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| Through scientific experiments conducted between the 20s and 30s at the Western Electric
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| Company’s Hawthorne Works factory of Chicago, Elton Mayo studied the effects that the work
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| environment has on productivity. The aim of the studies was to understand how the productivity
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| and performances of a group of workers can be influenced by factors such as lighting, scheduled
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| breaks and the length of the working day. The results obtained showed that participating in an
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| experiment made some people much more productive and performing. This is because in the
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| employees there was a great desire to be considered and recognized. Hawthorne studies can
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| therefore be considered the starting point that led to the development of contemporary theories of
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| work organization and human resource management. Despite several criticisms of this theory, it
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| remains a cornerstone of management and the Hawthorne effect is exploited in modern workplaces
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| every day.
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