromagnetic switches that made phone associations conceivable were delivered. The fabricate of transfers required the monotonous get together of pins, springs, armatures, separators, loops, and screws. Western Electric created more than 7 million transfers every year. As the speed of individual labourers decided general generation levels, the impacts of variables like rest periods and work hours in this office were individually noteworthy to the organization.

In a different test room, an administrator arranged parts for five ladies to amass. The women dropped the finished transfers into a chute where a recording gadget punched an opening in a persistently moving paper tape. The quantity of gaps uncovered the generation rate for every labourer. Scientists were uncertain if efficiency expanded in this examination as a result of the presentation of rest periods, shorter working hours, wage motivating forces, the progression of a little gathering, or the different consideration the ladies got. In 1928, George Pennock, an administrator at Western Electric, swung to Elton Mayo at Harvard Business School for direction. “Will have a man turned out from one of the schools and saw what he could enlighten us regarding what we’ve discovered,” Pennock composed.

Mayo’s reputation as a management guru rests on the Hawthorne Experiments which he conducted from 1927 to 1932 at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). The factory employed mainly women workers who assembled telephone  cabling equipment. The study aimed to establish the impact of different conditions of work on employee productivity. Initially, Mayo examined the effect of changes in the factory environment such as lighting and humidity. He then went on to study the effect of changes in employment arrangements such as breaks, hours, and managerial leadership. Not only were the Hawthorne experiments the first large-scale studies of working people’s conditions ever made; they also produced a range of remarkable results that changed the face of people management.

Image credits @ Harvard Business School

Definition of Hawthorne studies

F.W. Taylor through his analyses expanded creation by supporting it. Elton Mayo and his adherents tried to build creation by acculturating it through behavioural examinations prominently known as Hawthorne Experiments/Studies. The reality remains that an introduction to the investigation of authoritative conduct will stay inadequate without a say of Hawthorne thinks about/tests.

In November 1924, a group of scientist teachers from the eminent Harvard Business School of the U.S.A. started researching into the human parts of work and working condition at the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric Company, Chicago. The organization was delivering ringers and other electric types of gear for phone industry. Conspicuous teachers incorporated into the exploration group were Elton Mayo (Psychologist), Roethlisberger and Whitehead (Sociologists) and William Dickson (organization delegate). The group led four separate exploratory and behavioural investigations over a seven-year time span.

The Hawthorne tests were pivotal examinations in human relations that were conducted in the vicinity of 1924 and 1932 at Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Chicago. Initially planned as enlightenment concentrates to decide the connection amongst lighting and efficiency, the underlying tests were supported by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1927 an examination group from the Harvard Business School was  welcome to join the investigations after the brightening tests drew unexpected outcomes. Two other arrangements of tests, the transfer get together tests, and the bank-wiring tests took after the enlightenment tests. The investigations accepted the name Hawthorne tests or concentrate from the area of the Western Electric plant. Finished up by 1932, the Hawthorne ponders, with accentuation on another elucidation of gathering conduct, where the reason for the school of human relations.

Some of the major phases of Hawthorne experiments are as follows:

1.  Illumination Experiments

2.  Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments

3.  Mass Interviewing Program

4.  Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment.

• Experiments to determine the effects of changes in illumination on productivity, illumination experiments, 1924-27.
• Experiments to determine the effects of changes in hours and other working conditions on productivity, relay assembly test room experiments, 1927-28;
• Conducting plant-wide interviews to determine worker attitudes and sentiments, mass interviewing program, 1928-30; and
• Determination and analysis of social organization at work, bank wiring observation room experiments, 1931-32.

1. Illumination Experiments:

Enlightenment tests were embraced to discover how fluctuating levels of brightening ( a measure of light at the work environment, a physical element) influenced the efficiency. The speculation was that with higher brightening, efficiency would increment. In the first arrangement of tests, a gathering of specialists was picked and set in two separate groups. One gathering was presented to fluctuating forces of brightening. Since this gathering was subjected to test transforms, it was named as test convention. Another forum, called as control gathering, kept on working under steady powers of enlightenment. The scientists found that as they expanded the knowledge in the exploratory gathering, both gatherings expanded generation. At the point when the power of enlightenment diminished, the generation kept on expanding in both the gatherings.

