George Elton Mayo

George Elton Mayo (1880-1949) is widely recognized as the progenitor of the human relations movement in management and his work laid the foundations for later management and organizational thinking.

An Australian, he is most famous for what is generally referred to as the Hawthorne Experiment of the 1920s.

His experiment was one of the first to systematically examine the links between productivity and workers' conditions.

He found that productivity increased not necessarily from improved conditions, but rather from a greater feeling of team work and autonomy among the workers.

Mayo's work highlighted the importance of communication between management and workers and identified thenow-accepted notion that work satisfaction, and therefore productivity, lies in recognition, security, and a sense of belonging, rather than monetary rewards.

His findings were contrary to the theories of his contemporaries that the worker is motivated solely by self-interest (e.g.

Taylorism). Mayo's work on human motivation revolutionized the theory and practice of management.

This collection evaluates Mayo's role in shaping business and management studies into the present day. It includes a new introduction and an extensive annotated bibliography.