Hawthorne’s work
Hawthorne effect is a term to indicate that if people know that they are under direct supervision and personal attention of others, they will perform better.
This work was first introduced in the 1950s by a researcher named Henry Landsberg, and it is actually the product of his studies during the 1920s and 1930s. Because this research was done at the Hawthorne Electric Equipment Factory in Illinois, the proven work was also called by the same name.
In this study, an attempt was made to increase the performance and efficiency of employees by changing the ambient light level and increasing or decreasing it. The basis of the research was based on whether there is a change in the performance and productivity of employees by changing the level of light and increasing or decreasing it.
The interesting and surprising thing was that during the research, the improvement of the quality of the employees’ performance was recorded, but right after the research was stopped, this incremental effect also disappeared. The reason is clear, as mentioned, Hawthorne’s effect is dependent on direct supervision by another person. With the removal of supervision, the person’s effort to improve the behavior under investigation gradually decreases and eventually ends.
The researchers also found that almost any change in the predetermined conditions of the study leads to an increase in employee productivity. For example, reducing the level of light to the level of a candle or increasing it to the maximum, both resulted in improving the efficiency of the personnel. Because in both cases, the employees felt that they were being monitored.
Since the obtained results surprised the scientists, they had only one logical explanation to explain this situation: human performance is dependent on the attention from others such as family, spouse, friends, colleagues or boss. receives
Therefore, Landsberg defines the Hawthorne effect as follows: the short-term improvement of performance under the influence of another’s supervision.
In 2009, a research was conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Chicago, which analyzed the primary data from the Hawthorne phenomenon studies more carefully.
Similar results were obtained in this study: the performance of a person under the influence of increased attention from someone who loves him or who is important in his life in any way, is temporarily improved and loses its intensity over time. to give
Hawthorne’s effect has an effect even on the smallest personal behavior, especially on decision making/choice. For example, imagine that you went to the store with one of your friends, and while your friend is waiting, you are deciding whether or not to buy a certain product. In fact, your companion will be able to interfere in your selection process only with his look as an observer!
Therefore, it can be said that the most interesting consequence of Hawthorne’s work is its ability to induce positive social-individual behaviors. If we want to get the maximum benefit from this effect, we should hang out with people who have the ability to develop positive and desirable behaviors in our personality.
The same applies to work issues. For example, if you intend to be more creative in your work environment, you should hang out with people who share your goals. Those who are counting the minutes until the time passes and return home, obviously, according to Hawthorne’s work, will not help you much in this regard.
*Source:* Sovad Zehdan site (summarized)
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This post is written by AliVosoughi