The creation of the test assembles diminished just when the light was diminished to the level of moonlight. The decline was because of light falling much beneath the ordinary level. Along these lines, it was reasoned that enlightenment did not have any impact on profitability but rather something else was meddling with the efficiency. Around then, it was supposed that human calculates critical deciding profitability however which perspective was influencing, it didn’t know. Along these lines, another period of trials was embraced.

2. Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments:

Relay assembly test room experiments were designed to determine the effect of changes in various job conditions on group productivity as the illumination experiments could not establish a relationship between the intensity of light and production. For this purpose, the researchers set up a relay assembly test room two girls were chosen. These girls were asked to choose for more girls as co-workers. The work is related to the assembly of telephone relays. Each relay consisted of some parts which girls assembled into finished products. Output depended on the speed and continuity with which girls worked. The experiments started with introducing numerous changes in sequence with duration of each change ranging from four to twelve weeks. An observer was associated with girls to supervise their work. Before each change was introduced, the girls were consulted. They were given the opportunity to express their viewpoints and concerns to the supervisor. In some cases, they were allowed to take decisions on matters concerning them.

Following were the changes and resultant outcomes:

• The incentive system has been modified so that each girl’s extra pay was based on the other five rather than the output of larger group, say, 100 workers or so. The productivity increase as compared to before.
• Two five-minute rests one in the morning session and other in evening session were introduced which were increased to ten minutes. The productivity increased.
• The rest period was reduced to five minutes, but the frequency was increased. The productivity decreased slightly, and the girls complained that frequent rest intervals affected the rhythm of the work.
• The number of rest was reduced to two of ten minutes of each, but in the morning, coffee or soup was served along with the sandwich, and in the evening, snack was provided. The productivity increased.
• Changes in working hours and workday were introduced, such as cutting an hour off the end of the day and eliminating Saturday work. The girls were allowed to leave at 4.30 p.m. instead of usual 5.00 p.m. and later at 4.00 p.m. productivity increased.

As each change was introduced, absenteeism decreased, morale improved, and less supervision was required. It was assumed that these positive factors were there because of the various factors being adjusted and making them more confident. At this time, the researchers decided to revert to an original position, that is, no rest and other benefits. Surprisingly, productivity increased further instead of going down. This development caused a considerable amount of redirection in thinking, and the result implied that productivity increased not because of positive changes in physical factors but because of the change in girls’ attitudes towards work and their workgroup. They developed a feeling of stability and a sense of belongings. Since there was more freedom of work, they developed a sense of responsibility and self-discipline. The relationship between supervisor and workers became close and friendly.

3. Mass Interviewing Program:

During experiments, about 20,000 interviews were conducted between 1928 and 1930 to determine employees’ attitudes towards company, supervision, insurance plans, promotion and wages. Initially, these interviews were conducted using direct questioning such as “do you like your supervisor?” or “is he in your opinion fair or does he have favourites?” etc.

This method has the disadvantage of stimulating antagonism or the oversimplified ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses which could not get to the root of the problem; the method was changed to nondirective interviewing where the interviewer was asked to listen to instead of talking, arguing or advising. The interview program gave valuable insights into the human behaviour in the company.

Some of the major findings of the program were as follows:

• A complaint is not necessarily an objective recital of facts; it is a symptom of personal disturbance the cause of which may be deep-seated.
• Objects, persons or events are carriers of social meanings. They become related to employee satisfaction or dissatisfaction only as the employee comes to view them from his situation.
• The personal situation of the worker is a configuration, composed of a personal preference involving sentiments, desires and interests of the person and the cultural reference constituting the person’s human past and his present interpersonal relations.
• The position or status of worker in the company is a reference from which the employee assigns meaning and value to the events, objects and features of his environment such as hours of work, wages, etc.
• The social organization of the company represents a system of values from which the worker derives satisfaction or dissatisfaction according to the perception of his social status and the expected social rewards.
• The social demands of the workers are influenced by social experience in groups both inside and outside the work plant.

