Sociology and Hawthorne Studies
“Despite their fame, the Hawthorne Studies experiments were too poorly designed to demonstrate anything but the need for careful controls in scientific research”. To what extent would you agree with this appraisal?
INTRODUCTION
Many researchers have formulated their own experiments and devised theories to assist the study of management and how to improve productivity within an organization, through scientific research. These theories mostly focus on the employees and how productivity can be improved by changing variables in the working environment. These can be categorized under two such experiments and theories; Taylors Scientific Theory and the Hawthorne Studies of 1924.
Hawthorne studies were first conducted in November 1924 at Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne plant in Chicago, Illinois. A team of researchers led by George Elton Mayo from the Harvard Business School carried out six studies which commenced between 1924 and 1933. The research findings were first reported in Roethlisberger and Dickson (1939), Whitehead (1938) and Homans (1941, 1950).
The Hawthorne studies have had a remarkable impact on management in organizations and how workers react to various situations. The research carried out at the Western Electrics Hawthorne plant during the 1920’s and early 1930’s helped to initiate a whole new approach to human behavior studies. It examined how fatigue, boredom and supervision on an assembly line drastically influenced productivity and what kind of changes would influence output.
Initially the studies were based on the discoveries on scientific management of Taylor, yet this resulted in Human relations view of management and industrial sociology.
In my opinion, I believe that the Hawthorne studies persistently outlines our understanding of the many topics in social science, yet apart from its fame Hawthorne studies have never lacked critics. As such the research done on Hawthorne studies could be easily argued as one of the most vital
INTRODUCTION
Many researchers have formulated their own experiments and devised theories to assist the study of management and how to improve productivity within an organization, through scientific research. These theories mostly focus on the employees and how productivity can be improved by changing variables in the working environment. These can be categorized under two such experiments and theories; Taylors Scientific Theory and the Hawthorne Studies of 1924.
Hawthorne studies were first conducted in November 1924 at Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne plant in Chicago, Illinois. A team of researchers led by George Elton Mayo from the Harvard Business School carried out six studies which commenced between 1924 and 1933. The research findings were first reported in Roethlisberger and Dickson (1939), Whitehead (1938) and Homans (1941, 1950).
The Hawthorne studies have had a remarkable impact on management in organizations and how workers react to various situations. The research carried out at the Western Electrics Hawthorne plant during the 1920’s and early 1930’s helped to initiate a whole new approach to human behavior studies. It examined how fatigue, boredom and supervision on an assembly line drastically influenced productivity and what kind of changes would influence output.
Initially the studies were based on the discoveries on scientific management of Taylor, yet this resulted in Human relations view of management and industrial sociology.
In my opinion, I believe that the Hawthorne studies persistently outlines our understanding of the many topics in social science, yet apart from its fame Hawthorne studies have never lacked critics. As such the research done on Hawthorne studies could be easily argued as one of the most vital
Bibliography: Alan Cubbon (1969) – “Hawthorne Talk in Context” - http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/visual?vid=2&hid=108&sid=31d02326-0e06-43a6-90f6-414bf8ba08fa%40sessionmgr108 as at 3rd December 2008 Burns, John E E.A.M. Gale “The Hawthorne Studies- a fable for our times”- http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/97/7/439 as at 13th November 2008 Edgar Schein (2004), “Organisational Culture and Leadership” (3rd Edition), Jossey-Bass: San Francisco