Human-relational School Of Administration: Characteristics And Proposals
At the beginning of the 20th century, the perspective on workers began to change a little.
Far from seeing them as mere cogs in the well-oiled machine that were factories, businessmen began to understand that workers were people, human beings who interact with each other.
It was in this context that the help of psychologists was requested to understand how to increase productivity by changing what was needed in the workplace, which would give shape to a new organizational psychological trend: the human-relational school of administration
What is the human-relational school of administration?
The human-relational school of administration is an organizational current that emerged in response to the strong scientific management trends of the 1930s that, due to an abusive use of mechanical and rigorous methods, they did not take into account the most important fact: workers are human and, therefore, work cannot be understood by dehumanizing it.
Research on labor productivity had been based on conceiving the worker as a machine, a mere cog in the factory whose emotions and desires should not be taken into account because it was simply not necessary. The problem was that the motivational and social aspect of the workers was important, a fact that was evident in strikes and sabotage, unions emerged and all kinds of actions were carried out in favor of workers’ rights.
It is for this reason that it was decided to change the focus, to better understand what would improve the performance of workers, what social aspects influenced , this being one of the fundamental pillars of the human-relational school of administration. Among its greatest characters we find the Australian psychologist Elton Mayo, whose mission was to study the attitudes and complaints of workers in order to know what was causing decreases in the rate of production.
Mayo decided to do one of his experiments at the Western Electric Company , in which he obtained valuable data that helped him conclude that it was necessary to change some parameters of the organization with the aim of offering its workers more humane treatment. By treating employees as people and not as simple cogs in the company, a noticeable increase in production could be achieved.
Following his experiment, the companies he worked for and recommended his changes improved significantly this being the passage from psychology to the world of organizations and the psychological study of work.
Although it should be said that Mayo was not the only one (other important figures were Mary Parker Follet, Frederick Winslow Taylor, Fritz Roethlisbery and Vilfredo Federico Pareto), his figure is related to having helped change the focus in the world of organizations. , beginning an era of studies related to human behavior in the workplace that initiated changes in basic business principles.
Also one of the new visions that the human-relational school of administration brought with it is that the individual cannot be studied as an isolated entity, but as part of a group. The worker is not a person only interested in earning a salary But he also wants to feel that he is part of something, that his coworkers have some kind of appreciation for him and that there is something more than money that calls him to come to his job.
Background of this school
At the beginning of the 20th century, a series of studies began to be carried out at Harvard University, which linked the science of administration with human relations. In 1911, in that same institution, courses began to be taught that began the psychological approach to the science of administration, introducing the idea that The human element was very important in any company, being what keeps it active and alive
This new mentality allowed the introduction of a series of reforms in the world of organizations that improved the quality of life of employees. Among them we can find some that, although today they are basic and form part of our labor rights, at that time they were seen as generous concessions such as the introduction of rest periods, the reduction of working hours and the application of some variants in the payment system.
But despite these advances, answers had not yet been found to what could influence efficiently increasing productivity. Fortunately, it would not be delayed too long since, with the arrival of Elton Mayo and his new visions about work, it was found that productivity could increase if certain social factors were taken into account. Among these factors were the morale of the workers, their sense of belonging and the feeling of being considered useful parts of the company
Mayo’s investigations
The studies carried out at Hawthorne are considered a classic in the world of organizational psychology. These were carried out by Elton Mayo mainly at the Western Electric Company, located in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Chicago. The objective of this research was determine what was the relationship between worker efficiency and people’s satisfaction within production levels
Although it must be said that this experiment was not born out of nowhere, since Mayo took into consideration data taken in other previous research, it has been transcendental for the understanding of the factors that increase human potential. This research can be divided into two phases.
First phase
In 1925, the American National Academy of Sciences carried out studies that aimed to find the relationship between lighting in the workplace and productivity. It was studied which were The effects of lighting on personal work performance which allowed researchers to find out how certain psychological conditions can influence productivity.
In this research it was concluded that The more light there was in the work area, the greater the productivity would be Added to this, another of the conclusions of the study was that the social work environment was an aspect to take into account when considering work productivity.
