George Elton Mayo was a great psychologist and sociologist of the 20th century. His theories and experiments provided a more human vision to organizations and work. Elton Mayo is known for his famous Hawthorne experiments, in which he discovered the important and decisive weight that human value has in a job.
Do you want to know more about Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne experiments? Then we recommend that you continue reading this Psychology-Online article, in it you will find the history of Mayo and its interesting Theory of human relations.
Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne experiments
George Elton May (1880-1949) worked for the Australian army in the First World War, later he was influenced by Janet, who represented social conflict as a product of individual maladjustment, which led him to insist on the value of counseling.
Moved to the US, he studied in a textile industry, still from a mechanistic and individualistic perspective. Following his success in this research he is invited to work at Harvard, where he meets Henderson, who had studied physiological aspects of fatigue.
Mayo’s theory of human relations
He is interested in the From Talcott Parsons receives functionalist influences, a functional conception of conflict as a necessary sign of social pathology. Pareto includes the notion of non-logical action, arising from feeling, and the conception of the fundamental role of the social elite. With all this he reaches the conclusion that the applied study of work relationships requires the integration of physiology, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, etc.
Human beings are not machinesand therefore, we do not deserve to be considered as such in our workplace.
This famous phrase defines very well Elton Mayo’s idea of work and human value in organizations. To prove all this, he performed a series of experiments known as the Hawthorne experiments. Next, we are going to explain what Elton Mayo’s experiments consisted of:
The Hawthorne experiment
In Hawthorne, at the Western Electric Company factory, one of the most important experiments in this field is developed, with the aim of examine working conditions and its relationship with production, determining and classifying the problems of the entire work situation. There are four phases in the research program:
- Human factor study phase
- Critical phase
- Anthropological phase
- Manipulative phase
The main objective of this experiment was to establish and define the relationship between people’s psychological well-being and their productivity. Next, we will describe all the phases of the Hawthrone experiment.
Human factor study phase
Experiments on the relationship between lighting and production with inconclusive results. Others on biopsychological variables: group of six women transferred to a “test room” with controlled conditions and under observation. Fourteen successive conditions are established:
- Production record in the usual place, other information and medical examination.
- Test room. Production decline.
- Climate of trust with the observer, premium proportional to individual production.
- Increase in production.
- Two breaks a day. Increase in production.
- Increase in break time.
- Increase in production.
- Change of the two 10′ breaks for six 5′ breaks, decrease in production, complaints that the rhythm is broken and there is little rest
- Two breaks, one of 15′ and another of 10′ with a snack.
- Increase in production. Increase in break time. Increase in production.
- Change of the two 10′ breaks for six 5′ breaks, decrease in production, complaints that the rhythm is broken and there is little rest.
- Two breaks, one of 15′ and another of 10′ with a snack. Production increase
- Previous breaks and half an hour less of the day. Increase in production. They change two due to conflicts.
- One hour less work with the same breaks, less daily and weekly performance, greater average hourly performance.
- Conditions of the 7th stage, complaints of fatigue, increased production, group integration. Day like the previous one but without Saturdays. Yield increases, production decreases.
- Reimplantation of the normal day. Increases daily and weekly performance, decreases production per hour.
- Conditions of the 7th, the company provides the drink and each one the food, the highest returns are achieved.
Conclusions from the human study phase
The 7th model is implemented and the conclusions drawn are a upward trend in performance independent of changes in breaks, and not due to the effect of novelty. Muscle fatigue is not a primary factor in performance. The test room seems more satisfactory for the workers, absenteeism decreases. Performance is more related to the type of work day than to the number of working days. The health of the workers is maintained or improved even with higher outputs.
It is produced better work environment, greater desire to come with the new conditions of control and freedom. The benevolent observer causes them to feel no pressure, a more trusting and sincere attitude, and a sense of participation when consulting all the changes with which the group becomes a social unit. Despite all this, starting in 1929 there was a deterioration in performance and concern about job security. Two other experiments are carried out, one to determine the effects of the bonus, in which five workers increased their performance by 13% with it, although conflicts were created with the other workers in the factory.
In another experiment, observer effects were tested (Mica Spliting Test room) five workers were isolated without giving them a bonus, over two years their privileges were increased, production per hour increased in the first year by 15% and the second without being able to create an integrated group.
Critical phase of the Elton Mayo experiment
In the critical phase of the Elton Mayo experiment The opinions of the workers are collected with interviews that are initially closed and then more open. The purpose is to improve supervision, which had been found to be of great influence in the previous experiment. There are systematic variations in attitudes depending on the status of the interviewee. Finally, Counseling-type techniques are introduced to explore social feelings.
After elaborating the information, the conclusion is reached that the worker’s behavior does not depend as much on the individual personality as on the organizational – social characteristic established by the company. Importance is given to spontaneous groups. A more sociological conception and methodology is needed.
Final phases of the Hawthrone experiment
To finish explaining what Elton Mayo’s experiments consisted of, we are going to define the final phases of the Hawthrone experiment:
Anthropological phase
Since 1932, the observation strategy has been adopted. An observation room is created in which fourteen workers work. It is discovered that despite the incentives, each group tends to set a production standard implicitly and those who do not submit to it suffer pressure.
First-line supervisors are also seen to tolerate it, in addition to tolerating other infractions. There are therefore two mechanisms: Conformity to implicit norms and sanctions if they are not followed, and group identity mechanisms (nicknames, etc.) as well as informal leadership functions.
Manipulative phase
After the economic depression, research is established as personal advice, however, counselors adopt a manipulative role that is considered socially reprehensible. As a result of all these investigations, the existence of two overlapping structures is revealed, the formal and the informal, but more importantly, the importance of preparing managers and supervisors is seen, of giving greater importance to the problem of administration. The main part of the industry is social and human, and not economic, so the main skills are those of counseling. A man and a community do not function as a mechanism.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
References
- Brannigan, A., & Zwerman, W. (2001). The real “hawthorne effect”. Society, 38(2), 55-60.