The Hawthorne effect is named after the same factory as the Western Electric Company of Hawthorne, Illinois (United States). At the beginning of the last century, psychologist and sociologist Elton Mayo conducted a series of studies on the influence of the environment on productivity. During the study, the researchers realized that the workers reacted to a stimulus contrary to expectations: in particular, production increased even with a decrease in the lighting level. The conclusions, therefore, led to recognition of the fact that being the object of observation triggered a mechanism of responsibility in the workers that nullified the effect of the stimulus. With this Psychology-Online article we will discover together What is the Hawthorne effect, its phases and some examples about.
What is the Hawthorne effect?
Until today, the Hawthorne effect is understood as the effect – produced completely involuntarily – induced on subjects who are aware of being observed, but this phenomenon has been at the center of a bitter scientific debate for many years. In other words, we can define it as a improved worker productivity due to a change in working conditions caused by your response to an innovation or feeling of being the object of attention. It was Henry A. Landsberger, in a critique of the experiments, who gave what he considered a gap in Mayo’s search the term “Hawthorne effect.”
The Hawthorne experiment
Although the term was coined in the middle of the last century, the origins of the phenomenon date back to the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. In those years, the American Western Electric carried out a series of studies on worker productivity at its Hawthorne plant. In one set of experiments, the power of the light bulbs was varied to see how the light affected the productivity of women assembling electrical components; In others, on the contrary, rest periods were increased or decreased, the layout of the rooms was changed and work days were shortened.
The first influential reports of these experiments concluded that productivity continued to grow regardless of whether the lights were dimmer or brighter or whether the work days were longer or shorter, or whether working conditions improved or worsened. The researchers concluded that the productivity improvements were not a result of changes in the workplace, but rather because their special role in the experiment made the workers believe that they were noticed and evaluatedso they worked harder and harder.
Over the years, the idea that Being part of an experiment influences the subject’s attitude has become known as the Hawthorne effect, and precisely these experiments have given rise to industrial psychology, which in turn has evolved into various specializations, such as work psychology, health psychology and .
Phases of the Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect experiments occurred in several stages:
- Two groups were selected: one control and the other on which to carry out the experiment by inserting it into a more illuminated environment. The results were so unusual that Mayo and his parents repeated the experiment several times, varying the lighting significantly. Unexpectedly, Productivity had increased in both groups: This incomprehensible, but in some way interesting, result led us to interrupt the experiments to do some reflection.
- A couple of years after May, together with a group of psychologists, he restructured the experiment with the participation of six workers from a relay editing department. The observation lasted five years, a period in which a series of parameters were modified, not only in the work environment, but also in salaries, vacations and schedules. Productivity increased, but Mayo and his group did not believe there could be a close quantitative correlation with the variations they made. So they did a countertest, which brought the situation back to what it was at the beginning: productivity dropped, but remained at high levels with respect to the other groups in the company. The conclusion that Mayo and his people reached was that the productivity of the six workers depended on the fact that they felt like a group, and a group under analysis.
- After more experiments and an avalanche of controversies, which are still not completely settled today, in 1955 Landsberger analyzed the data collected and observed an interesting scheme (today known as the Hawthorne effect), concluding that these could be explained by the observer effect: that is, if it is observed, the behavior changes. He observed that workers exhibited short-term productivity gains in response to being under scrutiny; It didn’t seem very important whether the light was high or low. He concluded that the fact that the study was communicated to workers suggested greater management attention and produced a greater moral effect than that of environmental changes.
Examples of the Hawthorne effect
How does the Hawthorne effect affect companies? What was called the Hawthorne effect was nothing more than paying attention to the human aspect of work. All I had to do was involve the six workers in the experiment, ask them for collaboration, listen to them and involve them in the variations that had to be introduced. She gave them back the importance they had as an experimental group in which the company would change its strategy. The technical aspect was irrelevant, while the key was participation, feeling like a group.
The other aspect revealed by the investigations was that In some cases it counts more than That is, the rewards that the six workers received from feeling part of the company, from being able to be heard and from taking part in the decision-making power, were superior to the economic rewards.
The Hawthorne effect, therefore, suggests that companies can achieve increased productivity by motivating employees and improving their perception of the work environment. A conclusion that gave impetus to the birth of contemporary human resources departments as responsible for supervising hiring, training and developing employees.
Difference between placebo effect and Hawthorne effect
It is likely that the most complete definition of placebo is that of Dr. AK Shapiro, who, by summarizing the different meanings he proposes, it is possible to define the placebo as any procedure deliberately established to obtain an effect or which, even without being aware of it, acts on the patient or on the symptom or disease, but objectively lacks any specific activity with respect to the condition treated. This procedure can be applied with or without the knowledge that it is a placebo, which differentiates it from the Hawthorne effectin which subjects are always aware that they are observed.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Hawthorne effect: what it is, phases and exampleswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Bernini, E. (2013). Placebo effect. Cos’è, thing says the scienza oggi, thing says the scienza di domani. Bologna: Area51.
- Decastri, M. et al. (2019). Plan the organisations. The theory and models to decide. Milan: Angelo Guerrini e Associati.
- GEMA (2019). Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne effect. Retrieved from: https://www.gema.it/blog/gestione-e-sviluppo-risorse-umane/effetto-hawthorne/
- Keegan, S. M. (2015). The Psychology of Fear in Organizations. New York: Kogan Page.
- Masci, S. (2007). The conflict in azienda. Analysis and management of relationships in labor groups. Rome: L’Airone Editrice.
- Randal Farmer, F. & Glass, B. (2011). I will build systems for web reputation. Milan: Tecniche Nuove.
- Stock, J.H. & Watson, M.W. (2005). Introduction to all’econometria. Milan: Pearson.
- Tusini, S. (2006). The ricerca comes as relationships. The interview in social sciences. Milan: Franco Angeli.