Human Relations - Industrial Revolution and Low Productivity - Essay Example

Human Relations Saniya Varkhandkar Assignment Academia Research June 7, 2007 Introduction Human relations movement originated in 1920s with the conduction of Hawthorne studies. It examined the effects of motivation and employee satisfaction on the productivity of an organization. The study considered the psychological aspects of the workers. . "The hallmark of human-relation theories is the primacy given to organizations as human cooperative systems rather than mechanical contraptions." (Human relations movement) The Human Relations advocates wanted to rationalize management in order to increase workers' effort at work. In the beginning the focus was on improving motivation and productivity. But over time the research became more involved with nature of work and workers as complex human beings. Researchers emphasized culture, interpersonal relations, and group coherence as the determinants of worker performance. Industrial revolution and low productivity Before industrial revolution the work was mostly performed by individual workers. Any particular skill was undertaken by an individual and was time consuming. As a result the productivity was low. With the industrial revolution the nature of work and the role of the worker underwent major changes. With the arrival of machines and factories, the production increased. Along with raw materials and capital, labor was also considered a part of the manufacturing process. The employers never considered how productivity was influenced by a worker's mental needs. As a result, motivation, social relations and working conditions were never considered important. Nevertheless it affected productivity in a major way. This movement had many followers like Keith Davis, Chris Argyris, Fred Herzberg, and Rensis Likert who assumed the underlying employee-employer harmony. They attributed restriction of output to the poor communication between workers and managers, and inadequate attention to the human side of worker. Members of human relations movement Elton Mayo (1880-1949), a Harvard professor trained in psychopathology and other researchers from Harvard University initiated what have become known as the Hawthorne Studies at the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric Company near Chicago. (The Human relations movement (circa 1929-1951))They wanted to study how the changes in physical working conditions affect employee productivity. The study revealed that even when the physical characteristics of the job like salary were declined, and employee complaints ignored, the productivity of the employees was not reduced. On the other hand there was an increase in productivity. This phenomenon was called as Hawthorne effect where the productivity of the employees who participate in the study increases only because of the attention they receive from the researchers. This discovery forms the basis of the human relations movement because it suggests that employees are highly motivated to work better when they feel important and when their work is recognized. Over the years Hawthorne effect has been successfully used by managers to increase productivity. Implementation of "self-study committees, announcing surprise audits, establishing task forces of various kinds, and in general, keeping the workers tied up with busy-work that has the appearance of ongoing research" was undertaken. Mayo stated that the reason workers are motivated by such things is that individuals have a deep psychological need to believe that their organization cares about them, is open, concerned, and willing to listen. (The Human relations movement (circa 1929-1951)) According to mayo there should be a friendly relation between the employers and workers. At the same time the employers should consider the human values first and not the quality of the work. The employees' opinion about their work and working conditions must be taken into consideration. Further any changes in the organization must take into consideration the employees' view. This became a predominant philosophy and many theories sprung up which were employee centered. Hierarchy of needs The most dominant among other theories was Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory which studied motivation and personal development. According to his theory a human being is motivated by his needs. (Maslow's hierarchy of needs) He describes various needs which have to be fulfilled in the order of importance. Each need must be satisfied in turn, starting with the first which is the need for survival or those needs which are inborn. These are biological, physiological and safety needs. Only when thes lower needs of emotional and physical wellbeing are fulfilled is the human being concerned with higher needs of personal development. These needs comprise belongingness and love, esteem needs and self-actualization. If the lower needs are not fulfilled, the human being is no longer concerned about maintaining his higher needs. Maslow's concept when applied to organizations, relates to challenges in workplace, and brings about personal development of the employees. According to Maslow employees have a need to strive for self actualization. This theory again highlighted the psychological aspects of employees and made the managers consider their effects on productivity. Theory Y Based on Maslow's theory, McGregor put forth a fundamental approach to managing people. Theory Y is a theory of human motivation created and developed by Douglas McGregor in the 1960s that has been used in human resource management, organizational behavior, and organizational development. it describes the attitudes toward workforce motivation and produces better performance in an organization. (Theory X and Theory Y) According to this theory, management assumes that employees are ambitious and desire greater responsibility. They exercise self-control and enjoy their mental and physical duties. It is also believed that they desire to be creative in the workplace. Without external control and the threat of punishment, the productivity automatically goes up when the employees are given the freedom to perform at the best of their abilities. That is to say the employees are motivated to perform better when they have the satisfaction of doing a good job. This theory is an extension of Maslow's needs of the higher order. Where Maslow speaks of self-actualization, McGregor speaks of the employees' desire to seek responsibility. Both the theories stress the psychological need of individuals to do better given the appropriate conditions. In Maslow's theory this appropriate condition can be considered as the satisfaction of basic needs; whereas in McGregor's theory this can be seen as the freedom to act without being pressurized to work. Significance to current work place Social degeneration is the root cause of the majority of current problems at work. This is the result of industrialization which caused increased labor mobility and weakened communal ties and isolated family life. All this also resulted because economic growth was considered the most important aspect in life. This further deteriorated human relations and divorce, crime, irregular living, resentment, and paranoia formed the regular pattern of human beings. As a result individuals become maladjusted. At work, problems of industrial management arise because complex organizations devalue the workers' intelligence and skill, create monotonous tasks, and, as compensation, offer only money and leisure time. Consequently, workers are not able to bond with the employers from which would emerge mutual confidence, trust, and effective collaboration.As a result of all this the workers' productivity is greatly affected. The application of the theories put forth by the advocates of the human relations movement will therefore be very important to the development and success of an organization. When the psychological wellbeing of a worker is guaranteed, it makes him positive, produces better results and finally increases productivity. Conclusion Today the success of an organization will thus depend on the employers concern for the employee's personal growth and striving towards self-actualization. Instead of concentrating on the traditional work related development, the organizations should be employee centered. The best modern employers and organizations are beginning to learn at last: that sustainable success is built on a serious and compassionate commitment to helping people identify, pursue and reach their own personal unique potential. when the individual is considered important and his work is appreciated he will automatically perform better. In fact any kind of personal development produces behavior and experiences that benefit the organization. The leaders in today's work force need different skills to be successful. The current generation of workers is better educated and better informed, and it also has higher expectations. They seek jobs that give not only a sense of accomplishment but also a sense of purpose. They want jobs that provide meaningful work. Today's managers must therefore shift from manager as order-giver to manager as facilitator. They must also learn how to assume the roles of teacher, mentor, and resource person. (Human relations) The best modern employers recognize this and offer development support to their employees to enhance and develop their skills in their chosen fields. A Theory Y manager will remove the obstacles that prevent workers from fully actualizing themselves. Theory Y thus creates a positive set of assumptions about workers. McGregor simply argues for managers to be open to a more positive view of workers and the possibilities that creates. Theory Y is thus important in the field of management and motivation. McGregor's Y Theory remains a guiding principle of positive approaches to management, to organizational development, and to improving organizational culture. References Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Human Relations Movement. 5 April 2007. 7 June 2007. The Human relations movement (circa 1929-1951) 1 Jun 2007. 7 June 2007. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 1995. 7 June 2007. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Theory X and Theory Y 21 May 2007. 7 June 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_theory_Y Highland, Patrick J. "Human relations" 2007. 7 June 2007. Read More