Hawthorne Studies: Happiness Inspires Productivity

Happiness Inspires Productivity “Happiness inspires productivity” is a quote by Shawn Achor that represents the Hawthorne Studies. The Hawthorne Studies were a major step in discovering the perfect work environment. “The Hawthorne Studies gave rise to the profession of industrial psychology, by legitimizing the human factor as an element in business operations” (Rieger, 1995, Para. 3). Discovering the perfect work environment has been going on for a long time and is constantly evolving. The first theory of the perfect work environment involved only financial rewards. Today the theory now includes many different incentives to promote productivity like vacation time, health benefits, promotions, and recognition in the work place. There are

“Follett believed that her predecessor’s lack of attention to human relationships was a major flaw in their management theory” (Rieger, 1995, para. 13). She believed that having a good relationship with the members in your organization was the main factor affecting the amount of productivity in a work place. Many people liked the idea of Follett’s theory, but without anything to support her claim many people dismissed her idea. “Follett’s lack of experience in industry diminished her credibility with business people. She also lacked empirical data to support her positions” (Rieger, 1995, para. 17). This is where the Hawthorn Studies come in which provides Follett’s theory with the proper scientific data to support her theory. I agree with Follett’s idea that a good employee’s relationship will increase productivity. Good employee relationships will also positively promote the company. Many companies strive to have a good reputation for their ethics and human relations with is why Follett’s idea was a success even if it did not have the proper data to support her claim at the

“Workers improve their productivity when they believe management is concerned about their welfare and assign them particular attention. Improvements in workers’ productivity are possible by paying attention to their social environment and their informal groupings” (Fredrick, 2001, para. 5). This concluded that managers should focus on their employee’s wellbeing and then as a result their factories productivity will increase. “The researchers (in the Hawthorne Studies) concluded that social norms or group standards were the key determinants of individual work behavior” (Robbins, 2014, p 32). The Hawthorne Studies showed that employees cared more about acceptance and security than promotions. This dismissed Taylor’s theory and the Hawthorne theory became the main management