Which statement best represents Mayo's Human Relations focus?

• A. Emphasizes the social and psychological aspects of the workplace.
• B. Emphasizes monetary incentives and pay structures.
• C. Focuses on task efficiency with little attention to people.
• D. Focuses on addressing human needs, social and psychological factors.

Answer: (D)

Mayo's Human Relations focus centers on people in the workplace—their social and psychological needs and how these influence motivation and performance. The Hawthorne studies showed productivity rose when workers felt valued, connected with others, and supported by management—highlighting morale, communication, and interpersonal relationships as key factors. The best statement is the one that explicitly mentions addressing human needs along with social and psychological factors, because it fully captures how managers should attend to workers’ well-being and group dynamics to boost motivation and performance. Monetary incentives focus on pay rather than relationships, and concentrating only on task efficiency ignores the human side Mayo emphasized. Including human needs makes the concept complete by covering motivation, morale, and social interaction at work.