The Hawthorne study, conducted in 1920s and 1930s at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Plant near Chicago, is a landmark study in the evolution of industrial management. The study was focused on understanding human behavior in an industrial setting and its potential impact on productivity. The key components of the Hawthorne study that are still relevant today include experiments with work groups; testing different lighting conditions to understand their effect on worker productivity; studies into individual workers’ attitudes and motivation levels; as well as ways to measure outcomes through observation or questionnaires.

Today, many of these findings have been incorporated into Human Resources (HR) functions by establishing teams dedicated to exploring innovative approaches to employee engagement such offering flexible working hours or providing more opportunities for feedback from the employees themselves. Additionally, HR departments often use surveys or interviews to gain insight into employee sentiment while also encouraging team building activities among different work groups which can improve morale and lead to higher productivity. Finally, HR departments may also set up internal systems that track results related to employee engagement such as time spent on tasks or customer satisfaction scores.