The Behavioral Approach

The Human Relations Movement

An effort to make managers more sensitive to their employees’ needs and arose out of the influences of

—  The threat of unionization

—  The Hawthorne studies

—  The philosophy of industrial humanism     

The Human Relations Movement Pyramid

The Threat of Unionization: The Wagner Act of 1935 legalized union-management collective bargaining, promoting the growth of unions and union avoidance by firms.

The Hawthorne Studies (1924): The study’s results that productivity was strongly affected by workers’ attitudes turned management toward the humanistic and realistic viewpoint of the “social man” model.

The Philosophy of Industrial Humanism

Elton Mayo

Emotional factors were more important determinants of productive efficiency than were physical and logical factors.

Mary Parker Follett

Managers should be aware of how complex each employee is and how to motivate employees to cooperate rather than to demand performance from them.

Douglas McGregor developed Theory X and Theory Y.

Theory X: Management’s traditionally negative view of employees unmotivated and unwilling workers.

Theory Y: The positive view of employees is energetic, creative, and willing workers.

McGregor’s Theories X and Y. 

Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior is a modern research-oriented approach seeking to discover the causes of work behavior and to develop better management techniques.

Lessons from the Behavioral Approach

People are the key to productivity. Success depends on motivated and skilled individuals committed to organizational objectives. Managerial sensitivity to employees is necessary to foster the cooperation needed for high productivity. Has been criticized as being vague and simplistic.