The Hawthorne Studies

Introduction

• Location & Time: Western Electric's Hawthorne Works in Chicago, 1920s.
• Employees: 40,000 people manufacturing telephone equipment.
• Employee Benefits (since 1906):
  • Company-paid pension plan.
  • Vacation: one week after five years.
  • Sickness disability pay.
• Reputation: Considered a progressive and prestigious place to work.

Initial Experiments (1924)

• Conducted by: National Academy of Science.
• Objective: Determine the effect of illumination on worker efficiency.
• Findings:
  • Output increased among all employees, regardless of lighting changes.
  • Output continued to rise even when lights were dimmed.
  • Conclusion: Inconclusive results; initial studies were called off.

Relay Assembly Experiments

• Initiated by: Western Electric.
• Participants: Six young women assembling electromagnetic switches.
• Changes Tested:
  • Rest breaks and working hours were varied.
• Results:
  • Increased worker involvement and output.
  • Production increased by 30%.
  • Observed for over five years, indicating significant industrial history.

Expanded Hawthorne Studies

• Collaborators: Hawthorne and Harvard Cooperative Inquiry.
• Scope: Expanded to different production areas within the plant.
• Employee Interviewing Program:
  • Formal interviews with 20,000 employees.
  • Topics: Job satisfaction, supervisors, working conditions, etc.

Key Discoveries

• Social Organization Impact:
  • Social structures among workers significantly affected output.
• Overall Findings:
  • Industry had not fully utilized workers' potential.
  • Results sent to Harvard for detailed analysis.

Contributions of the Hawthorne Studies

• New Perspective on Business:
  • Viewed business organizations as social systems.
  • Recognized the relationship between worker satisfaction/dissatisfaction and productivity.
  • Paved the way for further studies and changes in management practices.
• Legacy:
  • Highlighted the importance of considering worker attitudes in enhancing productivity.