The Hawthorne Experiment

• The Hawthorne Works, in Cicero, Illinois, was a large factory complex built by Western Electric starting in 1905 and operating until 1983. It had 45,000 employees at the height of its operations.

• Besides telephone equipment, the factory produced a wide variety of consumer products, including refrigerators and electric fans.

• Hawthorne Works was named for Hawthorne, Illinois, a small town that was later incorporated into Cicero.

• The facility was so expansive, it contained a private railroad to move shipments through the plant to the near by Burlington Northern Railroad freight depot.

• Workers regularly used bicycles for transit within the plant. It was purchased in the mid-1980s by the late Donald L. Shoemaker and replaced with a shopping center.

The Hawthorne experiment consists of four parts. These parts are briefly described below:-1. Illumination Experiment.2. Relay Assembly Test Room

Experiment.3. Interviewing Programme.4. Bank Wiring Test Room Experiment.