The theory of human relations was born in the United States, towards the fourth decade of the 20th century, and was possible thanks to the development of the social sciences, especially psychology. It was basically a movement of reaction and opposition to the classical theory of administration.
Among the people who contributed to the birth of the theory of human relations we can cite Elton Mayo, as the main reference, who conducted the famous Hawthorne Experiment, also Mary Parker Follet and Kurt Lewin.
This theory has among its most relevant characteristics the following:
- Studies the organization as a group of people Emphasizes people Inspired by systems of psychology Full delegation of authority Worker autonomy Trust and openness Emphasis on human relationships between employees Trust in people Dynamics group and interpersonal.
Origins of the theory of human relations
The classical theory of management sought to develop a new business philosophy, an industrial civilization in which technology and the working method are the most important concerns of the manager. In an eminently democratic country like the United States, workers and unions saw and interpreted scientific management as a sophisticated means of exploiting employees in favor of the bosses' interests. Consequently, the theory of human relations arose from the need to counteract the strong tendency towards the dehumanization of work that arose with the application of rigorous, scientific and precise methods, to which the workers had to submit themselves necessarily.
Ultimately the theory of human relations originates from the need to achieve complete efficiency in production within a labor harmony between the worker and the employer, due to the limitations presented by the classical and scientific theories of administration, which In order to increase the profitability of the business, he went to the extreme of exploiting the workers. It was basically a movement of reaction and opposition to these theories of the administration.
Theory of human relations Vs. Scientific and classical theory of management
The four main causes of the emergence of the theory of human relations are:
- The need to humanize and democratize the administration. Development of the so-called human sciences. The ideas of John Dewey's pragmatic philosophy and Kurt Lewin's dynamic psychology. The conclusions of the Hawthorne Experiment.
The theory of human relationships was concerned, primarily, with studying the oppression of man at the hands of the enslaving development of industrialized civilization. Elton Mayo, one of the pioneers of the human relations movement, devoted his books to examining the human, social and political problems arising from a civilization based almost exclusively on industrialization and technology.
Its causes, which are deeper, are defined by Mayo in this way:
- Work is a typically social activity. The level of production is more influenced by group norms than by wage incentives. The attitude of the employee towards his work and the nature of the group in which he participates are decisive factors of productivity. The worker does not act as an isolated individual but as a member of a social group. The basic task of management is to form a capable elite to understand and to communicate, endowed with democratic leaders, persuasive and appreciated by all the personnel. The human person is motivated essentially by the need to "be close to", to "be recognized", to receive adequate communication. Mayo disagrees with Taylor's claim that the worker's basic motivation is only salary.Industrialized civilization causes the disintegration of the primary groups in society, such as the family, informal groups and religion, while the factory will emerge as a new social unit that will provide a new home, a place for understanding and emotional security. of individuals.
Hawthorne experiment
In 1927 the National Research Council began its experiment at the Western Electric Company factory, located in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Chicago; in order to determine the relationship between the intensity of lighting and the efficiency of workers in production.
First phase
During the first phase of the experiment, two groups of workers were chosen to carry out the same operation, under identical conditions: an observation group worked under variable light intensity, while the other control group worked under constant light intensity.
Second phase (Test room for relay mounting)
The second phase began in April 1927. To constitute the observation group (or experimental group), six middle-level young people were selected, neither novices nor experts: five young people assembled the relays, while the sixth supplied the necessary parts to maintain a continuous work. The research carried out with the experimental group was divided into twelve periods to observe which were the most satisfactory performance conditions.
It consists of transferring six employees, of the forty thousand who worked in the company, to a special location, they are granted special concessions such as breaks, refreshments, and shorter working hours. This raises productivity and when the experiment was 8 months old, Elton Mayo, who was at Harvard University studying industrial psychology, is asked to collaborate in the experiment.
Elton Mayo, upon arrival, removes all the concessions granted and to the surprise of psychologists and sociologists, productivity remains constant despite having removed the concessions; When asking the workers the reason for this reaction, they answered "that they raised productivity not because of the concessions granted but because of the commitment they had to have been chosen from 40 thousand employees to carry out the study," consequently it was concluded that they had been psychologically persuaded.
Third phase (Interview program)
Soon after, the researchers, concerned about the difference in attitudes between the young women in the experimental group and those in the control group, began to move away from the initial interest of seeking better physical working conditions and definitively devoted themselves to studying human relations at work.
It consisted of interviewing 22 thousand of the 40 thousand employees through the application of questionnaires that included all kinds of questions, the results obtained in this experiment were:
- The employee feels great resentment towards the company where he works The mood of the workers influences the productivity of the company During the interviews, the employee has emotional discharges.
Fourth phase (Terminal assembly observation room)
An experimental group was chosen - nine operators, nine welders and two inspectors, all from the terminal assembly section for telephone stations, who went on to work in a special room whose working conditions were identical to those of the department.
