OK.
Last time we talked about the first two experiments in Hawthorne Studies. Those two were really fascinating experiments as
some of you might hear them before. But this time, we would introduce some experiments
that you are not that familiar with. So let’s move on!
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Figure 1 Paul R. Lawrences (American
Sociologist)
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The last two experiments are Mass Interview Experiment and Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment. Since there might be dissatisfaction among workers that caused the low efficiency of workers, there might be some problems in management methods. Therefore, the psychological team led by Elton Mayo started an interview with workers. More importantly, they deeply studied the complaints and attempted to figure out the reasons of dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, the consequences of the experiment was not satisfying. Out of personal benefit, someone might complain disadvantages of the factory in order to improve their own welfare. In the famous Two-factor Theory, the problems mentioned in the complaints of workers are hygiene factors while the welfare mentioned in the last experiment is motivators. According to the theory, the problems mentioned can become no dissatisfaction but they cannot become satisfaction. In other words, when the problems mentioned were really solved, workers would not as motivated as in the last situation. for another example, when a prisoner came out of the prison and again enjoyed the delicacy and entertainment, he or she would not feel exceedingly motivated because these were formerly enjoyed by him or her. Therefore, the interview experiment could not be claimed as a success.
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Figure 2 Hawthorne Works (Western Electric
Company)
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The
final one is Bank Wiring Test Room
Experiment. The psychological team attempted to create an unofficial
organization among all workers in order to change the attitude of these
workers. Among all the workers in Hawthorne Works, 14 male workers were chosen,
of whom 9 are winders and 3 are wielders and 2 are inspectors, working in a
closed room. It would have been considered that they would be working harder
than before but the results were disappointing. The output of workers was
moderate and similar with that of each other. It turned out that if someone had
overworked, it might cause other members of team lose the job. In this
experiment, Group
Cohesiveness
or Team Cohesion could be vividly
indicated. Team members all aspired for the same purpose through a team norm of productivity.
Specifically, in this situation, the norm
(an expected standard of behavior) of the team is lowly productive, rest of
members would usually conform.
Considering the fact that some underperforming workers might leave the team,
other over-performing workers might reduce their efficiency in order to achieve
a balance. Therefore, in terms of high cohesion, there might be fewer dropouts
by underperforming players and hence a general balance in workers’
underperformance.
After
all the procedures were done in the Hawthorne
experiment, the conclusion would be easy to predict. People would be easy
to work in the conditions with great sense of pride and satisfaction. Also,
physical stimulus is not as effective as emotional stimulus, such as dignity,
harmonious interpersonal relationships, etc. As the experiment was conducted
for such a long-lasting period, there are also some criticism towards this.
Because all the sub-experiments were controlled in limited situation instead of
real settings, the data collected and the conclusion might be questionable.
Also, since the experiment was based relatively on a large experimental group, the element of “group” might largely influence
the outcomes of conclusion. Overall, Hawthorne
Studies was one of the most important psychology research on human
behavior. Also, this study was skillfully incorporated psychology with business
management and economics.
If
you like Hawthorne Effect we have
been talking about today, or if you like some psychology research concerned the
studies of human reaction, then you don’t want to miss what we will be talking
next time: Stanford Prison Experiment.
As this experiment was also about the Behavioral
Sciences and Stanford University is my most dream university. More importantly,
Stanford Prison Experiment is one of
the most popular psychological experiments. But this time we would go deeper, and
we would be awesome!
References:
1. http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/hawthorne
2. http://www.slideshare.net/RajeshPandey29/elton-mayos-hawthorne-experiment-and-its-contributions-to
7. http://www.slideshare.net/RajeshPandey29/elton-mayos-hawthorne-experiment-and-its-contributions-to
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