'Mayo'nnaise

“One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider our problems, can change our whole outlook on the work.” says Elton Mayo.


The CEOs  who followed Mayo's approach, and became friends of their subordinates,  have crossed the bench-marking.

1. Nestle - Helmut Maucher, the CEO - "I spend much of my time dealing with people, and more time is spent thinking about them."
2. Southwest Airlines - Herb Kelleher : "Amazing things happen when you make people feel they are valued as individuals, when you dignify their suggestions and their ideas, when you show your respect for them by allowing them to exercise their own wisdom and judgment and discretion."

Better the understanding power, higher the conflict resolution performance. 

'Mayo'nnaise

“So long as commerce specializes in business methods which take no account of human nature and social motives, so long may we expect strikes and sabotage to be the ordinary accompaniment of industry.” Says Elton Mayo.

As a matter of fact due to increasing automation the man gets more comfort in his work, however we see that the working hours have been increased.

Life has become very fast due to hi-tech communication means. Organizational routine, transportation, working hours and ‘target’ pressures have created more stress and disturbances in day-to-day life of an employee.

Workers get high salaries, however, question remains that whether the industry is ready to accept  the responsibility of employees’ stability, recognition, family, socialization and old age-care etc.

Some questions –

1. Is the industry trying to treat man to be hi-tech machines?

2. Is the industry aware of the fact that the human element is missing from our lives?

3. Is it a proper time, now, for industry to revive the Elton Mayo’s experiments?

'Mayo'nnaise

“Man's desire to be continuously associated in work with his fellows is a strong, if not the strongest, human characteristic. Any disregard of it by management or any ill-advised attempt to defeat this human impulse leads instantly to some form of defeat for management itself”. Elton Mayo.

Elton Mayo said this in 1930.