Human Relations Movement & Motivation Theories

The human relations movement and motivation theories deal with how people are persuaded to do things they might not otherwise do. The application is generally in the field of occupational studies or human resources, in dealing with how to motivate workers. Motivation theory deals in-depth with processes that explain how human behavior is activated, and why. Motivation theory is considered a crucial area of focus in the field of organizational behavioral.

History
The human relations movement is considered to have had its start with Elton Mayo, whose 20-year study of workers at a Western Electric Plant in Cicero, Illinois beginning in 1927 yielded a significant theory called the Hawthorne Effect. This theory is used today in nearly every field of study. Motivation theory history includes many theories, but none more influential than Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which he began working on in 1951.

Mayo
Mayo's Hawthorne Effect was discovered through a series of three experiments and can be summarized as worker productivity increased by 112 percent when workers believed they were being watched and studied. The three experiments were the illumination experiments was originally intended to determine what level of lighting was optimal, however it was discovered that productivity remained the same no matter the illumination level, what mattered was that the workers knew they were being observed.

In the relay assembly room study, workers were taken off the assembly and placed in a special room, given special privileges and reduced work load. The expected results were lowered productivity but the opposite occurred, again noted as the Hawthorne Effect. In the third study, the bank wiring room study, workers were paid according to how many transactions they performed. Expectations were that the workers productivity would increase, but instead it remained static as other workers put informal pressure on each other to not outperform one another. The informal work relationships were more important than money. Mayo surmised that the most important factor in productivity is that the organization cares about the individual.

Maslow
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs basically states that people are motivated to do things to meet their own needs. There are five levels starting at the primitive level of physiological needs of food, water, clothing, shelter and sleep or other body needs.The second level is for safety and involves both physical and emotional needs. The third level is the need for love and the fourth is for esteem needs like self-worth, respect and admiration. The fifth level is self-actualization, the highest level and one that can never be fully realized or fulfilled.Maslow's hierarchy indicates the lower level needs must be met before higher ones can be. The lowest level unmet is the greatest motivator.

Herzberg
Frederick Herzberg's theory builds on Maslow's and states that the lower-level needs (hygiene) merely keep workers from being unsatisfied, but true motivation comes out of the higher-level needs. In the workplace, a lack of dissatisfaction is not the same thing as satisfaction.

Alderfer's ERG Theory
Alderfer's ERG Theory also builds on Maslow's, only he put the needs into three categories rather than five. Alderfer's categories are needs for existence, relatedness and growth. Existence encompasses Maslow's physiological and safety needs. Relatedness is the interpersonal needs, or Maslow's esteem and love needs. Growth is related to Maslow's esteem and self-actualization needs. The ERG Theory is different in that the lower needs don't have to be met before the higher ones. In fact if higher level needs are repeatedly unmet, then the worker will regress and be motivated mostly by the lower level needs.