The Hawthorne Effect - the Psychology Behind Employee Productivity

The Hawthorn Effect was a phenomenon that was discovered during a productivity study at Hawthorne Works, a electrical manufacturing company near Chicago, during the 1920's and 1930's. The study was originally designed to test how worker productivity was affected by changes in the work environment such as lighting, additional breaks, and adjusted work hours. According to the Hawthorne Theory, worker productivity will increase strictly as a result of workers' awareness of being observed.

Each study began with an observation period. The observation period allowed researchers to secretly watch the workers without them knowing. This preserved the integrity of the original measures of productivity. This usually lasted a couple weeks.

After the observation period, the experiment would begin. The workers were usually moved into a special work environment where researchers could control the elements of the work environment. During the lighting experiment, for example, workers were moved into a room where the lighting could be adjusted. The productivity was then measured to see if there was a change.

While researchers found that most changes in work environment caused an increase in productivity, they also found that several experiments yielded higher productivity without any changes to the work environment. During these studies, the only change was the fact that workers were aware that they were being watched. Researchers concluded that reaction to being watched may have been the

How can the Hawthorne Effect be used in Modern Business?

The Hawthorne Effect is also popular in modern business. By understanding how and why workers increase production under certain circumstances, managers can get the maximum return on labor costs and improve worker relations.

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 a light manufacturing company. Our department had just gotten a new contract assembling parts for a local truck manufacturing plant. During the early stages of the project, we were constantly observed by management from both our company and the company who supplied the contract. Starting out, we were able to easily build 30-32 unites everyday. However, as weeks went by, we began to struggle to produce 28 units in a day regardless of how hard we tried. Management soon became frustrated and accused us of not working as hard as we did in the beginning. Within a year, nearly half of the workers in the department left the company because of tension between employees and management.

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 accomplishments.

Opposition to the Hawthorne Effect

While the Hawthorne Effect is an excellent concept. There are experts who oppose the theory stating that not all of the experiments at Hawthorne Works resulted in improved production from workers. Opposers believe that the increase productivity in some of the studies could be a result of underlying factors that were not recorded during the study. Also, some workers are believed to be less susceptible to "observation influence".

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect

http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/hawthorne/09.html

http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/markusk/Hawthorne.htm