During interviews, it was discovered that workers’ behaviour was being influenced by group behaviour. However, this conclusion was not very satisfactory and, therefore, researchers decided to conduct another series of experiments. As such, the detailed study of a shop situation was started to find out the behaviour of workers in small groups.

Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/image

4. Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment:

These investigations were directed to discover the effect of little gatherings of the people. In this trial, a group of 14 male labourers were framed into a little work meeting. The men were occupied with the gathering of terminal banks for the utilization in phone trades. The work included appending wire with switches for certain gear utilized as a part of phone deals. Time-based compensation for every specialist was settled on the premise of the normal yield of every labourer. Reward as additionally payable on the assumption of collective endeavour.

It was normal that profoundly skilled specialists would convey weight on less capable labourers to build yield and exploit gather motivation design. In any case, the technique did not work and experts built up their particular standard of yield, and this was implemented enthusiastically by different strategies for social weight. The specialist’s referred to different explanations behind this conduct viz. dread of unemployment, a dread of increment in yield; yearning to secure moderate labourers and so on. The Hawthorne tests unmistakably demonstrated that a man at work is roused by more than the fulfilment of financial needs. The administration ought to perceive that individuals are social creatures and not simply monetary creatures. As a social being, they are people from a gathering and the government should attempt to comprehend assemble states of mind and gathering brain science.

The following were the main conclusions drawn by Prof. Mayo by Hawthorne studies:

1. Social Unit:

A factory is not only a techno-economic unit but also a social unit. Men are social beings. This social characteristic at work plays a major role in motivating people. The output increased in Relay Room due to the effective functioning of a social group with a warm relationship with its supervisors.

2. Group Influence:

The workers in a group develop a common psychological bond uniting them as the £ panel in the form of informal organization. Their behaviour is influenced by these groups. The pressure of a group, rather than management demands, frequently has the strongest influence on how productive workers would be.

3. Group Behavior:

Management must understand that a typical group behaviour can dominate or even supersede individual propensities.

4. Motivation:

Human and social motivation can play even a greater role than little monitory incentives in moving or motivating and managing employee group.

5. Supervision:

The style of control affects worker’s attitude to work and his productivity. A supervisor who is friendly with his employees and takes an interest in their social problems can get co-operation and better results from the subordinates.

6. Working Conditions:

Productivity increases as a result of improved working conditions in the organization.

7. Employee Morale:

Mayo pointed out that workers were not simply cogs, in the machinery. Instead, the employee morale (both individual and in groups) can have profound effects on productivity.

8. Communication:

Experiments have shown that the output increases when workers have explained the logic behind various decisions and their participation in decision-making brings better results.

9. Balanced Approach:

The problems of employees could not be solved by taking one factor, i.e. management could not achieve the results by emphasizing one aspect. All the things should be discussed, and a decision is made for improving the whole situation. A balanced approach to the whole situation can show better results.

Conclusions of Hawthorne Studies / Experiments

It took Elton Mayo some time to work through the results of his Hawthorne Experiments, particularly the seemingly illogical results of the Relay Assembly room operations. His most important conclusion was that the prevailing view of the time that people want to work purely for money and living was deeply flawed. Work was much more. It was first and foremost a group activity in which other people and their behaviour are they colleagues, managers or observers, affected how well people worked. People’s morale and productivity were affected not so much  by the conditions in which they worked out by the recognition they received. The rises in productivity in the Relay Assembly Room were achieved under the affected eye of the observers not because the conditions made the workers feel good but because the employees felt valued.

