Elton Mayo

Elton Mayo (born Dec. 26, 1880, Adelaide, Australia—died Sept. 7, 1949, Polesden Lacey, Surrey, Eng.) was an Australian-born psychologist who became an early leader in the field of industrial sociology in the United States, emphasizing the dependence of productivity on small-group unity. He extended this work to link the factory system to the larger society. After teaching at the universities of Queensland in Brisbane (1919–23) and Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (1923–26), Mayo served as professor of...