Hawthorne Studies

 Conducted in late 1920’s

 General Electric Hawthorne
plant
 Showed the importance of the
individual in the workplace
 Showed the presence of a
social system in the workplace
Hawthorne Experiments

Workplace Lighting
Demonstration
 Hawthorne Studies: Workplace
Lighting
 Originally intended to examine effects of
lighting on productivity
 Scientific management proposed that physical
conditions affect productivity
 Result: Productivity increased regardless of
lighting level
 Conclusion: Increased productivity was due to
workers’ receiving attention
 Base-Level Lighting
Normal Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 More Light
Higher Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 More Light
Higher Productivity

How you doing?

Control Experimental
Group Group
 More Light
Higher Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 More Light
Higher Productivity

How you doing?

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Even More Light
Even Higher Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Even More Light
Even Higher Productivity

How you doing?

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Less Light
Even Higher Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Less Light
Even Higher Productivity

How you doing?

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Even Less Light
Even Higher Productivity

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Even Less Light
Even Higher Productivity

How you doing?

Control Experimental
Group Group
 Hawthorne Studies: Piecework
Pay
 Examined effects of group piecework pay
system on productivity
 Workers under piecework system should
produce as much as possible
 Scientific management assumes that people are
motivated only by money
 Result: Production less than maximum
 Conclusion: Social pressure caused workers to
produce at group-norm level