Question

For the past several years you have worked as General Manager for a family-owned bicycle manufacturing business. Your grandfather founded the business 60 years ago and has held the position of President from the onset. Throughout the years, he has managed the business with an iron fist, giving his managers clear directions on how to perform their jobs. He has often said, "Tell your employees exactly how you want them to perform their jobs, and we will be successful." And for many years, the business was successful. However, business performance has been slipping in the past decade. Sales are down and profits have dwindled to almost nothing.

Last month, your grandfather stepped aside and passed control of his family business to your cousin Sheila. You have hope, because you know Sheila has tried for many years to convince your grandfather that his management techniques are outdated. And now that Sheila is in control, she wants to change the culture of the company.

One morning Sheila calls you into her office. She is reading her grandfather’s copy of a book written by Dr. Elton Mayo on the Hawthorne Studies. "I can’t believe he never changed the way he managed," she said. "He had the information right in front of him all along." You understand her dismay, as you are familiar with the Hawthorne Studies and have been trying to institute some of what you learned from reviewing the studies.

The new president of your company is determined to improve employee relations. First, she explains it is not enough to motivate employees, but that you should first concentrate on factors in the workplace that can demotivate your employees if not addressed properly. After addressing demotivating factors, you should use positive reinforcement to motivate the workforce. Finally, she asks you to continually monitor the performance of all of your employees in an effort to determine which motivational factors are working - and which are not. In particular, she wants you to monitor performance in light of both equity and expectancy theory.

As you continue examining the motivational techniques that seem to get results, you will also implement a Management by Objectives process.

The new president of your organization wants to change her grandfather’s autocratic management practices to reflect what was learned from the Hawthorne Studies. Which of the following ideas reflect what was learned from the Hawthorne studies about increasing motivation? Check all that apply.

a. Try different motivational techniques to motivate your employees.
b. Write more detailed job descriptions and specialize jobs further.
c. Set up the production line to eliminate wasted steps in the workflow.
d. Pay more attention to your employees.

Answer 1

The new president of the company wants to improve employee relations based on the findings of the Hawthorne studies. Trying different motivational techniques and paying more attention to employees are key ideas from the studies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Hawthorne studies were a series of studies conducted at Western Electric's Hawthorne Works plant in the 1920s and 1930s. These studies discovered the Hawthorne effect, which is an increase in performance when individuals are aware they are being observed. Based on the Hawthorne studies, the new president of the company wants to improve employee relations by addressing demotivating factors, using positive reinforcement, and monitoring employee performance in light of equity and expectancy theory. The idea of trying different motivational techniques to motivate employees is also consistent with the findings of the Hawthorne studies.

However, writing more detailed job descriptions and specializing jobs further is not a direct finding of the Hawthorne studies. The studies focused more on social and psychological factors rather than job design and specialization. Similarly, setting up the production line to eliminate wasted steps in the workflow is not specifically mentioned in the Hawthorne studies.

1. The idea of trying different motivational techniques to motivate employees.
2. Write more detailed job descriptions and specialize jobs further.
3. Set up the production line to eliminate wasted steps in the workflow.
4. Pay more attention to your employees.