Hawthorne revisited: Organizational implications of the physical work environment

The influence of the Hawthorne studies on the field of Organizational Behavior is pervasive. Originally intended to demonstrate the effect of the physical work environment on worker productivity, the Hawthorne studies reached an unexpected conclusion that social relations, but not the physical environment, shape organizational outcomes, spawning an enormously generative social relations movement. This chapter attempts to revisit the conclusions of the Hawthorne studies and revitalize interest in influences of physical work environments on diverse organizational outcomes. We do so by reviewing recent research in related disciplines suggesting that concrete physical constructs, such as light and darkness, are not only features of the physical environment, but also important psychological foundations for abstract understanding. We discuss how findings in metaphor and embodied cognition can illuminate our understanding of how, why, and when features of the physical work environment, such as illumination, temperature, and space may shape organizational behavior. # 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.