Elton Mayo’s Human Relations Theory

INTRODUCTION

The human relations approach says; a happy worker is an efficient worker; that means if an organization can keep its workforce happy, it would bring more productivity and more profit because if a worker is happy with the emoluments and all the benefits that he deserves and the organization provides, he will have a sense of belongingness towards the organization and would do utmost efforts to lift the organization up in the market.

According to Human Relations Approach, management is the Study of behaviour of people at work. This approach had its origin in a series of experiments conducted by Professor Elton Mayo and his associates at the Harvard School of Business at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works, near Chicago.

These studies brought out for the first time the important relationships between social factors and productivity. Before it, productivity of the employees was considered to be a function only of physical conditions of work and money wages paid to them. For the first time, it was realized that productivity depended largely upon the satisfaction of the employees in work situations.

EMERGENCE OF HUMAN RELATIONS THEORY

Human Relations Theory came as a reaction to the classical approach, which stressed on formal structure. The classical school neglected the human side and under emphasized on the socio-psychological aspect of organization. George Elton Mayo was in charge of certain experiments on human behavior carried out at the Hawthorne Works of the General Electric Company in Chicago between 1924 and 1927. His research findings have contributed to organization development in terms of human relations and motivation theory. What he found however was that work satisfaction depended to a large extent on the informal social pattern of the work group. Where norms of cooperation and higher output were established because of a feeling of importance, physical conditions or financial incentives had little motivational value. People will form work groups and this can be used by management to benefit the organization.

GEORGE ELTON MAYO’S EXPERIMENTS

1.     ILLUMINATION EXPERIMENT: In this experiment mayo changed the physiological aspects related to work, but the productivity showed no direct relationship. This experiment proofed that productivity is not only the function of physiological aspects but is also influenced by the social and psychological factors too.

2.     RELAY ASSEMBLY TEST ROOM EXPERIMENT: – in this experiment mayo tried to analyze the relationship between working condition and morale. In this experiment mayo made changes with respect to the incentive, rest periods, work conditions etc., but such changes caused no improvement in productivity.

3.     MASS INTERVIEWING PROGRAMME: - A large number of workers were interviewed to know their perceptions and orientation on the working life. The results again confirmed the importance of informal relation, social and psychological needs and their impact on the behaviour of the workers.

4.     BANK WIRING EXPERIMENT: - this experiment highlighted the social cohesion among the employees. Findings with respect to human relation school are highlighted in “management and worker” of Roethlisberger and Dickson.

CONCLUSIONS OF THE HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS

a)      A factory is not only a techno-economic unit but a psycho-social organization also.

b)     The workers spontaneously form small informal groups. The norms and values of such groups have significant influence on the behaviour and performance of the workers.

c)      Physical conditions of work have some influence on the workers’ morale and productivity. But their inter-personal relations, attitude of the supervisors and other social and psychological factors have a far greater influence.

d)     Usually, the workers act or react not as individuals but as the members of a group.

e)      The workers are not mere economic men motivated by money alone. They respond to the total work situation including recognition, participation etc.

f)       The informal leaders play an important role in setting and enforcing group norms.

g)      The managers must understand and recognize the inter-personal and group relations on the job.

CRITICISM OF HUMAN RELATION THEORY

1.            It lacks scientific validity.

2.            Behavior of the workers during the experiments was not natural. It was actually the Hawthorne effect which gives their best when observed.

3.            It is pro-management and anti-union.

4.            It gave little attention the formal relation while putting greater emphasis on the informal relations.

5.            This theory is not aware of the economic dimension and neglected the nature of work.

6.            It could not explore the multi dimensional phenomenon of human motivation.

7.            Marxists says that it is a new technique to exploit workers as it de-emphasized economic factors.

8.            It is over-concerned with happiness.

9.            It does not recognize the conflict as a creative force.

10.       It ignored the environmental factors of workers attitudes.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, those who subscribe to the Human Relations School of Thought are of the view that the effectiveness of any organization depends on the quality of relationships among the people working in the organization. So, according to them, the managers must concern themselves with an analysis of organizational behaviour, that is, interaction of people with the organization. The basic assumption of this school still remains that the goals of the organization are achieved through and with the people.

