Elton Mayo’s team conducted a number of experiments involving
six female workers. These experiments are often referred to as
the Hawthorne experiments or Hawthorne studies as they took
place at The Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company in
Chicago. Hawthorne Experiment Details Over the course of five
years, Mayo’s team altered the female worker’s working
conditions and monitored how the change in working conditions
affected the workers morale and productivity. The changes in
working conditions included changes in working hours, rest
brakes, lighting, humidity, and temperature. The changes were
explained to the workers prior to implementation. Hawthorne
Experiment Results At the end of the five year period, the
female worker’s working conditions, reverted back to the
conditions before the experiment began. Unexpectedly the workers
morale and productivity rose to levels higher than before and
during the experiments. The combination of results during and
after the experiment (ie the increase in the work