It was intended to demonstrate the incentive-productivity relationship, the results were:
- The incentive-productivity relationship is not much when it comes to the economic aspect The company has informal work groups that in many cases are stronger than the formal ones The company does not accept people who go outside the guidelines.
Hawthorne's experiment was suspended in 1932, for external reasons, but the influence of its result on administrative theory was fundamental to question the basic principles of classical theory, then dominant.
Here is a summary video with the explanation of the phases and the main conclusions of the Hawthorne Experiment:
Referents of the theory of human relations
Elton Mayo
He is best known for his research including the Hawthorne studies, the logic of worker sentiment, and the logic of cost and efficiency of managers, which could lead to conflicts within organizations. He stated that the applied study of labor relations requires the integration of various perspectives. The main idea of this sociologist was to modify the mechanical model of organizational behavior to replace it with another that took more into account the feelings, attitudes, motivational complexity and other aspects of the human being.
- He showed that the psychological aspect is very important in administrative tasks He demonstrated the importance of communication He demonstrated the importance of informal groups within the company.
Mayo and his colleagues were the first to apply the scientific method in their studies of people in the workplace. Later researchers had more rigorous training in the social sciences, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The latter have been called "behavioral scientists."
The following video lesson presents a compilation of Elton Mayo's contributions to the administration:
Kurt lewin
It is based on two important aspects: motivation and frustration.
He considers that the individual's field of work also includes the psychological aspect and that this affects the productivity of the organization.
Also consider that the worker has positive and negative reactions and that in most cases he accepts and attracts positive situations and rejects negative ones.
He conducted research on motivation, and investigated tension, studying the way it affects companies, as well as the achievement of their objectives.
Mary Parker Follet
He analyzed aspects of coordination, administration and command.
He criticized the scientific era because he considered that it did not take into account the psychological aspect.
He presented a book "Management as a profession" that influenced the scientific method in psychological aspects.
He paid special attention to the conflictive aspects of companies as well as to human relations and the impact they have on the organization.
Through the following video you will be able to learn more about Ms. Follet's contributions to the human relations movement:
Main contributions of the School of Human Relations
- It improved the classical perspective of how productivity was considered. Work is an important activity for human beings and its development is influenced by social and individual relationships. It is not material factors, but psychological and social factors that contribute the most to growth They emphasized the importance of the manager's style and thereby revolutionized the training of administrators. Attention was increasingly focused on teaching administrative skills, as opposed to technical skills.
Among the main applications obtained from the implementation of this theory we can mention:
- The level of production is the result of social integration. Production is a function of the group, the greater the integration of the group, the greater the efficiency. Workers do not act only for their individual interests, they also adapt to the group. Workers in the assembly room produced less and earned less, out of their own conviction, before endangering the interests of the group. People are motivated mainly by the need for recognition, participation in the activities of the social groups in which they live. Groups of people are what basically constitute the organization of the company and sometimes they are opposed to the organization established by the managerial levels or higher hierarchy within the company People act in social groups,and if there is harmony or a good atmosphere within the company, this can be reflected in the production levels If the same activity is always repeated, it becomes monotonous, because it ends up damaging the company, that is why a Rotation of activities and creativity to avoid the passivity of workers It is necessary for success in the organization to take into account the emotions of the workers, since a person with problems will not have the same performance that they have when they do not have problems.It is necessary for the success in the organization to take into account the emotions of the workers, since a person with problems will not have the same performance as when they do not have problems.It is necessary for the success in the organization to take into account the emotions of the workers, since a person with problems will not have the same performance as when they do not have problems.
Limitations of the School of Human Relations
Hawthorne's experiments, profoundly influencing the work of managers and how management research was conducted afterwards, showed many deficiencies in design, analysis, and interpretation.
The concept of "social man" was an important counterweight to the one-sided model of "rational economic man"; but it also did not fully describe individuals in the workplace. Many managers and writers assumed that the satisfied employee would be more productive. Still, attempts made to increase production, by improving working conditions and staff satisfaction, did not bring the impressive productivity gains that had been expected.
The social work environment is one of the interaction factors that influence productivity, salary levels, the degree of interest in tasks, organizational culture and structure, relationships between employees and managers. In conclusion, the issue of productivity and worker satisfaction has turned out to be a more complex problem than was initially thought.
conclusion
As has been observed, Human Relations appear in the United States thanks to a group of factors such as workers and unions. And thanks to this, the scientific and classical theories would decline, which is why the theory of Human Relations took force, where the worker is the center of administration. And thanks to this theory, a new vision arises about the worker focusing on the wishes, feelings, goals and fears of the workers.
Elton Mayo debunks the main postulates of his predecessors Taylor and Fayol, taking into account that the psychological factor is more important (almost always) than that of money.
People are motivated by some needs such as money, clothing, food, among other things. These help them meet their basic needs with the help of the group they live with.
The behavior of workers can be controlled with good supervision and leadership, of course with an effective boss and the ability to direct their workers.
Industrial psychology helped demonstrate the partiality of the management principles adopted by classical theory.
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