REFERENCES

1.      Brainykey August 22, 2013. Access through: - (http://www.brainykey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Elton-Mayo. 

2.      Management Theory & Workplace Application (/management-theory/)

3.      Human Relations Management Theory Basics (/management-theory/humanrelations-management-theory-basics/)

4.      Human Relations Movement in Management: Theory & Timeline

Scientific Status of Sociology

INTRODUCTION

Sociology deals with the ways that social structure and culture are related. Social structure is defined by a variety of ideas. The structure of a society can be seen as the society's organization, such as its religious, political, or economical institutions, rules, routines, and relationships that create the society. Social culture deals more with the beliefs and values of the society. Sociology is seen by some as a science, where facts can be obtained by collecting data, and hypotheses can become theorems. As a science, sociology would have to be value-free, and sociologists, as scientists, should not be interested in changing society; rather, they must be interested in observing and explaining it. Others believe that sociology, as a study of the groups of people, should be used to aid in the creation of a better society, and therefore sociologists should be obliged to alter and possibly fix society.

The concept of sociology as a science is supported both by the founding fathers of the field and by contemporary minds. These leading sociologists, such as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Peter Berger, support the scientific aspects of sociology. In addition, sociology must remain neutral to the religious, political, and moral values which it seeks to describe. The field of cosmology-the study of the universe, in particular its origin-can be used as a model for the movement of sociology into a universally accepted, value-free science.

MEANING OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior that is shaped by society. It is a scientific study because it has a set of goals and methods used to answer questions, explain why things happen, make generalizations, and test ones hypothesis.

DEFINITIONS OF SOCIOLOGY BY VARIOUS SCHOLARS

Sociology is being defined differently by our sociologists and other’s each one of course, has its own news about the nature and scope of the subject, as he conceives it.

·         According to Ward “Sociology is science of society”.

·         George Simmel opines that it is a subject which studies human inter-relationship.

·         Giddins is of the view that “Sociology is scientific study of society”.

·         Max Weber has viewed sociology as “Science which attempts imperative understanding of social actions”.

·         Sorokin is of the opinion that sociology is a study first of all the relationship and correlations between various classes ... 

Second between the social and non social aspects of life and third it studies general characteristics common to all classes of society.

·         Ogburn has said that, “Sociology is concerned with the study of social life and its relations to the factors of culture, natural environment, heredity and group.”

·         Durkheim while defining sociology has said that, “It is the science of collective representation.”

We may thus conclude these definitions with the definition of E.S. Bogardus when he says that, “Sociology may be defined as the study of the ways in which social experiences function in developing, maturing and repressing human beings through inter-personal stimulations.”

MEANING OF SCIENCE

At the outset of the discussion of the meaning of science, it can be said that there is no agreed upon definition of science, nor should there be! Generally science refers to a body of systematic knowledge. It is based on reason and evidence. Science collects facts and links them together in their casual sequence to draw valid inferences. It adopts scientific method. Haray likens the view of science as a „God-Trick‟ because it proposes to see everything from nowhere, as value free and omnipresent. Scientific knowledge is acquired through observation, experimentation, generalization etc. Science has the following characteristics such as objectivity, observation, accurate prediction, experimentation, accurate measurement, generalization and Cause-effect relationships.

The ethics of science is “it is better to know than not to know.” As sociology tries to know about the social facts in society, it is undoubtedly a science. Another ethics of science is “knowledge is superior to ignorance.” It is also defined as a systematic body of knowledge and it must possess following characteristics.

a)      Science employs scientific method and social institution;

b)      It is the study of facts;

c)      Scientific principles are universal;

d)      Science discovers the cause-effect relationships in its subject matter and provides valid laws;

e)      Scientific laws can be verified and examined at any time and it proves true at all places;

f)       Science can make predictions on the basis of universal and valid laws relating to cause-effect relationships. These are the characteristics or preconditions, on the basis of which a branch of knowledge can be called a science.

