The Human Relations Movement: Definition and Significance to Organizational Behavior

Summary

The script discusses the evolution of the human relations movement in organizational behavior, emphasizing the importance of employee motivation beyond monetary incentives. It highlights Elton Mayo's pioneering work and the Hawthorne experiments, which demonstrated that social factors and worker psychology significantly impact productivity. The narrative then pivots to Messy Chocolates, a company experiencing declining production despite high wages, suggesting a shift towards a human relations philosophy. This includes fostering teamwork, promoting upward communication, and providing strong leadership to enhance employee engagement and productivity.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Historically, companies overlooked employee personal development, leading to negative attitudes and high turnover.
• 🌟 The human relations movement in organizational behavior emphasizes individual employees and their motivation.
• 👨‍🔬 Elton Mayo, an organizational psychologist, is credited as the father of the human relations movement.
• 💡 The Hawthorne experiment in 1927 demonstrated that worker output is influenced by social factors and attention.
• 📈 The experiment showed that changes in lighting, even to very low levels, increased productivity due to the 'Hawthorne effect'.
• 🏭 Messy Chocolates, despite paying a fair wage, has seen a decline in production, indicating a need for a new approach.
• 🤝 The human resource department suggests adopting a human relations philosophy to improve employee motivation and productivity.
• 👥 Key elements of the human relations theory include key work groups, excellent upward communication, and superior leadership.
• 💬 Upward communication allows employees to provide feedback, making them feel valued in the company's decision-making.
• 👩‍💼 Good leadership through communication and mentorship can motivate employees and improve their commitment to the job.
• 🏢 Companies that focus on human behavior aspects of employee dynamics tend to have more successful workplaces.

Q & A

What was the primary focus of companies before the human relations movement?

Before the human relations movement, companies primarily focused on production profits and sales, often neglecting employees' personal development, job motivation, interests, and attitudes.

What were the negative consequences for companies that ignored employees' personal development?

Ignoring employees' personal development led to negative attitudes, high turnover, high absenteeism, and poor job commitment within the companies.

How does the human relations movement differ from the traditional approach to organizational behavior?

The human relations movement focuses on the individual as a person, analyzing what motivates and cultivates their achievement in a work setting, rather than solely focusing on monetary incentives and production profits.

Who is considered the father of the human relations movement?

Elton Mayo, an organizational psychologist, is considered the father of the human relations movement.

What significant discovery was made during the Hawthorne experiment?

The Hawthorne experiment discovered that worker output and satisfaction were linked to social factors, such as how employees were treated on the job, and that the attention workers received as part of the study (the Hawthorne effect) led to increased productivity.

What is the Hawthorne effect, and how does it relate to the human relations movement?

The Hawthorne effect refers to the phenomenon where workers increase their productivity due to the attention they receive from being observed. It relates to the human relations movement by highlighting the importance of social factors and employee recognition in enhancing worker output.

What is Messy Chocolates, and what problem has the company been facing?

Messy Chocolates is a company that manufactures giant milk and dark milk chocolate bars. The company has been facing a yearly decline in overall production despite paying their employees a solid rate of $15 an hour.

What three key elements of the human relations theory has the human resource department suggested Messy Chocolates adopt?

The human resource department has suggested Messy Chocolates adopt key work groups and teams, excellent upward communication, and superior leadership as part of their human relations philosophy.

How do key work groups and teams contribute to the human relations movement?

Key work groups and teams contribute by providing socialization among individuals, which in turn motivates and enhances productivity.

Why is upward communication considered a necessity in the human relations movement?

Upward communication is necessary because it allows employees to offer feedback and communication to upper management, making them feel valued and part of the company's decision-making process.

How does dynamic leadership play a role in the human relations movement?

Dynamic leadership plays a role by providing mentorship and direction, which motivates employees and contributes to a successful and committed workforce.

