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From Human Relations to Organizational Behavior: Reflections on the Changing Scene

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  • William Foote Whyte

Abstract

This article is an interpretation of the last fifty years of behavioral science research in industry. The author, who has been active in the field since the early 1940s, describes the development since the late 1960s of two distinct streams of organizational behavior research: a main stream, characterized by a sharp separation between research and practice and rigorous specification and measurement of variables, and an alternate stream, with more applied research and sometimes active involvement in organizational change. Labor and management practitioners today are far more interested in behavioral research—at least that of the alternate stream—than they were in the 1940s and 1950s. From an analysis of the literature on the relationship between worker participation and productivity, the author concludes that the alternate stream offers more promise for advances in both science and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • William Foote Whyte, 1987. "From Human Relations to Organizational Behavior: Reflections on the Changing Scene," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 40(4), pages 487-500, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:40:y:1987:i:4:p:487-500
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