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Essay hawthrone studies

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Hawthorne Studies

The Hawthorne Studies, conducted at Western Electric's Hawthorne plant outside Chicago, starting in 1924 and running through 1936, were intended to bring about a greater understanding of the effects of working conditions on worker productivity. The results of the experiments were contrary to the management theory of the time (Scientific Management), and were key in bringing about an understanding of motivation factors in employment

Basically, a series of studies on the productivity of workers introduced several deliberate various conditions (pay, light levels, rest breaks etc.), but each change resulted on average over time in productivity rising, including eventually a return to the original conditions. This was true …show more content…

Mayo made frequent changes in their working conditions, always discussing and explaining the changes in advance.
He changed the hours in the working week, the hours in the workday and the number of rest breaks, the time of their lunch hour. Occasionally, he would return the women to their original, harder working conditions.
The group was employed in assembling telephone relays - a relay being a small but intricate mechanism composed of about forty separate parts which had to be assembled by the girls seated at a lone bench and dropped into a chute when completed.
The relays were mechanically counted as they slipped down the chute. The intent was to measure the basic rate of production before making any environmental changes. Then, as changes were introduced, the impact to effectiveness would be measured by increased or decreased production of the relays.
Feedback mechanism
Throughout the series of experiments, an observer sat with the girls in the workshop noting all that went on, keeping the girls informed about the experiment, asking for advice or information, and listening to their complaints.
The experiment began by introducing various changes, each of which was continued for a test period of four to twelve weeks.
Under normal conditions with a forty-eight hour week, including Saturdays, and no rest pauses. The girls produced 2,400 relays a

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