Taylor and Mayo Essay Example

of the worker. The scientific education and development of the worker Intimate and friendly cooperation between the management and the workforce. ’ The details and explanation of the principles will be taken up further in the essay.

Our next key figure is the person who pioneered the Human Relations Movement, George Elton Mayo (1880-1949). ‘Mayo was an Australian who spent most of his working life at Harvard University, eventually becoming Professor of Industrial Research in the Graduate School of Business Administration. In this post he was responsible for the initiation and direction of many research projects, the famous being the five-year investigation of the Hawthorne works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago, which are also considered as the principal foundations of the Human Relations Movement.Immediately prior to his death, Mayo was consultant on industrial problems to the British Government. ’  Mayo authored three books, namely: The Human Problems of an Industrialized Civilization: Early sociology of Management and Organisations. (1933) The Social Problems of an Industrialized Civilization (1945)

The Political Problems of an Industrialized Civilization (1947) Mayo believed that an autocratic and authoritarian organization cannot achieve maximum efficiency and productivity from the employees.According to him, organizations and people needed each other, and is was important that both sides should achieve satisfaction. A democratic organization, where employee needs and opinions are taken into consideration, would function much more smoothly, than a rigid and controlling organization which didn’t give any scope for development or growth. He also emphasized on the importance of informal groups within the organization and urged the management to dig deeper into the issues of the employees and develop appropriate incentives accordingly. ‘Summary of Mayo’s Beliefs:Individual

workers cannot be treated in isolation, but must be seen as members of a group Monetary incentives and good working condition are less important to the individual than the need to belong to a group Informal or unofficial groups formed at work have a strong influence on the behavior of those workers in a group Managers must be aware of these ‘social needs’ and cater for them to ensure that employees collaborate with the official organization rather than work against it. The details and explanation of these beliefs will be taken further in the essay.