Outlines

00:00

💼 The Human Relations Movement in Organizational Behavior

This paragraph discusses the historical shift in companies' focus from solely profit-driven to acknowledging employees' personal development and job motivation. It highlights the negative consequences of ignoring human behavioral issues, such as high turnover and absenteeism. The human relations movement, initiated by Elton Mayo, emphasizes the importance of social factors in the workplace, like how employees are treated, which can impact worker satisfaction and output. The Hawthorne experiment is mentioned as a pivotal study that demonstrated the impact of attention and social factors on worker productivity, leading to the concept known as the Hawthorne effect.

Keywords

💡Insignificant

In the context of the video, 'insignificant' refers to employees feeling unimportant or overlooked within their company. This feeling can stem from the company's focus on profits and sales over employee well-being, leading to negative attitudes and decreased job commitment. The script illustrates this through the historical narrative of companies that ignored personal development, which in turn led to high turnover and absenteeism.

💡Human Relations Movement

The 'Human Relations Movement' is a concept in organizational behavior that emphasizes the importance of understanding and improving interpersonal relationships in the workplace. The video highlights how this movement arose in response to companies realizing that monetary incentives alone were insufficient for increasing productivity. The movement focuses on the individual employee, their motivations, and how they can be nurtured to achieve more in a work setting.

💡Elton Mayo

Elton Mayo is identified in the video as the 'father of the human relations movement.' He was an organizational psychologist who recognized the connection between worker satisfaction and social factors at work, such as how employees are treated. His insights laid the groundwork for the human relations movement, which the video discusses as a pivotal shift in how companies approach employee motivation and productivity.

💡Hawthorne Experiment

The 'Hawthorne Experiment' is a landmark study mentioned in the video that demonstrated the impact of psychological factors on worker productivity. In the experiment, changes in lighting conditions unexpectedly led to increased productivity, not because of the lighting itself, but because the workers felt they were being observed and valued. This 'Hawthorne effect' underscored the significance of attention and recognition in motivating employees, a key takeaway from the video.

💡Human Behavioral Issues

In the video, 'human behavioral issues' are discussed as critical factors that companies often overlook in favor of focusing on production and profits. These issues include employee attitudes, job satisfaction, and motivation, which are essential for a successful and committed workforce. The video argues that addressing these issues is vital for creating a positive work environment and improving overall company performance.

💡Job Motivation

Job motivation is a central theme in the video, referring to the factors that drive employees to perform and engage with their work. The video emphasizes that motivation is not solely about monetary incentives but also includes social factors, recognition, and a sense of importance within the company. It is highlighted as a key element in the human relations movement and is linked to higher productivity and job commitment.

💡Absenteeism

'Absenteeism' is mentioned in the video as a negative outcome when companies neglect employee personal development and job satisfaction. High absenteeism rates indicate that employees are not motivated or committed to their jobs, which can be a symptom of poor management practices and a lack of attention to human relations within the organization.

💡Key Work Groups and Teams

The video discusses 'key work groups and teams' as one of the three elements of the human relations theory that companies should adopt. These teams are groups of workers who, through socialization and collaboration, can increase motivation and productivity. The video suggests that by fostering a sense of community and support within teams, companies can enhance employee engagement and overall performance.

💡Upward Communication

Upward communication is another key element of the human relations movement highlighted in the video. It refers to the process by which employees can provide feedback and communicate their ideas to upper management. The video argues that this form of communication is crucial for making employees feel valued and involved in the company's decision-making process, which can lead to higher job satisfaction and commitment.

💡Superior Leadership

The video emphasizes the importance of 'superior leadership' in the context of the human relations movement. Superior leaders are those who can provide clear direction, mentorship, and support to their teams. The video suggests that strong leadership is essential for motivating employees and fostering a positive work environment where employees feel supported and empowered to achieve their best.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship is mentioned in the video as a component of superior leadership. It involves experienced leaders guiding and supporting their employees in their professional development. The video implies that mentorship can be a powerful tool for enhancing job motivation and productivity by helping employees to grow and feel valued within the company.

Highlights

Companies historically overlooked employees' personal development, leading to negative attitudes and high turnover.

The human relations movement in organizational behavior focuses on the individual employee's motivation and achievement.

