BUS5113 - Organizational theory and Behavior

Discussion Assignment

In the 1930s, industrial psychologist Elton Mayo was commissioned to perform a series of experiments at Western Electric Hawthorne plant. These are known as the “Hawthorne Studies,” designed to observe worker performance and output levels in varying illumination conditions. The so-called Hawthorne or Observer Effect has led to many organizational theories, which were advanced to understand, explain, and predict worker behaviors. 

Research and discuss the Hawthorne experiments and their relevance to organizations today. Afterward, compare the Hawthorne Effect with the modern-day practice of Micromanagement. What are their benefits and criticisms? How can managers apply these concepts to improve worker performance?   

Your Discussion posts should be a minimum of 250 words in length and not more than 750 words. Use APA citations and references for the textbook and any other sources used.

In the discussion forum, you are expected to participate often and engage in deep levels of discourse.  Please post your initial response as early as possible and continue to participate throughout the unit. You are required to post an initial response to the question/issue presented in the Forum and then respond to at least 3 of your classmates’ initial posts.  You should also respond to anyone who has responded to you. 

Written Assignment Unit 1

Instructions for submission:

In this unit, we reviewed four theoretical contributions which are central to the understanding of today's organizations. Offer a brief analysis of all four theoretical concepts and then pick the one you feel is the most influential from both historical and managerial perspectives. Explain. Now, consider how these concepts impacted the development of the current organizational theories.

Submit a 2-3 page paper (no more than 3 pages), exclusive of the cover page and the reference page. The paper should be double-spaced in Times New Roman font (or its equivalent), which is no greater than 12 points in size. The paper should cite at least 2 sources in APA format. The paper should be well-written. Check all content for grammar, spelling, and construction.

Be sure to use APA formatting in your paper.  Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here:  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html 

Papers will be assessed using  this rubric .  Please review the rubric to be clear on the assessment criteria.