The conclusions derived from the Hawthorne Studies were as follows:-

• The social and psychological factors are responsible for workers’ productivity and job satisfaction. Only good physical working conditions are not enough to increase productivity.
• The informal relations among workers influence the employees’ behaviour and performance more than the formal relationships in the organization.
• Employees will perform better if they are allowed to participate in decision-making affecting their interests.
• Employees will also work more efficiently when they believe that the management is interested in their welfare.
• When employees are treated with respect and dignity, their performance will improve.
• Financial incentives alone cannot increase the performance. Social and Psychological needs must also be satisfied to increase productivity.
• Good communication between the superiors and subordinates can improve the relations and the productivity of the subordinates.
• Special attention and freedom to express their views will improve the performance of the workers.

Criticism of Hawthorne Studies / Experiments

The Hawthorne Experiments are mainly criticized on the following grounds:-

• Lacks Validity : The Hawthorne experiments were conducted under controlled situations. These findings will not work in the real setting. The workers under observation knew about the tests. Therefore, they may have improved their performance only for the experiments.
• More Importance to Human Aspects : The Hawthorne experiments give too much importance to human aspects. Human aspects alone cannot improve productivity. The production also depends on technological and other factors.
• More Emphasis on Group Decision-making : The Hawthorne experiments placed too much emphasis on group decision-making. In a real situation, an individual decision cannot be neglected especially when quick decisions are required, and there is no time to consult others.
• Over Importance to Freedom of Workers : The Hawthorne experiments give a lot of relevance to freedom of the workers. It does not give importance to the constructive role of the supervisors. In reality, too much of freedom to the workers can lower down their performance or productivity.

Mayo’s reputation as a management guru rests on the Hawthorne Experiments which he conducted from 1927 to 1932 at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois. The factory employed mainly women workers who assembled telephone cabling equipment. The study aimed to establish the impact of different conditions of work on employee productivity. Initially, Mayo examined the effect of changes in the factory environment such as lighting and humidity. He then went on to study the effect of changes in employment arrangements such as breaks, hours, and managerial leadership. Not only were the Hawthorne experiments the first large-scale studies of working people’s conditions ever made; they also produced a range of remarkable results that changed the thinking of management.

• Franke, Richard H., and James D. Kaul. “The Hawthorne Experiments: First Statistical Interpretations.” American Sociological Review (1978): 623-43.
• Gillespie, Richard. Manufacturing Knowledge: A History of the Hawthorne Experiments. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
• Landsberger, Henry A. Hawthorne Revisited. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, 1958.
• Mayo, Elton. The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization. New York: Macmillan, 1933.
• Pitcher, Brian L. “The Hawthorne Experiments: Statistical Evidence for a Learning Hypothesis.” Social Forces (1981): 133-39.

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Illumination Studies and Relay Assembly Test Room

They say figures don’t lie, but we have shown that we can take a set of figures and prove anything we want to.

Research on productivity at massive manufacturing complexes like the Hawthorne Works was made possible through partnerships among industries, universities, and government. In the 1920s, with support from the National Research Council, the Rockefeller Foundation, and eventually Harvard Business School, Western Electric undertook a series of behavioral experiments. The first, a sequence of illumination tests from 1924 to 1927, set out to determine the effects of lighting on worker efficiency in three separate manufacturing departments. Accounts of the study revealed no significant correlation between productivity and light levels. The results prompted researchers to investigate other factors affecting worker output.

• Enter Elton Mayo
• Human Relations and Harvard Business School
• Women in the Relay Assembly Test Room
• The Interview Process
• Spreading the Word
• The "Hawthorne Effect"
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Hawthorne Experiments – Illumination Experiments, Mass Interviewing …

Hawthorne experiments.

The Hawthorne plant of the General Electric Company, Chicago was manufacturing telephone system bell. It employed about 30,000 employees at the time of experiments. There was dissatisfaction among the workers and productivity was not upto the mark. In order to find out the real cause behind this, a team was constituted led by Elton Mayo, Whitehead and Roethlisberger and company representative William Dickson. The aim was to study the relationship between the physical working conditions and the productivity. The entire experiment was conducted in four phases:

1. Illumination Experiments (1924-1927)

Experiments to determine the effects of changes in illumination on productivity.

2. Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments (1927-1928)

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of changes in hours and other working conditions on productivity.

