9.4 - Organisational Work Conditions (Physical Work Conditions)

Question 1

What did the original Hawthorne study, study?

Answer 1

The effects of on productivity of lighting changes and work structure of changes like working hours + break times

Question 2

Who conducted the Hawthorne studies? [3]

Answer 2

• Manager from Hawthorne works
• MIT
• Harvard

Question 3

How many employees worked at Hawthorne?

Answer 3

29,000

Question 4

What where the results of the Hawthorne study

Answer 4

Increase in productivity with almost any change to the lighting

Question 5

What is the Hawthorne effect ?

Answer 5

When those being observed change their behavior purely as a response to their awareness of being observed

Question 6

What did Oldham & Brass (1979) study?

Answer 6

A field experiment that show that employees satisfaction ratings fell dramatically after the working environment was changed to a open plan one

Question 7

Why did the office in Oldham & Brass change locations?
[5]

Answer 7

1. Office far aways from railway station = more travel cost to transport newspapers
2. No air conditioning
3. Difficult to heat
4. No storage space
5. Management believed that open plan office would encourage communication

Question 8

What was the naturally occurring control group in the study Oldham & Brass?

Answer 8

Staff working in the press room

Question 9

At what time frame was the data collected from (Oldham & Brass)?
[3]

Answer 9

• 8 weeks before the move = T1
• 9 weeks after the move = T2
• 18 weeks after that move = T3

Question 10

What did the questionare measure (Oldham & Brass)
[3]

Answer 10

• Work satisfaction
• Interpersonal satisfaction
• Internal work motivation