Norm is a university student who works during the summer at the pulp mill in his hometown.During his first week,he discovered that he could take twice as many samples from the wood chip trucks as he was told by his co-workers; however,when he brought this fact up at work,he was warned not to do this.The regular employees said it would jeopardize them in their work for the whole year.Mimicking research at the Hawthorne plant in Chicago,what does Norm's experience demonstrate?
A) Employees like to keep productivity as low as possible.
B) Social networks among employees regulate output.
C) People will not get promotions at the organization unless they conform to managerial norms.
D) People who overproduce are seen as "keeners" and will lose their jobs because other employees do not like them.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Norm's experience demonstrates the existence of social networks among employees that regulate output, as his co-workers warned him that taking more samples would jeopardize their work for the whole year. This is similar to the findings from the Hawthorne studies, which showed that social relations among workers and their attitudes towards their managers and work environment had a significant impact on their productivity.

Norm Is a University Student Who Works During the Summer