Hawthorne, Chelsea

1301 Words6 Pages
Introduction For decades, the Hawthorne effect has been used to explain how group behaviour was more important than any other external factors in altering the outcome of the performance or behaviour of people. Proponents of the Hawthorne effect say this behavioural change is not due to any specific condition being tested, but that people behave and perform differently when they are in a group (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, & Coulter, 2012, p.474). Bramel and Friend (1981) argued that this assumption is flawed, because the Hawthorne experiments presented a view of the workers being tested as “irrational and unintelligent, and of the capitalist factory as nonexploitative and free of class conflict” ( p.867). Did the Hawthorne effect really happened exactly as Mayo and Roethlisberger presented, or did the two researchers deliberately left out crucial points in their findings so as to suit their pre-determined objectives which were in line with management’s at that time? That is the main contention in Bramel and Friend’s (1981) critique of the Hawthorne effect in “Hawthorne, the Myth of the Docile Worker, and Class Bias in Psychology.” Porter (2012), in his analysis of the Hawthorne effect, concluded that “ultimately, the Hawthorne effect is about group norms” (p.15). An individual, based on his personal background and past experience, brings to the organization a unique set of characteristics. However, in a group setting, where he has to have daily interaction with his managers and co-workers, his behaviour is altered (Robbins et al., 2012, p.520). Bramel and Friend (1981) did not dispute this alteration of behaviour within a group setting, but found fault with the omission of crucial details of the Hawthorne experiments leading to this change. The Hawthorne Experiments The experiments had presented the workers involved as cohesive, in support of

More about Hawthorne, Chelsea

Open Document