HBS Professor of Industrial Research Elton Mayo (1880-1949) was instrumental in coordinating the Hawthorne Studies, an industrial research project conducted at the Western Electric Company’s manufacturing facility in Hawthorne, Illinois in the 1920s and 1930s. Mayo studied working conditions and productivity through observation and interviews, developing a new and influential approach to management. He became the principal exponent of the human relations school of management theory, recognizing that a company that acknowledged human needs and listened to ideas and complaints from its employees would see an increase in productivity and morale.
Research Tip
Business of Sports
In April, a Bostonian’s fancy turns to baseball, but maybe it’s not a fancy after all. Some people manage to (and many more hope to) earn a living in the sports industry in a range of professions including club executives, union reps, and player agents. Sports Business Research Network is a great tool for practitioners or wannabes. It includes directories of companies and organizations, trade publications, and market research data in all areas of the sports industry. Find it in the Databases section of the Baker Library site at //www.library.hbs.edu/go/sbrnet.html.
Did You Know?
Getting to Know You
Today’s MBA student is familiar with the priority HBS puts on personal networking. In a fundamental way, this tradition goes back to Dean Wallace Donham, appointed Dean in 1919, who insisted HBS be a residential campus to foster social interaction and that each residence hall have its own dining facility (a costly endeavor killed off by postwar economics.) Thanks to the HBS history, A Delicate Experiment for this bit of insight.
Announcements
Baker Library is introducing a new virtual reference service, Fast Answers. Find sources of authoritative information on topics from advertising expenditures to zero coupon bonds, from Baseball salaries to buyouts. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there’s a link for contacting a reference librarian. Look for it on the Library Home page at //www.library.hbs.edu/.
