HAWTHORNE
STUDY
The Hawthorne works of General Electric
Company,
Chicago,
manufactured
equipment
for
the Bell Telephone
System and employed nearly 30,000
workers at the time of experiments .
Although, in all material aspects, this was
the most progressive company with
pension and sickness benefit schemes
along with various recreational and other
facilities, discontent and dissatisfaction
prevailed among the employees.
After the total failure of the investigations, the
company asked for assistance from National
Academy of Sciences which initiated it’s
experiments with a view to examining the
relationship between workers’efficiency and
illumination in the workshop. The researchers
manipulated the independent variable i.e.
illumination to observe it’s
effects on
productivity.
Earlier Relay room Experiments
To study the effects of changed illumination on
work, 2 groups of workers were selected. In one
group ( control group) the illumination remained
unchanged and other group, the illumination was
enhanced.
The productivity in the enhanced illumination
group improved. However, the output of former
group also went up. Then the researches decreased
illumination. The output went up once more. This
showed that some other factors were responsible
for increased productivity, regardless of
increase/decrease illumination. These experiments
paved the way for Hawthorne studies, which
demonstrated that there was something more
important than wages, hours of work, working
condition, etc. This something was the complex
human variable. Despite negative results, the
illumination experiments did not end up in the
wastebasket but instead provided a momentum to
the relay room phase of Hawthorne studies.
Relay Room Experiments
Taking a clue from preceding illumination experiment, the
researchers attempted to set up a test room and selected
2 girls for the experiment . These girls are asked to select
another 4 girls, thus making a group of 6 girls. This group
was asked to assemble telephone relays. It was observed that
1. Under normal conditions and time, each girl produced
2400 relays in a week.
2. These girls were then placed on piecework basis for 8
weeks and productivity was observed increased.
3.Two 5 minutes rest breaks were introduced and the break
time was extended to 10 minutes, which resulted in sharp
increase of productivity.
4. On changing the break time to 6 minutes , there was a
slight fall in productivity as the girls complained that their
work rhythm was broken because of these breaks.
5. The system no. 3 was restored with hot meal provided by
company free of charge and productivity increased.
6. They were allowed to disperse at 4.30 p.m. instead of 5
p.m. and productivity remained the same.
7.They were allowed to disperse at 4 p.m. and productivity
remained the same.
8. All amenities were withdrawn and the girls returned to
the original normal working conditions with 48 hours
work per week, including Saturday, no rest break, no
piecework and no free meal. This remained over for 12
weeks and productivity was the highest ever achieved
with average of 3000 relays per week.
Implications of the Results :
1. Productivity increased basically because of a change in
the girl’s attitudes towards work and their work-groups.
2. They made to feel important by soliciting assistance
and co-operation.
3. They were no longer cogs in the machines but formed a
congenial group attempting to assist the company to solve
a problem. A feeling of stability and a sense of belonging
grew. Therefore they work faster than past.
4. Medical examinations conducted regularly revealed no
symptom of fatigue and absenteeism declined by 80%.
5. It was also observed that the girls employed their own
techniques of putting together components of relay to avoid
monotony. They were given adequate freedom. Under the
circumstances the group developed a sense of responsibility
and self-discipline.
6. The independent variables viz. Rest, etc. were not causing
the variation in the dependent variable i.e. productivity.
2nd Relay and Mica splitting Test Room
Experiments :
A 2nd relay assembly group was set up to assess
the effect of wage incentives on productivity. 5
workers with adequate experience were shifted
from similar position in regular department. The
nature of supervision, working conditions and
work settings were similar to those workers in
regular department. The difference was that the
assemblers in the 2nd. Relay group were engaged
on a different small group piece rate scheme. This
led to 12% increase in productivity of the
experiment of the experiment group.
In the mica splitting study, although the isolated test room
conditions of the original relay study were reproduced, the
workers were engaged under their normal individual piece
rate plan rather than small group incentive scheme employed
with the relay room experimental subjects. The result
revealed 15% increase in productivity in 14 months period.
The outcome of these 2 studies was vague. There was no
evidence to support the hypothesis that the constant rise in
productivity in relay assembly test room during 1st. 2 years
could be attributed to wage incentive variable alone. It was
also concluded that the efficacy of a wage incentive scheme
was so much dependents on other variables as well that it
could not be considered to be the sole factor to have affected
the workers .
Mass Interviewing Programme :
Another major aspect of the Hawthorne studies consisted of
20,000 interviews conducted in 1928-30. On the basis of
interviewing programme the following inferences were
drawn:
1.
In case an employee is given opportunity to express his
grievances, his morale is improved.
2.
Complaints were not necessarily objective statement of
facts. They were more symptoms of deep-rooted disturbances.
3. Workers were governed by experiences gained both
inside and outside the company in respect of their demands.
4. The workers were satisfied or dissatisfied depending
upon how he regarded his social status in the company and
what he felt he was entitled to rather than in terms of
objective reference.
Bank Wiring Room Study :
The objective of the study was to conduct an observational
analysis of informal work groups. 14 men were employed in
bank wiring including 9 wireman, 3 solder man and 2
inspectors. The job involved attaching wires to switches for
certain parts of telephone equipment. The problem was to
observe precisely what was going on. Due to some practical
difficulties the study was to observe precisely what was
going on. Due to some practical difficulties the study was
conducted in a separate test room.
It was carried out by 2 persons – 1 observer and 1
interviewer. The observer sat in the wiring room behaving
friendly but appearing quite non-challenging and noncommittal. He won the confidence of the group and was
accepted as a regular member. The interviewer remained as
outsider and his task was to find out workers thoughts and
feelings and their values and attitudes, etc. he carried out his
work in strict confidence, privately and in a different part of
the factory. Although he never entered the wiring room, he
kept in constant touch with the observer. All other conditions
were identical to those of bank wiring department including
the supervisors.
The result was opposite to relay room. The group was
indifferent to financial incentives of the factory wherever any
worker attempted to produce more he was compelled to come
back to his normal level of production. Group norms were
important to workers than incentives. The reasons for
restriction of production was fear of unemployment,
possibility of rising standards, protection of slower workers
and attitude of contentment among mangers.
There was unwritten code of conduct of fair day’s work. A
member should not turn out too much and too little work.
There existed a highly integrated group in bank wiring room
which had it’s own social norms contrary to factory norms.
This indicates that attempts should be made to ensure that
informal groups facilitate achievements of the organization’s
objectives rather than obstructing them.
Implications of Hawthorne Study :
1. Contradictory results : Contradictory results were obtained
in the relay room and bank wiring room experiments due to
implications of organizational behaviour. In the relay room
experiment, production constantly increased and relay
assembly was greatly motivated and equipped with +ve
attitude. Whereas in bank wiring room study, there was
restriction of production among the dissatisfied workers who
displayed –ve attitude towards the factory.
2. The answer to this questions were found in case of girls
working in relay room where they preferred to work in small
groups, nature of supervision, earnings, novelty of the
situation, interest in experiment and attention received in test
room.
3. The role of supervision : The quality of
supervision plays a vital role in determining
productivity.
Conclusions of Hawthorne Study :
1. The need for recognition, security and sense of
belonging exert greater impact on productivity than
physical working conditions.
2. Attitudes and effectiveness of workers are
determined by social requirements obtained from
inside and outside factory environment.
3. Informal groups operating within work settings
exert strong social control over work habits and
performance of individual workers.
4. Supervision has a great impact on the behaviour of
group in determining as to whether they will react
+ve.ly or –ve.ly while working towards the
organizational objectives.