THE CERTAIN PROSPECTS PROVE THE SCIENTIFIC STATUS OF SOCIOLOGY

There are some strong characteristics of sociology which give its position as a science. To put it another ways, the role played by the sociologists are like the other sciences. These are

1.      Sociology employs scientific method: The scientific method is a procedure used in seeking knowledge on the basis of certain assumptions. Karl Pearson mentions in his Grammar of Science that “the unity of all science consists alone in its method, not its material”. All the methods used in sociology are scientific in nature. Sociology makes use of scientific methods in the study of its subject matter. Sociology employs techniques which apply quantitative measurements to social phenomenon. So, these techniques are comparable to the methods of experimentation. The techniques and methodology used by sociologists may differ from those of physical sciences, but they adopt the same scientific methods to systematize knowledge. There are several steps in scientific method in sociology such as formulation of problem of study, collection of data, classification and tabulation of data, testing of hypothesis and generalization etc.

2.      The Principles of Sociology are Verifiable: The laws of sociology can be verified at any time. For example, the statement “we arrive at the conclusion that illiteracy is the cause of criminality among the people” would be regarded as a scientific fact only when we can verify from our own observation that the number of criminals among the literate is smaller than that among the illiterate.

3.      Sociology delineates cause-effect relationships: Sociology has discovered a cause-effect relation between the social phenomena. To take an example, one can consider the law that the increase in the number of divorce indicates acceleration of family disorganization. In this case, divorce is a cause and family disorganization is one of its effects. Similarly, illiteracy may be a cause of criminality among the people.

4.      Sociology can make predictions: On the basis of cause-effect relationships sociology can anticipate the future and make predictions concerning social relationships, activities, incidents etc. If disorganization in the families becomes definite, it can make predictions concerning the number of divorce, illicit relationships and many other things. Sociology frames laws and attempts to predict it.

5.      Sociology makes accurate observation: Observation is possible in the field of sociology even if it does not possess a laboratory. Accurate observation is also possible outside the laboratory. The whole social world is the laboratory of sociology. Newton did not invent the laws of gravity inside a laboratory. Sociology makes observation of tribal marriage at the time of occurrence. Even if Sociology does not possess a laboratory still it can make accurate observation. As a matter of fact, laboratory experiment is not the only criteria of science. Hence Sociology is a science.

6.      Objectivity is possible in sociology: Like natural sciences Sociology also makes objective study. The statement that dowry is a social evil is an objective statement which is based on facts collected by sociologists. Further Survey and revivification proves this. Sociology can also make objective study of social phenomena. New techniques and methods are also introduced to make social phenomena more objective. Hence Sociology is a science.

7.      Sociology makes accurate measurement: Sociology, like natural sciences, also accurately measures social phenomena or relationships. By using statistical method, socio-metric scale, scales of measurement Sociology effectively and accurately measures social relationships. Hence Sociology is a science.

THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

Sociology is one of the several social sciences. Each of the sciences represents a particular way of looking at a common subject matter-human behavior. But famous sociologist Robert Bierstedt in his book The Social Order clearly explains the nature of sociology in the following way:

1)      Sociology is a social and not a natural science.

2)      Sociology is a positive and not a normative science.

3)      Sociology is a pure science and not an applied science.

4)      Sociology is an abstract science and not a concrete science.

5)      Sociology is a generalizing science and not a particularizing science.

6)      Sociology is both a rational and an empirical science.

Comte, the father of sociology, called sociology the “queen of sciences‟. Since then many sociologists have come to view sociology in terms of natural sciences. The most eminent among them are Durkheim and Radcliffe-Brown.

LIMITATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD USED IN SOCIOLOGY

Despite the above mentioned prospects that prove the scientific status of Sociology, there are limitations to the scientific methods that are used in sociology, below are some of the limitations:

(1)    Difficulty in the Use of Experimental Method: The laboratory of a sociologist is the world of everyday living. The sociologist does not have much control over the subjects of his investigation, that is, people. Here the people are not only conscious of, but also have their own motives, incentives, emotions, feelings, ideas values etc., which may affect the investigation very much. Social phenomena cannot be reproduced artificially at our will.

(2)   Interdependence of Cause and Effect: In social investigations it is often difficult to determine which the cause is and which the effect is. Whether poverty is due to beggary, or beggary is due to poverty, we cannot be sure. Causation is reciprocal here. Further, one effect may have several causes. There is plurality of causation also.

(3)   Intangibility of Social Phenomena: The social phenomena are not external tangible things that can be identified directly by our senses. We cannot see or touch relations. We cannot isolate our units in a laboratory. Customs cannot be handled and institutions cannot be measured, religion cannot be preserved in a museum and values cannot be demonstrated.

(4)   Complexity of Social Data: The social research is about man and his social behaviour and activities. Human behaviour is influenced by many factors: physical, social, psychological, etc., and the observers are simply confused with the complexity of data. No two persons are exactly alike. Hence generalizations are difficult to make.

(5)   Unpredictability: Social behaviour is irregular and unpredictable. Society is dynamic. It is an ongoing process. Therefore, we cannot formulate laws that hold good for all societies and for all times and circumstances. Predictions are hence difficult to make.

(6)   Problem of Objectivity: in social sciences the observer is a part of his data. He may have his own ideas, opinion, prejudices which are difficult to control. Hence objectivity is difficult to maintain. Hence, sociology, in addition to the scientific method makes use of other methods such as the comparative method, the statistical method, the social survey method, the case study method, questionnaire and interview methods and the functional method in order to obtain more reliable knowledge about phenomena.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion it can be aptly said that though there are some objections against Sociology to be called a science and it has been regarded as a proto-science, pseudoscience and non-science, it possesses the characteristics, ethics and basic principles of a pure science, and all the requirements of a scientific process. Sociology fulfills all these conditions and, hence, it is entitled to be a science. Science is a method and a way of looking at things consisting of systematic steps like collecting and classifying data or information, testing of hypothesis, theory and generalization. According to Harry M. Johnson, sociology to some extent has several characteristics as a science. They are: it is empirical, theoretical, cumulative, and non-technical, and progress is steadily made in these sectors. Sociology has a body of knowledge and data or information. It has procedures in organizing the information. If we accept “science” in the sense in which it has been defined by Weber, it will invalidate objections to sociology being regarded a science. According to B.N. Gosh, the proper understanding and explanation of facts lead to the development of science. Sociology undoubtedly does so. According to Earl Babbie, there are two pillars of science: (i) logic or rationality, and (ii) observation. One simple definition of science is that it is simply organized common sense, involving objective observation followed by interpretation of the observed facts. Science is further described as mass of knowledge about a subject acquired by systematic observations, experience and study and analyzed and classified into a unified whole. Sociology does all these. It studies facts by scientific method under definite conditions. It tries to classify types and forms of social relationships. It tries to deduce general laws from systematic study of its material, and the conclusions drawn from the sociological principles are applied to the solution of social problems. Hence Sociology is a pure science.

 REFERENCES

1.      Earl Babbie, the Practice of Social Research (California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1989), 17.

2.       A Short Introduction to Social Research (New Delhi: Vistaar Publications, 2006), 31.

3.      Goode and Hatt, 21.

4.      Ibid, 23.

5.      Robert Bierstedt, The Social Order (New York: McGraw Hill Company,1974),17

6.      P K Majumdar, Research Methods in Social Science (New Delhi: Viva Books, 2005), 2.

7.      R. Cauvery et al, Research Methodology (New Delhi: S. Chand, 2010), 226.

8.      Harry M. Johnson, Sociology: A Systematic Introduction (New Delhi: Allied Publishers Ltd.1960), 2.

9.      B.N. Gosh, Scientific Method and Social Research (New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Limited, 1992), 1.