George Mayo and the Hawthorne Effect

Introduction

The Hawthorne Effect has been described as "the rewards you reap when you pay attention to people" (Maslow, 2005). George Elton Mayo conducted the Hawthorne Studies with the intention of bringing about a greater understanding of the effects of working conditions on worker productivity. The results of these studies turned out to be contrary to the management theories of the times but were important in creating an understanding of motivation factors in workers. "The studies have had a profound effect on the field of Organizational development" (Richard, 2004). Due to the research efforts of past management theorists, we have many more insightful management trends and educated managers today.

Biography of Theorist

George Elton Mayo was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on December 26, 1880. He was the second child of a respected colonial family, whose father was a civil engineer. After failing to follow in his grandfather's footsteps studying medicine, he was sent to Britain. He then began to write about Australian politics for the Pall Mall Gazette and taught at the Working Men's College in London. Afterwards, he returned to the university and became the most brilliant student of the philosopher, Sir William Mitchell, although his views on management cause him to be unpopular. George Mayo married Dorothea McConnel, and then had two daughters, Patricia Elton Mayo, who would follow her father's management thinking as a sociologist, and Ruth, who became a British artist and novelist.

Definition and Explanation of Theory

George Elton Mayo, known as the Father of the Hawthorne Studies, identified the Hawthorne Effect as "the bias that occurs when people know that they are being studied." Also, simply put, the mere act of showing people that you're concerned about them usually inspires them to better job performance. Professor Mayo studied the effect of workplace innovations on worker productivity. One such study that Mayo performed was to research the effect of rest breaks on worker productivity in various textile firms. Mayo came to realize that the very fact that people were taking an interest in the workers was affecting their behavior and productivity. Many of Mayo's findings were discovered through his most famous experiments at the Hawthorne Works of the General Electric Company in Chicago between 1924 and 1927. Mayo here discovered one of his most fundamental concepts. He explains that, "workplaces are social environments and within them, people are motivated by much more than economic self-interest. I think the main question that I would have is, what other kinds of factors are people motivated by?

Historical Roots

"The Hawthorne Studies are credited with helping to start the Human Relations Movement in management and organizational thinking" (Richards, 2004). Mayo's findings clashed