Human Relations Approach free essay sample

The human relations (HR) approach identifies that the workforce may not all be interested in money as a main motivator but appreciation and job satisfaction is just as if not more important than financial. As highlighted in Herzberg’s research the salary would merely be a â€Å"launch pad† for the motivation of the employee, with recognition and achievement being a main factor for motivation. The HR approach also supports that idea that employee and employer relationships should be formal as well as informal. Under the scientific and classical approaches to management the employees will very much feel like cattle in the sense that all the managers would be concerned with is profitability and productivity. The workers would be left unappreciated, depressed and probably bored with their jobs. Therefore through the failure of the classical approach the HR approach came about. Elton Mayo was an influential person in the development of the HR approach. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Relations Approach or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He used the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company (1924-32) as a basis to test his theories. These experiments were dubbed the Hawthorne Studies. It consisted of four main stages:- ? The illumination experiments ?The relay assembly experiments ?The interviewing programme ?The bank wiring observation room The illumination experiments focused on the effect of different intensity of lighting on the productivity. These experiments were however inconclusive, as the experimental groups production varied with no relation to the level of lighting. This prompted an investigation into the work force rather than the environment. The relay assembly experiments focused on this, in this experiment they took 6 workers and put them in a similar work environment. Hours of work were changed, rest periods were introduced as were refreshments. A friendly workplace was created and Productivity drastically increased. The next phase of his work was an interview stage where employees were interviewed about their personal problems and issues they had in an open atmosphere. All the interviews were kept confidential. It could be said that this stage developed modern day HR approach. It became clear that the relationship between worker and employer was important. The information gained in these interviews was used to improve working conditions and supervision. The final experiment was the bank wiring observation room. Groups of 14 men were observed and it was found that they formed their own informal organisations. Also natural leaders emerged. These organisations developed standards of work, and the pressure on individuals from the groups was more motivational than financial incentives.