Elton Mayo, an organizational psychologist, is recognized as the father of the human relations movement.

The Hawthorne experiment in 1927 demonstrated the link between worker psychology and productivity.

The experiment showed that increased attention to workers, not just monetary incentives, could boost productivity.

The discovery of the Hawthorne effect highlighted the importance of feeling valued and observed at work.

Messy Chocolates, a company with a decade-long operation, is facing a yearly decline in production despite high wages.

The human resource department at Messy Chocolates suggests adopting a human relations philosophy.

Three key elements of the human relations theory are identified: key work groups, excellent upward communication, and superior leadership.

Work groups and teams are crucial for motivation and productivity through socialization.

Upward communication allows employees to provide feedback and feel valued in the company's decision-making.

Dynamic leadership that offers mentorship and direction is essential for employee motivation.

Focusing on human behavior in employee dynamics ensures a successful workplace.

Adopting the human relations theory leads to more motivated, productive, and committed employees.

The human relations movement emphasizes the importance of individual employees over just production profits.

The movement encourages analyzing what motivates and cultivates achievement in a work setting.

Group teams, upward communication, and dynamic leadership are the three pillars of the human relations movement.

Transcripts

have you ever felt as if you were

insignificant to your company did your

work seem more concerned about profits

and sales than your own job motivation

interests and attitudes for many years

companies ignored employees own personal

development this in turn led to negative

attitudes High turnover High absenteeism

and poor job commitment when companies

Focus only on the production profits of

their business they ignore the human

behavioral issues of people the human

relations movement in organizational

behavior focuses instead on the person

as an individual and analyzes what

motivates and cultivates their

achievement in a work setting employee

attitudes towards work became important

to a successful company let's take a

jaunt back in time to see how the

movement became a significant part of

organizational

behavior in the early 1900s the

framework for the human relations

movement was being built

companies realized that a monetary

incentive was not the only factor to

increasing production Elton Mayo an

organizational psychologist was the

father of the human relations movement

he was the first to realize that worker

output and satisfaction were linked to

social factors such as the Way employees

were treated on the job the 1927

Hawthorne experiment further proved the

relationship between the understanding

of worker psychology and output in this

experiment psychologists developed a

theory that additional lighting would

have a positive effect on worker Factory

output they increased the lighting and

they were correct as production soared

in addition the scientists lowered the

lighting to a dismal amount assuming

that production would fall surprisingly

production increased even more and this

led to the discovery that the factory

workers were overperforming because they

knew they were being watched as part of

the study this result became known as

the Hawthorne effect the attention from

the study made them feel important and

resulted in better output this

solidified the acceptance of the human

relations movement messy chocolates has

been in operation for over 10 years they

manufacture giant milk and dark milk

chocolate bars Nationwide their Factory

consists of 200 workers who produce the

bars in three different shifts the

company pays a solid rate of $15 an hour

the company leaders have noticed that

although their employees are well paid

the overall production is on a yearly

decline the human resource department

has suggested that the company adopt a

human relations philosophy with their

employees they have completed an

internal audit and will adopt three key

elements of the theory which are key

work groups and teams excellent upward

communication and Superior leadership

teams are an important aspect of the

human relations movement the teams are

workers placed together and the overall

socialization of the individuals

provides motivation and

productivity upward communication is a

necessity of the movement as it allows

employees to offer feedback and

communication to upper

management this allows the employees to

feel that they can be vocal and valuable

to the company's decision-making process

the last part of the movement revolves

around providing good leadership through

excellent communication and

decision-making employees will feel

motivated by having leaders who can

offer mentorship and Direction companies

should focus on the human behavior side

of employee Dynamics to ensure a

successful

workplace when companies Focus only on

the production profits of their business

they ignore the human behavioral issues

of people the human relations movement

in organizational behavior focuses

instead on the person as an individual

and analyzes what motivates and

cultivates their achievement in a work

set set the three key elements of the

theory revolve around group teams that

socialize and motivate upward

communication and dynamic leadership

companies have found by adopting this

Theory employees are more motivated

productive and committed to their

jobs