Hawthorne Studies and

Effect
AKHIL SJ - 203518001
BHAVNA LEKSMY – 203518007
BHAVESH DANGI - 203518008
 Brief History – The Hawthrone
Experiments

 Hawthorne Works was a Western Electric factory outside Chicago, Illinois

 In mid 1920s till early 1930s, researchers (lead by Elton Mayo) in Hawthorne
Works were attempting to determine the effect that lighting and working
conditions had on productivity
 Because the experiments originally sought out to study the effects of physical
conditions on productivity, the researchers began the experiments by
increasing the lighting in the work area of a group of workers.
 Another group of workers, whose lighting was not changed, served as a control
group.
 Perhaps Unsurprisingly, the productivity of the workers who got more light
increased much more than that of the control group. After all, you can assume
that a better lit work area is more conducive to productivity.
A surprising twist….

 The twist came when the researchers noticed that no matter what changes
they’re implementing, the workers’ productivity continued to go up.
 Not only did the researchers change other working conditions, like working
hours, rest breaks, and so on. They even dimmed the lights back down to
the initial level.
 Productivity improved in each and every situation - even when the lights
were dimmed!
 By the time all the changes were reverted to their initial state-
Absenteeism had plummeted, and productivity was its highest level
So what actually happened….??

 When the researchers couldn’t determine a pattern on working or lighting

conditions, they began to look elsewhere
 Realised that productivity increase could be attributed to the attention
paid on workers by the researchers and not to the environmental
conditions
Other experiments in Hawthorne
studies

The Hawthorne experiments can be divided into 5 major parts.

 1. Experiments on Illumination
 2. Relay Assembly Experiment
 3. Mass Interviewing Programme
 4. Bank Wiring Observation Room
 5. Personnel Counseling
Other experiments in Hawthorne
studies

2. Relay Assembly Experiment

 Two women were chosen as test subjects and were then asked to choose four other
workers to join the test group.
 Together, the women worked assembling telephone relays in a separate room over the
course of five years (1927–1932). Their output was measured during this time—at first, in
secret. It started two weeks before moving the women to an experiment room and
continued throughout the study.
 In the experiment room, they had a supervisor who discussed changes with them and, at
times, used the women’s suggestions. The researchers then measured how different
variables impacted both the group’s and the individuals’ productivity.
 Some of the variables included giving two five-minute breaks (after a discussion with the
group on the best length of time), and then changing to one 10-minute break (not the
preference of the group).
Intangible Motivators

 Changing a variable usually increased productivity, even if the variable

was just a change back to the original condition.
 Researchers concluded that the employees worked harder because they
thought they were being monitored individually.
 Researchers hypothesized that choosing one’s own coworkers, working as
a group, being treated as special (as evidenced by working in a separate
room), and having a sympathetic supervisor were the real reasons for the
productivity increase.
Results of the experiment…

 The Hawthorne studies discovered that workers were highly responsive to additional
attention from their managers and the feeling that their managers actually cared
about, and were interested in their work.
 Although financial motives are important & individual aptitudes do indicate the
physical and mental potential of the worker, productivity is influenced mostly by social
factors.
 People’s work performance is dependent on social issues and job satisfaction,
meeting individuals’ need and desire to belong to a group and be included in
decision making and work. The desire to stand well with one's fellows, the so-called
human instinct of association, easily outweighs the merely individual interest and the
logic of reasoning
 Hawthorne effect was discovered - A type of reactivity in which individuals modify an
aspect of their behaviour in response to their awareness of being observed. Also know
as Observer effect
Significance of Hawthorne Experiments

 The Hawthorne effect is one of the most famous experiments (or, more
accurately, series of experiments) in industrial history.
 It marked a sea change in thinking about work and productivity. Previous
studies had focused on the individual and on ways in which an individual's
performance could be improved.
 Hawthorne set the individual in a social context for the first time, establishing
that the performance of employees is influenced by their surroundings and by
the people that they are working with as much as by their own innate abilities.
Applications

 Initially, the results of these experiments were considered in relation to

research settings. They indicated that the very fact that people were under
observation affected the results of a study.
 But the results soon trickled into management practices, since it showed
that people work differently when they are being observed versus when
they’re not.
 Creates an environment for employees to work in their inventive and
productive best
 Most important thing is, paying attention to someone doesn’t require any
significant financial investment. It only requires some energetic investment
Implementation

 Part of the research on the Hawthorne effect determined that employees tend
to be more productive when they feel that their efforts are being watched and
that attention is paid to their performance. Because the Hawthorne studies
concluded that generally any change in the workplace tends to induce the
Hawthorne effect, it may be a good idea to make changes periodically. Such
changes can be as simple as those in the original Hawthorne studies, such as
changing the lighting
 The most effective changes are likely to be those that result from employee
input
 Part of the research on the Hawthorne effect determined that employees tend
to be more productive when they feel that their efforts are being watched and
that attention is paid to their performance. Hence, Boosting productivity of
employees is as simple as paying more attention to them and their needs and
concerns.
McDonanlds’s Experiment
Goals of the experiment

 Hawthorne Effect
 To know whether people act differently when they know they are being
studied. Do they do things that they otherwise would not?
Experiment setup

 Conducted at McDonald’s
 10 minutes span without experiment signs
 10 minutes span with experiment signs
Experiment results without signs
Experiment results with signs