What is the Hawthorne experiment?

The Hawthorne experiment was conducted by Professor Mayo as a consultant in Hawthorne Factory of Chicago West Electric Company for 1927- 1932, which included several stages, such as lighting experiment, large-scale interview and research on wiring board wiring studio. The original intention of the study was to find out the relationship between labor material conditions and labor productivity, but the experimental results unexpectedly contributed to the birth of interpersonal relationship management.

What exactly did Hawthorne experiment do?

This series of psychological research in Hawthorne Factory, a subsidiary of Chicago West Electric Company, USA, was presided over by Mayo, a professor of psychology at Harvard University.

Hawthorne Factory is a factory that manufactures telephone exchanges. It has perfect recreational facilities, medical care system and pension system, but the workers are still indignant and the production results are not satisfactory. In order to find out the reason, the National Research Council of the United States organized a research group to conduct experimental research.

Hawthorne experiment is divided into four stages:

First, the lighting experiment. From1October 1924 165438+ to April 1927.

At that time, the theory of production efficiency was mainly based on the viewpoint of labor medicine, and it was thought that the productivity of workers might be fatigue and monotonous, so the experimental hypothesis at that time was that "improving illumination would help reduce fatigue and improve production efficiency". However, after more than two years of experiments, it is found that the change of illumination has no effect on production efficiency. The specific results are as follows: when the light in the experimental group increases, both the experimental group and the control group increase production; When the illumination of the experimental group weakened, the output of the two groups still increased, and even when the illumination of the experimental group decreased to 0.06 candle, the output did not decrease significantly. It was not until the lights were reduced to moonlight that the output fell sharply. The researchers were at a loss and lost confidence in the results. From 1927, a group of psychologists from Harvard University headed by Professor Mayo took over the experimental work and continued it. (Professor Mayo's team intervened halfway)

Second, the welfare experiment. The time is from April 1927 to June 1929.

The purpose of the experiment is to find out the relationship between welfare transformation and production efficiency. However, after more than two years of experiments, it is found that no matter how the welfare benefits change (including the changes in the way of paying wages, the increase or decrease of preferential measures, the increase or decrease of rest time, etc. ), it will not affect the continuous increase of output, and even the workers themselves can't explain the reasons for the improvement of production efficiency. The final conclusion of the experiment is beyond people's expectation.

After further analysis, it is found that the main reasons for improving production efficiency are: 1, the sense of honor to participate in the experiment. At the beginning of the experiment, six female workers who participated in the experiment were called into the minister's office to talk. They consider it a great honor. This shows that valued pride can obviously promote people's enthusiasm. 2. Good relations among members.

Third, the interview experiment.

The researchers started the interview plan at the factory. The original idea of this plan was to ask workers to answer questions about the planning and policies of the management, the attitude of the foreman and the working conditions, but this stipulated interview plan was unexpected and achieved unexpected results in the process. What workers want to talk about is beyond the work outline. What workers think is important is not what the company or investigators think is meaningful. Knowing this, the interviewer promptly changed the interview plan to not specify the content in advance, and the average time of each interview was extended from 30 minutes to 1- 1.5 hours, listening more and talking less, and recording the workers' dissatisfaction and opinions in detail. The interview plan lasted for more than two years. The output of workers has greatly increased.

Workers have long been dissatisfied with the management system and methods of the factory and have nowhere to vent. The implementation of the interview plan just provides them with an opportunity to vent.

Fourth, group experiments.

Mayo et al. selected 14 male workers in this experiment for winding, welding and inspection in a separate room. Implement a special piece-rate wage system for our team workers. The experimenter originally imagined that the implementation of this set of incentive measures would make workers work harder in order to get more pay. However, the observation results show that the output is only at a medium level, and the average daily output of each worker is almost the same, so it is better for workers to report the output on the spot. In-depth investigation found that this team spontaneously formed some norms in order to safeguard the interests of its own group. They agree that no one can go too far and highlight himself; No one can do too little, which will affect the output of the whole group. It is forbidden to tell the management in Chapter Three of the Contract. Anyone who violates these regulations will be sarcastic and swearing, but he will also punch and kick. Further investigation found that the reason why the workers maintained a medium level of output was because they were worried that the management would change the current reward system or lay off employees, so that some workers lost their jobs, or their slow-working partners would be punished. [font= ??, sans-serif] This experiment shows that in order to maintain the unity within the team, we can abandon the temptation of material interests. This paper puts forward the concept of "informal group", and holds that there are spontaneous informal groups in formal organizations, which have their own special behavior norms and play a role in regulating and controlling people's behavior. At the same time, the internal cooperative relationship has also been strengthened.

