2009

Contribution of the Hawthorn Studies to the field of management.

Gideon Sifwifwi Kalama Wollongong University College. Essay.

Essay question: Contribution of the Hawthorn Studies to the field of management. The practice of management has been in existence from a very long period of time and is not a recent new terminology to human nature. Past kings used management to govern their kingdoms. Some of them flourished while some of them vanished. The Roman Empire was given birth from a very small size of a republic to the size of an empire that was famed and admired and is still memorable to this date. But although they flourished at one time they ended up being removed from existence due to factors related to poor management. The Egyptians Kings also built great kingdoms that ruled over other great nations. These Kings had to govern all their territories which they occupied and they also had to maintain their sovereignty. Even Jesus practiced management; He taught the disciples the Lords Prayer and laid a strategy on how people can make it to His fathers thrown. If we take a look at the reason for the success and the reason for failure of these kingdoms, perhaps the management subject might quite have an answer to our question. To answer a question, you have to investigate the outcome of your problem. A good example of such an investigation in the form of experiments was the Hawthorne studies, which were investigations of human dimensions of industrial relations in the early 20th century (Brannigan and Zwerman, 2001, 55). Through these studies managers can learn a lot concerning management, as the studies do demonstrate management subject being practiced in the field. Through learning, managers can go ahead and apply what has been reported in the studies to suit their individual environment so as to obtain similar result. Some of the important things managers can learn from the studies include organizational behavior, quantitative approach, effective management and scientific management (Robins et al, 2006, 45 51). Organizational behavior can be termed as the field of study concerned with the actions of people at work in an organization (Robins et al, 2006, 51). The Hawthorne studies involved a number of chosen workers who participated in plant experiments. These workers were mostly plants employees, personnel managers, external experts e.g. Elton Mayo and Clair Turner. The test performed for the studies were illumination experiments, Mica Splitting test Room experiment and Bank Wiring Observation Room experiment (Jones and Stephen, 1990, 176). The illumination experiments were designed to determine whether increases in artificial lighting on the factory floor could reduce accidents and eyestrain and thus increase productivity in the plant (Jones and Stephen, 1990, 176). In order to obtain results the researchers had to monitor the activities of some chosen workers under given test conditions. Some of the factors that were to be determined from the experiment were productivity of employees, intensity of different environmental conditions, employees suggestion based on work experience in the plant, the workers feeling to the experiments and reason why the workers tend to choose to work in such an area. The results were registered by the researchers i.e. personnel managers, for further analysis by experts who were going to come up with report concerning the matter. This is a practical example of organization behavior (Robins et al, 2006, 50) in the plant as the researcher tended to find out ways of performing differently compared to the previous years and it was based on how the workers were going about with their activities in the plant.

Quantitative approach is also another element in the studies and from its definition we can say that quantitative approach is the use of quantitative techniques to improve decision making (Robins et al, 2006, 50). Hawthorne researchers used several different levels of illumination i.e. small lighting medium lighting to bright lighting while the selected workers were working in the plant. The chosen workers for the experiments were under close monitoring by the industrial research division who were concerned with the effects of the experiment to the workers behavior and performance. Some of the findings were that, when they decreased the illumination of the lighting the amount of output increased and as they continued reducing the intensity of light efficiency was still maintained, thus research conclusion were made that the physical changes in illumination were less consequential than psychological effects (Brannigan and Zwerman, 2001, 55). From the Hawthorne studies statistics, this was clearly evident. The third element which was observed from the studies was scientific management, which was discovered by Fredrick Winslow Taylor who published Principles of Scientific Management (1911) and states the theory of using scientific method to define the one best way for doing a job (Robins et al, 2006, 10). Principal are a good way of problem solving. If you encounter situation which need problem solving and you do not have any bright ideas of how to approach the situation, application of principles might help you get started. If this does not work well then there is another way out, perhaps you may try applying theories which have been written by known academic authors who have long experience concerning your topic. Taylors four principles of management were, first of all, developing a science for each element of an individuals work, secondly, scientifically selecting, training and teaching workers, thirdly, cooperating with workers so as to ensure that all work is done in accordance with principles of the science that was developed, and finally dividing work and responsibility almost equally between management and workers (Robins et al, 2006, 51). These principles have been used and are being used by many companies around the world and also in Australia. An example can be the motor company like General Motors or Holden Australia. In these companies they do research on how to manufacture different types of vehicles like saloon cars, pickups, trucks, buses and luxury cars and after research has been completed and depending on availability of raw materials the company search for labor in the region through advertising vacancies for careers like mechanical engineering, civil engineering, material engineering, environmental engineering, electrical engineering, computer and telecommunications engineering, computer science or even information technology. When qualified applicants are taken they are trained and taught company duties like how to build and assemble vehicle parts in individual sections or groups depending on the companys culture. Once operation starts the workers performance is monitored and registered and the quality of the products they make is tested by confirming officials before the products are sold to customers locally and internationally. In the case for Hawthorne studies, selected workers who qualified to work in the plant were initially trained how to operate the various tools in order to make the electrical equipments which were the products which they were specializing in. They had employed a very high number of workers and thus an experiment within the

