Elton Mayo's Human Relations School of Thought

Overview

• Developed by Elton Mayo after conducting an experiment with employees at a factory in Illinois.

Motivation Theories

• Initially supported Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management (Taylorism), suggesting motivation primarily linked to pay.
• Mayo believed motivation was more complex than just financial incentives.

Hawthorne Studies

• Conducted in the 1920s at the Hawthorne Factory, Illinois.
• Aimed to explore the impact of physical working conditions on employee motivation and productivity.
• Varied conditions like lighting, rest breaks, heating, and working hours.
• Found that changes in physical conditions didn't negatively impact productivity; in some cases, productivity improved.

Key Findings

• Social factors, not physical factors, significantly influenced motivation and productivity.
• Positive manager-employee relationships and communication were crucial.
• Led to the creation of the first personnel department, evolving into Human Resources.

Recommendations

• Managers should foster team work and interaction.
• Employees should be treated as social beings, not just workers.

Hawthorne Effect

• Coined from the studies; links the attention employees receive to their productivity.
• Suggests employees feel more valuable and thus more productive when observed.

Benefits of Mayo's Theory

• Promotes positive workplace relationships.
• Places a higher importance on employee well-being compared to Taylorism.
• Increases employee morale, retention, motivation, and productivity.

Criticisms

• Based on potentially unscientific methods and evidence.
• Does not account for workplace conflict.
• Oversimplifies the relationship between worker satisfaction and productivity.
• Neglects other factors influencing employee behavior.

Conclusion: While it has its critics, Mayo’s Human Relations theory has profoundly impacted workplace dynamics and the development of human resources practices.