What impact did Elton Mayo have upon the dominant scientific management thinking at the time that he wrote?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An acceptable answer would stress the discovery of informal social groups and the importance of informal organization for productivity. The student should also contrast Mayo with the major assumptions embedded in Scientific Management. A superior answer would demonstrate knowledge of the unexpected consequences of the Hawthorne experiments and recognize that these experiments began as extensions of Scientific Management thinking (i.e. the effect of design upon productivity). Additionally the student would recognize the importance of Mayo for the subsequent development of the human side of business.