Discussion 1,2,3 and 4

Running Head: HAWTHORNE EFFECT

HAWTHORNE EFFECT 2

HAWTHORNE EFFECT

Name

Institutional affiliation

Lecturer

Course name

Date

The Hawthorne effect was as a result of Hawthorne studies carried out by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger (Baack, 2012). The studies were done at the Western Electric Company, the Hawthorne plant in the 1920s. It was conducted on the workers in relation to the management methods and the socio-psychological behaviors of individuals in an organization. Findings from the studies showed that the personnel had psychological, social, economic and financial needs that needed to be met in order to motivate them to complete their activities successfully (Baack, 2012).

The components of the Hawthorne effect include aptitude of employees, informal structures, norms and the social system (Phillips & Gully, 2013). The findings showed that the aptitude or the natural abilities of employees cannot be used to predict the performance of individuals. Even though the aptitudes of employees show the mental and physical capabilities of employees, the social factors give effective results for predicting successful output. This can be incorporated in current human resource functions in terms of utilizing more of group work and encouraging formation of social groups in order to ensure effective and successful output. When it comes to informal structures, the studies showed that informal setting had an impact on productivity. Hence, the informal structures can be incorporated into the current human resource functions by having the managers or supervisors establish relationships with the employees in terms of supervising aiming at achieving a successful outcome. Another component of the study is the relationship between social norms and productivity of the employees. The norms affect the employees’ levels of output in such a way that when socially acceptable norms guide them, the production process becomes successful. The norms can be incorporated in the current human resource functions by establishing norms that are fair and satisfy the interests of every member of the work groups of an organization. This ensures that the production process is successful by ensuring that the work teams arrive at a fair’s work activities. Lastly, the workplace is viewed as a social system made up of parts that work together to achieve particular goals. This can be incorporated in the current human resource functions by ensuring that there are consultations among the various departments on the progress of each department in order to align the activities with the stated goals(Phillips & Gully, 2013).

The main idea behind the studies was to discover ways to boost production efficiency in the workplace. After looking at the results of earlier experiments on motivation, Mayo made the conclusion that social and psychological factors played a huge role in productivity rather than external and physical factors. Also, the findings showed that employees were not only driven by money but also social factors (Baack, 2012).

I have had an impact on these components in my previous workplace whereby most of the personnel worked better in groups, and most decisions were fruitful as a result of teamwork. It was also easier to convey information between the supervisors and personnel due to the existing friendly environment. The employees had norms that guided them in forming good workplace relationships. The presence of an informal setting motivated employees’ such that they arrived at work on time, completed their activities on time and also involved more in group work rather than individual work.

Reference

Phillips, J., & Gully, S. (2013). Organizational behavior. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc