SOSC 1510 Study Guide - Final Guide: Elton Mayo, Hawthorne Works, Hawthorne Effect
17 Jun 2017
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Hawthorne effect = a short-term increase in productivity in reaction to the knowledge one is a subject of study. The original research at the hawthorne works in cicero, illinois, on lighting changes and work structure changes such as working hours and break times were originally interpreted by. Elton mayo and others to mean that paying attention to overall worker needs would improve productivity. Later interpretations such as that done by landsberger suggested that the novelty of being research subjects and the increased attention from such could lead to temporary increases in workers" productivity. Whether or not changes of lighting increased, productivity increased, which was an unexpected finding. By involving workers in this study, workers had a boost in morale because they felt as though the management cared. It was learned that if workers are treated as human beings working toward a collective goal, their motication to cooperate will improve and their productivity will increase.
