Читать книгу Kelly Vana's Nursing Leadership and Management - Группа авторов - Страница 62

Management that focused on human relations began by examining employee responses to conditions through a series of studies called the Hawthorne experiments. In contrast to the science of exact procedures, rules and regulations, and formal authority that characterized Scientific Management, theories from the Human Relations Management school of thought espoused the individual worker as the source of control, motivation, and productivity in organizations. During the 1930s, labor unions became stronger and were instrumental in advocating for the human needs of employees. During this time, experiments were conducted at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company in Chicago that led to a greater understanding of the influence of human relations in organizations.

Electricity had become the preferred power source over gas; the Hawthorne plant experiments were run to show people that more light was necessary for greater productivity. This approach was designed to increase the use of electricity. Researchers Mayo (1933) and Roethlisberger and Dickson (1939) measured the effects on production of altering the intensity of lighting. They found that, with more and brighter light, production increased as expected. However, production also increased each time they reduced the light, even when the light was extremely dim. Their research findings led to the conclusion that something else besides the light was motivating these workers.

The notion of social facilitation, or the idea that people increase their work output in the presence of others, was a result of the Hawthorne experiments. The researchers also concluded that the effect of being watched and receiving special attention could alter a person's behavior. The phenomena of being observed or studied, resulting in changes in behavior, is now called the Hawthorne Effect. Also emerging from this study was the concept that people benefit and are more productive and satisfied when they participate in decisions about their work environments.