BUS610 Week 1 Discussion 1
Description and Analysis of the Hawthorne Study
The Hawthorne studies examined employees in a social context, proving that “the performance of employees is influenced by their surroundings and by the people that they are working with as much as by their own innate abilities” (The Economist, 2008). The results of the Hawthorne studies pertain to human resource by revealing that emotions and feelings -- the emotions and feelings associated with working in a certain group environment or for a specific employer, can alter an employee’s work productivity. The Hawthorne studies, along with comparable industry research, helped to prompt the human relations movement by providing new insights into human behavior. “It studied the influence that informal groups can have upon employee performance and behavior. It also focused attention on the necessity for managers to improve their communications and to be more sensitive to the needs and feelings of their subordinates” (Indiana University, n.d.).
The Hawthorne studies have affected my professional career by providing me with a baseline level of empathy and understanding to my subordinates while working in management. Stemming from Maslow’s belief in humanism, the “belief that the basic inner nature of a person is inherently good” (Baack, 2012), I like many others in management, believed that the employees under my charge where in their respective positions and working for the company, because they wanted to and because they enjoyed their position within the organization. With that, I understood two things: 1) that I too had worked in as a first-line staff employee therefore I understood what was expected of me and what I expected from my superiors and 2) my subordinates were all rational adults who should be treated as such unless proven otherwise.
Reference
Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Indiana University. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from
The Hawthorne studies examined employees in a social context, proving that “the performance of employees is influenced by their surroundings and by the people that they are working with as much as by their own innate abilities” (The Economist, 2008). The results of the Hawthorne studies pertain to human resource by revealing that emotions and feelings -- the emotions and feelings associated with working in a certain group environment or for a specific employer, can alter an employee’s work productivity. The Hawthorne studies, along with comparable industry research, helped to prompt the human relations movement by providing new insights into human behavior. “It studied the influence that informal groups can have upon employee performance and behavior. It also focused attention on the necessity for managers to improve their communications and to be more sensitive to the needs and feelings of their subordinates” (Indiana University, n.d.).
The Hawthorne studies have affected my professional career by providing me with a baseline level of empathy and understanding to my subordinates while working in management. Stemming from Maslow’s belief in humanism, the “belief that the basic inner nature of a person is inherently good” (Baack, 2012), I like many others in management, believed that the employees under my charge where in their respective positions and working for the company, because they wanted to and because they enjoyed their position within the organization. With that, I understood two things: 1) that I too had worked in as a first-line staff employee therefore I understood what was expected of me and what I expected from my superiors and 2) my subordinates were all rational adults who should be treated as such unless proven otherwise.
Reference
Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Indiana University. (n.d.). Human resource management. Retrieved from