Hawthorne Studies Noah Wassermann & Jackson Rigby The Hawthorne study was created and led by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger to find ways to increase worker productivity. The studies took place in the 1920s by the Western Electric Company at their Hawthorne plant. Initially the study focused on the variable of light in the workplace. The hypothesis was that brighter lighting increased productivity. It was noticed during this study that productivity increased when light was increased and also when light was dimmed. This was a result of the employees feeling that they were being monitored and wanting to be seen producing more, or higher quality work. However this data was not yet isolated, the researchers still felt their results were inconclusive because they had not found an individual variable that increased worker productivity. This led to a second experiment being created. The second experiment involved in the study looked at the effect of productivity after different lengths of rest periods. After the test it was noticed that those involved might have had increased productivity simply from the group atmosphere and more participative supervision. The test room workers were made to feel important, given a lot of information and were frequently asked for their opinions. This was very different from the situation at their regular jobs. Following up on this data, a final Hawthorne study noticed that people would restrict their output in order to avoid the displeasure of group environments. They would also be sacrificing pay that could be earned by increasing output. The authors of the Business Leadership: Management Fundamentals textbook state, “The researchers concluded that groups can have strong negative as well as positive, influences on individual productivity.” (Schermerhorn, Wright and Guest 48). The Hawthorne studies proved that simple things like common changes in the workplace and inclusion of employees could increase their productivity. If employees felt they were being monitored they would increase productivity. Mayo and Roethlisberger also concluded that productivity would increase when management and coworkers made employees feel valued by showing them extra attention. This helped to disprove what was widely assumed at the time, that levels of productivity aren’t always increased simply by monetary values. It also proved that employees could be motivated in cases by group atmospheres and increased social interactions with their employers. When employees were in positions they didn’t like in the workplace, they would reduce their productivity even if it meant losing money that could have been gained from producing more work. These findings were very important at the time to the way businesses treated employees and also how businesses function in our society today. In conclusion, the main result of these findings was the increase of production when the workers felt like they were being observed. If an employee knew that they were being watched by their superior as they worked, they would be more inclined to increase individual productivity to show that they are integral to the company seen as a hard worker for a potential promotion. It also showed the importance of group relations in a work place. In order to a business to maximize productivity, all members should often be, or feel as if they are monitored as well as supported by their coworkers and employers. Hawthorne Studies Noah Wassermann & Jackson Rigby Works Cited: Schermerhorn, John R., Barry Wright, and Lorie Guest. Business Leadership: Management Fundamentals. Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2013. Print. "Human Side: Hawthorne." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. "The Hawthorne Effect: The Study of Employee Productivity." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. "The Hawthorne Effect." The Hawthorne Effect. Oxford University Press, 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.