This phase consisted of making an experimental record of working conditions during normal hours and then measuring the production rate. The perception of the workers consisted of an improvement in their individual efforts after having been incentivized with their salary Later, a few minutes of rest were introduced between the morning and afternoon sessions, in addition to establishing a work week that had five working days, leaving Saturday free.
In the year 1923 Elton Mayo led an investigation in a textile factory located in the city of Philadelphia , a company in which serious production problems had been detected and suffered annual staff turnover of up to 250%. With the intention of seeing if he could solve the serious problems of this organization, Mayo decided to introduce a longer rest period, in addition to giving workers the opportunity to decide when the machines would stop.
Thanks to these new measures, May It allowed the company to significantly increase its production, reduce turnover and, in addition to this, create solidarity among co-workers The textile company was no longer a simple place to work for a salary, but a place to share time with people who got along well and felt motivated for what they did, also working more rested.
Experiment at Western Electric Company
In 1927 a new experiment began at the Western Electric Company. This research aimed to determine again what was the relationship between worker efficiency and lighting intensity presupposing as in the 1925 experiment that the more light, the more productivity.
This experiment was coordinated by Elton Mayo himself and became one of the most famous investigations within the area of administration, in addition to being a reference within the human-relational school of administration. It should be said that the experiment lasted longer than planned, since the researchers realized that the results were affected by some psychological variables, which is why it had to be extended until 1932.
The Western Electric Company was a fairly important factory in its time , since it was in charge of manufacturing telephone components and other electronic equipment at a time when electronics was still in its infancy. Her business policy was to ensure the well-being of her workers by paying good salaries and offering optimal working conditions.
Because it apparently treated its employees so well, some believe that the company had no interest in increasing production, but rather wanted to get to know its workers better. Either way, The organization asked Mayo to carry out a study and the following conclusions were drawn from it :
The level of production may be conditioned by the physical capabilities of the worker, but social norms are an important factor.
The employee’s individual behavior is fully supported in the group. A worker does not act isolated in an organization.
Any change in the production method can imply a reaction among workers.
The greater the interaction, the greater the productive capacity.
If the employee feels good, he will be more productive in his job.
Characteristics of the human-relational school of administration
Now that we have seen the historical background of this current and how some experiments carried out during the first half of the last century have contributed to the vision that workers are more than just people working, below We will see what are the main characteristics of the human-relational school of administration
It focuses on people and their different behaviors.
This trend is based on the importance of the social factor within the production processes.
It appeals to the autonomy of the employee and is committed to trust and openness between the people who make up the organization.
The worker is not a production machine, but a human being within his or her work environment, who is not isolated from others and who needs collective support.
Benefits of this school
Before the appearance of this trend, what predominated in the workplace were the more “scientific” approaches, in a sense that the worker was considered a machine in charge of producing, leaving aside and ignoring his values as a person and his rights. humans. Basically, you could say that the worker was objectified, he was seen as an object a part of the industrial machinery of the time, nothing more.
But this changed when the human-relational school of administration arrived. This current has as its main advantage the vision of workers as human beings in a work environment, thus incorporating a more humane treatment of employees. The human-relational school of administration focused on the physical and psychological well-being of the employee, arguing that this would achieve an effective increase in production.
Added to this, another of the beneficial points of this school is that allowed us to study the working human being as a social entity that is part of a group and that cannot be isolated from the rest or from their work environment Your productivity depends on factors such as how comfortable you are with your colleagues, how motivating you find the space in which you have to work, or whether you can rest adequately between shifts. For these reasons, the human-relational school defends the optimization of the work area.
Related article: “Workplace harassment (mobbing): its history and how it affects workers”
Main disadvantage
But not everything are advantages. Although it may be surprising, this current brings with it a problem that, although it is the only important disadvantage, should not be ignored. Because it can be considered that it takes a point of view very contrary to the scientific conceptualization of work, There is a risk that researchers of this current will completely separate themselves from scientific administration which can cause them to fall into subjectivities or sentimentalism that divert them from the original objective, which is to guarantee the production of organizations.
