Behavioural Approach:
Human Relations:
George Elton Mayo was the first to look into the matter of human relations
emphasizing the importance of desires, attitudes and feelings of workers.
He is also called the “Father of human relations movement”.
Hawthorne Experiments:
1) Illumination Experiment:
This experiment was called as illumination experiment because the researchers
chose the lighting factor for study and to study the relationship between this
physical factor and productivity.
The methodology adopted for this experiment was:
i) Two groups of employees were established.
ii) One group worked under constant light and the other group worked under variable
light.
iii) The object of this experiment was to determine how the independent variable lighting
would influence dependent variable productivity.
iv) The brightness of the light was increased and decreased to find out the effect on the
productivity of the test group
Surprisingly, the productivity increased even when the level of illumination was
decreased. It was concluded that factors other than light were also important.
2) Relay Room Experiment:
The object of this experiment is to identify the physical factors that dominate a
worker's productivity.
The methodology adopted was:
i) Six female employees assembling telephones were selected and the researchers
manipulated many variables in physical environment to determine the effect on their
productivity.
ii) The physical factors that were manipulated were working hours (increased or
decreased), rest pauses, improved physical conditions, temperature, special group
incentives.
iii) The employees were completely separated from rest of the plant in their work.
iv) The employees had no regular supervisor but they were subject to the observation of
the researchers.
The researchers identified that there is no strong correlation between any of these
variables and productivity. Productivity tended to constantly increase irrespective of
manipulations.
3) Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment:
The idea of researchers is to find out the real influencing factors of productivity.
The technique adopted by the researchers was:
i) The researchers selected a group of fourteen employees.
ii) Their production records were compared with earlier production records.
The findings of this experiment were:
i) Each individual was restricting output.
ii) The group had its own ' unofficial' standards of performance.
iii) Individual output remained fairly constant over a period of time.
iv)Departmental records were distorted due to differences between actual and reported
output or between standard and reported working time.
4) Interview Program:
The purpose of this program was to search for other variables through interviewing
methods.
The researchers conducted 20,000 interviews. The employees were given a questionnaire
and asked to answer freely without getting identified. The findings confirmed the
importance of social factors at work in the total work environment.
Systems Approach:
The arrangement of elements must be in order and proper communication facilitating
interaction. This interaction should lead to achieve a common goal.
1) Inputs: A system has flows of information, materials and energy. These enter the
system from the environment as inputs like human, capital and raw materials.
2) Process: System transforms inputs into outputs. This process is essential for the
survival of the system. The reason is that there is a restoring the inputs in this
process.
3) Outputs are the final products after the process. Outputs vary with the enterprise;
they usually include products, services, profits, satisfaction, and integration of the
goals of various claimants to the enterprise.
4) External Environment: It includes the analysis of the strength and weakness
prevailing in the environment. Effective managers should regularly scan the
external environment.
5) Feedback: The reaction of the outputs environment is known as feedback.
Feedback is useful in evaluating and improving the functioning of the system.
Contingency Approach:
The basic idea of contingency approach is that there cannot be a particular
management action which will be suitable for all situations.
Contingency approach tries to fill the gap by suggesting what should be done in
response to an event in the environment.
This approach is also known as Situational Theory.
Features of Contingency approach:
1) The most important feature of the contingency theory is that it is situation-specific.
Instead of giving one blanket solution for all kinds of situations it emphasises that
the overall approach of each organisation is contingent upon its own situation
internal and external.
2) It is action-oriented. It is ultimately directed towards suggesting organisational
design and managerial action appropriate
3) It is comprehensive because it takes account of a wide range of variables, including
those comprising the different sub-systems.
4) It is flexible. As environments change, the theory suggests that organisational
design and policy should also change gradually in order to conform to the changing
environment.
5) It is more pro-active than reactive. It does not merely emphasize changes in
organisational structure and process according to situational changes but also
insists on steps to shape the proximate environment in favour of the organisation.