What are the important conclusions of Hawthorne's experiment?

1933, Mayo published the book "People in Industrial Civilization" and put forward the following views:

1, the previous management assumed that people were "economic people" and thought that money was the only motivation to stimulate enthusiasm; Hawthorne's experiments prove that man is a "social man" and a member of complex social relations. Therefore, efforts must be made to mobilize the productive enthusiasm of workers from both social and psychological aspects.

2. The former management thought that the production efficiency was mainly restricted by working methods and working conditions. Hawthorne's experiment confirmed that work efficiency mainly depends on the enthusiasm of employees, their family and social life and the relationship between people in the organization.

3. In the past, management only focused on organization, division of power, rules and regulations, etc. Hawthorne's experiment found that there are informal organizations besides formal organizations. This invisible organization has its special feelings and tendencies, which affects the behavior of its members and plays a decisive role in improving production efficiency.

4. In the previous management, material stimulation was the only incentive means, but Hawthorne's experiment found that money was only a part of the needs that workers had to meet, and most of the needs were emotional comfort, security, harmony and belonging. Therefore, new leaders should be able to improve employee satisfaction, be good at listening to employees' opinions and balance the economic needs of formal groups and the social needs of informal groups.

In the past, management was indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of workers, and managers only cared about their own personal complexity and hobbies. Hawthorne's experiments prove that managers, especially grass-roots managers, should attach importance to interpersonal relationships like Hawthorne's experimenters, put themselves in the shoes of their subordinates, and communicate their feelings through active exchange of opinions.

Hawthorne's experiment and Mayo's opinion put forward a problem worthy of attention in leadership activities, that is, the influence of informal organizations on the effectiveness of leadership.

What is the significance of Hawthorne's experiment?

The significance of Hawthorne experiment is that it is an epoch-making event in the history of management. It overturns the assumption that people regard people as economic people since Taylor, and opens up a new field for management, that is, it begins to pay attention to people and study their behavior. Hawthorne's experiment made the study of interpersonal relationship gradually famous in the world and became a pioneer of behavioral science, and management science entered a new era of behavioral science.

Links to related knowledge points:

1, Mayo: Mayo, George Elton Mayo (1880- 1949)

George Ayton Mayo is an Australian-American behavioral scientist and the founder of interpersonal relationship theory. He conducted the famous Hawthorne experiment. His main representative works are People in Organization and Management and Morale. Hawthorne experiment is a nine-year experimental study in Hawthorne Factory, an electrical appliance company in the western United States. In his masterpiece "Human Problems of Industrial Civilization", Hawthorne Experiment and several other experiments were summarized, and the main ideas of his theory of crowd relations were expounded, which really opened the prelude to the study of human behavior in organizations.

2. Taylor:

Taylor is an American engineer, scientific management scholar and inventor. Taylor 1856 was born in Philadelphia, USA on March 20th. 1872 was admitted to Harvard University; 65438-0875, studied carpentry and machining at Philadelphia Hydraulic Factory. 1878 transferred to Midwar iron and steel company to participate in the scientific management of practical technology in machinery manufacturing workshop and the whole plant. 188 1 year began to conduct "time management research"; 1883 obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology; 1906 was elected president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, and received an honorary doctorate in science from the University of Pennsylvania in the same year. Died on 19 15 March 2 1.

Taylor studied and popularized the scientific management of industrial enterprises, and published the book Principles of Scientific Management in 19 1 1. The scientific management of industrial enterprises initiated by him was valued by the scientific and industrial circles in Europe and America at that time, and was praised as the "father of scientific management" by American industry. At the same time, I teach scientific management courses part-time in universities and participate in social activities in this field. Taylor has obtained more than 40 scientific and technological patents.