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. In order to understand the Hawthorne Experiments, it’s important to first look at their origins. The experiments were conducted between 1924 and 1932 at the Hawthorne Works, a Western Electric factory located near Chicago. At the time, the factory was one of the largest producers of electrical equipment in the United States, and employed tens of thousands of workers. In the end, the study demonstrated that social and psychological influences did more to increase output than did changes in wages and hours.

Effect of Monotony and Fatigue on Productivity

She is a financial therapist and transformational coach, with a special interest in helping women learn how to invest. 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). 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. Despite the possibility of the Hawthorne effect and its seeming impact on performance, alternative accounts cannot be discounted.

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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).

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The aim of the study was to establish the impact of different conditions of work on employee productivity. Initially, Mayo examined the affect 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.

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1. Hawthorne, however, set the individual in a social context, arguing that employees’ performance is influenced by work surroundings and coworkers as much as by employee ability and skill.
2. The Hawthorne Experiments were a series of studies conducted at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois, from 1924 to 1932.
3. 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.
4. The researchers found that workers’ attitudes and productivity were heavily influenced by the social dynamics of their workgroups.
5. Workers apparently had become suspicious that their productivity may have been boosted to justify firing some of the workers later on.13 The study was conducted by Elton Mayo and W.
6. This could include bonuses, gift cards, or even just a simple thank-you note.
7. A balanced approach to the whole situation can show better results.

The Hawthorne Effect has implications for the design of work environments. One of the key insights from the Hawthorne experiments was that the physical and social environment in which work takes place can have a significant impact on individual behavior and performance. For example, the experiments showed that changes in lighting, temperature, and other environmental factors could have a noticeable effect on worker productivity. The purpose of the next study was to find out how payment incentives and small groups would affect productivity.

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

1. The experiments started with introducing numerous changes in sequence with duration of each change ranging from four to twelve weeks.
2. Changing a variable usually increased productivity, even if the variable was just a change back to the original condition.
3. What happened was Mayo discovered that workers were highly responsive to additional attention from their managers and the feeling that their managers actually cared about and were interested in their work.
4. Though several questions have been raised in terms of methods used, the Hawthorne Experiments played an important role in organizational behaviors and management.
5. While there is no universally agreed-upon methodology for achieving this, experience and keen attention to the situation can help researchers prevent this effect from tarnishing their results.
6. When the intensity of light was increased, the output also increased.

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 the experiment hewthrone experiment was conducted by series of experiments. As such, the detailed study of a shop situation was started to find out the behaviour of workers in small groups. 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. The Hawthorne Effect refers to the fact that people will modify their behavior simply because they are being observed. The effect gets its name from one of the most famous industrial history experiments that took place at Western Electric’s factory in the Hawthorne suburb of Chicago in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

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. The Hawthorne Effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals change their behavior because they know they are being observed, which was first identified during these experiments. The origins of the Hawthorne Experiments can be traced back to the scientific management movement of the early 20th century.

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.

In particular, workers who felt that their supervisors cared about them and were interested in their well-being were more productive. One of the initial aims of the experiments was to investigate the effects of lighting on employee productivity. However, the researchers found that changing the lighting conditions had little impact on productivity. This was surprising, as it was widely believed at the time that better lighting would lead to increased productivity. The findings of the Hawthorne experiments have played a significant role in shaping the field of management and organizational behavior.

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.

Ultimately it was concluded that illumination did not have any effect on productivity and that there must have been some other variable causing the observed productivity increases in both rooms. 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.