Hawthorne Effect

Hawthorne effect.

               According to Hawthorne effect, Individuals may change their behaviour due to the attention they are receiving from researchers rather than because of any manipulation of independent variables.

              This effect was first discovered and named by researchers at Harvard University who were studying the relationship between productivity and work environment. Researchers conducted these experiments at the Hawthorne Works plant of Western Electric. The study was originally commissioned to determine if increasing or decreasing the amount of light workers received increased or decreased worker productivity. The researchers found that productivity increased due to attention from the research team and not because of changes to the experimental variable. The four conclusions they come up with were-

1) Individual aptitude is a poor predictor of job performance. Instead, productivity is strongly affected by relationships and social structure within an organization.

2) Workplaces establish their own cultures and social systems.

3)Organizations establish norms about expected daily productivity. Theses norms strongly affect and predict the productivity of individuals within the group.

4)Relationships between supervisors and workers influence worker productivity and the ways in which workers complete daily tasks. The Hawthorne researchers referred to this as the informal organization and structure within an organization.

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Hawthorne effect in modern world

                While the Hawthorne Effect can be a great way to increase production in the short term, it may be difficult to realize long term benefits. Over time, workers get use to the constant supervision. Their work eventually slows until production returns to normal levels. I experienced this first hand in my previous job working for construction equipment manufacturing unit. Our department had just gotten message that we will be observed by our japenese counterparts for global quality diagnosis.During GQD period each and every worker was working proactively to increase the production to maintain good working environment. After GQD, management soon became frustrated and accused us of not working as hard as we did during GQD.

             Another aspect of the Hawthorne Effect in modern business is the ability to improve worker morale. Many people take great pride in their work. There is a sense of accomplishment to achieve great milestones during the work day. By utilizing Hawthorne Effect methodology, managers can improve their employees sense of being and importance to the company. The key is for managers to be aware of the progress employees make each day and offer praise and gratitude for their hard work and accomplishment.