3. Mass Interviewing programme (1928-1930)

Conducting plant wide interviews to determine worker attitudes and sentiments

4. Bank wiring observation Room Experiments (1931-1932)

Determination and analysis of social organization at work.

1. Illumination Experiments

Illumination Experiments were undertaken to find out how varying levels of illumination i.e. the amount of light at the workplace (a physical factor) affected the productivity.

Hypothesis: Higher the illumination, higher the productivity.

Experiment: A group of workers was chosen and placed in two separate groups. One group was exposed to varying intensities of illumination. This group was named experimental group as it was subjected to experimental changes. Another group was called controlled group as it continued to work under constant intensities of illumination. The researchers found that as they increased the illumination in the experimental group, both groups increased production. When the intensity of illumination was decreased, the production continued to increase in both the groups.   The production in the experimental group decreased only when the illumination was decreased to the level of moonlight. Thus it was concluded that illumination did not have any effect on productivity but something else was interfering with the productivity. Therefore another phase of experiments was undertaken.

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That actually explain what's on your next test, relay assembly test room, from class:, intro to business.

The relay assembly test room was a key component of the Hawthorne studies, a series of experiments conducted in the 1920s and 1930s that revolutionized the understanding of workplace dynamics and employee motivation. This specialized room was used to observe and analyze the productivity and behavior of workers assembling electrical relays, providing valuable insights into the factors that influence employee performance.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

• The relay assembly test room was a controlled environment where researchers could closely observe and measure the productivity of workers assembling electrical relays.
• Researchers manipulated various factors in the test room, such as lighting, breaks, and incentives, to understand their impact on worker output and morale.
• The experiments in the relay assembly test room revealed that factors beyond just physical working conditions, such as social interactions and feelings of being valued, significantly influenced employee performance.
• The findings from the relay assembly test room challenged the prevailing scientific management theories of the time, which focused solely on increasing efficiency through standardization and control.
• The insights gained from the relay assembly test room experiments laid the foundation for the development of the Hawthorne effect, which highlighted the importance of considering the psychological and social aspects of the workplace.

Review Questions

• The relay assembly test room was a key component of the Hawthorne studies, which aimed to investigate the factors that influence employee productivity and motivation. This specialized room provided a controlled environment where researchers could closely observe and measure the performance of workers assembling electrical relays. By manipulating variables such as lighting, breaks, and incentives, the researchers were able to gain valuable insights into the psychological and social aspects of the workplace that impacted employee behavior, challenging the prevailing scientific management theories of the time.
• The experiments conducted in the relay assembly test room revealed that factors beyond just physical working conditions, such as social interactions and feelings of being valued, significantly influenced employee performance. This challenged the prevailing scientific management theories, which focused solely on increasing efficiency through standardization and control. The insights gained from the relay assembly test room experiments laid the foundation for the development of the Hawthorne effect, which highlighted the importance of considering the psychological and social aspects of the workplace. The Hawthorne effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals modify their behavior in response to being observed, often resulting in improved performance during the observation period.
• The relay assembly test room played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of workplace dynamics and employee motivation. By providing a controlled environment to observe and analyze the productivity and behavior of workers assembling electrical relays, the researchers were able to challenge the prevailing scientific management theories of the time. The findings from the relay assembly test room experiments revealed that factors beyond just physical working conditions, such as social interactions, feelings of being valued, and the psychological impact of being observed, significantly influenced employee performance. These insights laid the foundation for the development of the Hawthorne effect and fundamentally changed the way we approach workplace management and employee motivation. The relay assembly test room experiments demonstrated the importance of considering the human element in the workplace, rather than solely focusing on efficiency and control, paving the way for a more holistic understanding of organizational behavior.

Related terms

The Hawthorne effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals modify their behavior in response to being observed, often resulting in improved performance during the observation period.

The illumination experiments were one of the initial studies conducted as part of the Hawthorne studies, which examined the impact of changes in lighting levels on worker productivity.

Incentive Programs : Incentive programs were introduced in the relay assembly test room to explore the effects of financial and non-financial rewards on employee motivation and performance.

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