plant to look for ways that can change productivity was worth attempting. Through experiments they could have made new discoveries as to why productivity was being obtained at the current level, what can be done to change output, what was affecting their employees or rather the work experience gained from working in the plant, or even what renovation needed to be introduced in the plant as they had one interesting experiment based on different levels of lighting illumination. The personnel managers certainly had to work with the employees well in order to study how the workers were being affected by the conditions set, and without knowing it they were indeed practicing Taylors principle of scientific management (Robins et al, 2006, 10). Effective management (Robins et al, 2006, 9) in the studies can be seen where the external experts were able to come up and determine the results stating the performance of the employees in the plant. Based on the illumination experiment where the selected workers of the plant were informed to work in different levels of lighting to determine the output, the experts were able to clarify that productivity increased regardless of whether the illumination were increased, decreased or remained constant thus this finding failed to answer the question of the relationship between illumination and efficiency but did establish value of empirical studies in industrial productivity (Brannigan and Zwerman, 2001, 55). Another important result discovery from the experts was that productivity was not determined primarily by material aspirations as thought before (Jones, Stephen, 1990, p 176). To be effective, mangers must treat their employees in the workforce under good established conditions, thus if it is vice versa the workers are going to be uncomfortable with the work place environment and thus will affect their performance. Just treat people well and they will work well, explains the connection between improving productivity and treating workers with respect (Rieger and Bradley, 1995, 56). In the Hawthorne studies the few workers who were selected to take part in the experiments felt they were very important to the plant and the plant managers, and this had a psychological impact on them as they felt encouraged to continue working in the plant and to some degree it was a chance to show that they could actually give their best in their careers, but this had another effect which the personnel managers later discovered, which was that people tend to change their behavior when they realize that they are being watched in the work place (Halls and Charles, 1894, 46). If the workers like their work they tend to show that they can actually do better so that they can have an opportunity of getting promoted or even getting noticed as it could lead to some positive reward from the managers at higher level of authority. While if the workers do not like what they are given in the work place they will show their pessimistic view and reveal a lot concerning what they dont like about the plant, the problems of the plant and all negative ideas which they can come up with in order to relive their sentiments. Observation which were made from the Hawthorne studies, as the studies increased understanding of motivational power of informal groups that thrive in organizations were first of all, informal groups develop norms that exert a strong motivational impact on the performance, secondly, informal groups norms will either be positive or negative relative to organizational goals, and finally process can be managed (Doyle et al, 1985, 1). Although the Hawthorne reports were concluded and implemented several recent researchers do contradict their view contrary to the

external experts like Elton Mayo and Clair Turner who were consulted to interpret the results of the experiments. Alex Carey suggests that the Hawthorne interpreters do disregard financial incentives in the explanation of work behavior, raised supervision and resulting interpersonal satisfactions to primacy, he actually contends that there is evidence on the Hawthorne studies supporting the primary impact of financial incentive on productivity (Shepard J, 1971, p 23). Alex does pass an important point which the interpreters failed to acknowledge in their report. If true, this could mean the whole of Elton and Clair report was narrow minded at some point as it failed to address enough on other concepts that have a direct impact on workers behavior. Thus this means there are indeed differing opinion to the findings of the studies or that there are errors in the findings which need more clarification and verification once again. If we also consider the discovery that people change their behavior when they realize they are being watched we can tell that the workers and also the managers who participated in the experiments tended to create a very bright impression when doing the studies. This might be because they wanted not to be seen as weak or unqualified to take part, which would have perhaps tinted the plants reputation and the mangers reputation. It is a bit obvious that they hide small defects which would have revealed the true status of the plant and workers performance and it is this bit that is relevant to the studies statistics. Thus if we take this fact into account, we can conform that the studies experiments and reports were not all that accurate. Conclusions raised from the test were that employees respond with greater job efficiency when they sense that they are regarded as important, valued members of an organization (Hall and Charles, 1984, 6) which in turn determines productivity. If the studies are practiced in our day today lives it could lead to more cohesiveness within work groups, increase productivity and generate a greater feeling of accomplishment for both workers and themselves (Hall and Charles, 1984, 6). From organizational behavior of the Hawthorne employees, new managers with interest in constructing plants that employ many workers, they can use Hawthorne statistics in order to judge how their future worker force can perform in the work environment. They can also be in a position to determine the risk that are going to be encountered and be better prepared to solve their problems. If managers can clarify the methods of Hawthorne experiments and their results they can get ideas on how to improve and monitor productivity of employees and also make workers portray their best behavior in the work place and even affect workers patterns. If we also involve other management theories we are likely to get similar good results. Thus we can say the elements within the Hawthorne studies are beneficial to the management subject as they can enable managers to be in a position to evaluate themselves, their work force and determine the productivity of their environment.

Harvard Reference. Brannigan A, Zwerman W, (2001), The real "Hawthorne effect" , Society, volume 38, no. 2, p 55. Jones, Stephen R G, (1990), Worker Interdependence and Output: The Hawthorne Studies Reevaluated, American Sociological Review, volume 55, no. 2, p 176 Doyle, Stephen X, Pignatelli, Charles, Florman, Karen, (1985) The Hawthorne Legacy and the Motivation of Salespeople , The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol 5, Issue 2, p 1. Sonnenfeld J, (1985), Shading light on the Hawthorne Studies, Journal of Occupational Behavior (pre-1986), Vol 6, Issue 2, p 11. Hall, Charles, (1984), Hawthorne Effect- still a potential supervisory tool, Volume 46, Issue 10, p 6. Shepard J, (1971), On Alex Careys radical criteria of the Hawthorne Studies, Academy of Management Journal (pre-1986), Volume 14, Issue 000001, p 23. Rieger, Bradley J, 1995, Lessons in Productivity and People, Training and Development, Vol 49, Iss 10, p 56. Dutton R, 1971, On Alex radical criticism of the Hawthorne Studies: Comment, Academy of management journal, vol 14, Iss 000003, p 394. Robins, Bergman, Stagg, coulter, 2006, Management 4th Edition, Pearson Education, Australia.