Monday, February 6, 2012

Workplace Productivity and the Hawthorne Effect

The principles of the Hawthorne Effect studied many years ago are still utilized in the business world today.  Essentially, the Hawthorne Effect is a temporary increase in productivity in response to certain modifications to the workplace environment.Even though the Hawthorne studies were conducted many years ago, they are still referred to today when a company researches productivity issues.

What is the Hawthorne Effect?

The Hawthorne Effect refers to the results of a series of experimental studies done on human productivity at Hawthorne Works, a factory in Illinois that produced a variety of consumer products such as telephone equipment, electric fans, and refrigerators. Originally, the studies were designed to test the theory that increased lighting in a work environment would increase productivity. The results were very interesting.  Improved lighting did, indeed, increase productivity. These results caught the eye of more university researchers who studied the phenomenon.............read more

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