Abstract
This chapter covers the career of Elton Mayo and the impact of the Hawthorne studies upon the field of management. The first section of the chapter discusses Mayo’s contribution to the management literature. This section argues that Mayo’s best elements – his empathy and charisma – have not survived, but he leads a great legacy, as a scholar, for his influence in the field. The second section of the chapter covers the role of the Great Depression and World War II on Mayo’s work. The third section compares Mayo’s work to his major competitors – Whiting Williams and Henry S. Dennison. The final section compares Taylor to Mayo, arguing that they were complements rather than competitors.
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Muldoon, J. (2020). Spontaneity Is the Spice of Management: Elton Mayo’s Hunt for Cooperation. In: Muldoon, J., Gould, A., McMurray, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Management History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_29-2
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Spontaneity Is the Spice of Management: Elton Mayo’s Hunt for Cooperation- Published:
- 18 April 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_29-2
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Spontaneity Is the Spice of Management: Elton Mayo’s Hunt for Cooperation- Published:
- 04 August 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_29-1