The Hawthorne Studies of Productivity

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The Hawthorne Studies of Productivity

• By Kristen S., Sandy S.,
• and Katie F.

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The Hawthorne Effect

• A phenomenon in which any kind of change produces
  productivity
• In 1924, researchers conducted
• experiments on the relationship between working
  conditions and productivity
• They conducted the experiment at the Hawthorne
  plant of Western Electric in Cicero, Illinois

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The Effects of the Study

• The researchers lowered the lighting in the
  factory, expecting the productivity to fall
• Productivity increased
• They tested the effects of different wage
  payments, rest periods, and work hours
• Each time a variable was changed, the
  productivity increased

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Effects cont.
The researchers called in a team of
psychologists from Harvard University For the
next five years, the psychologists conducted
hundreds of experiments at the plant Whenever a
variable was changed, productivity increased It
was concluded that the productivity increased
when a variable was changed, because the workers
worked harder when they received attention
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Additional Findings of the Study

• Factors other than the physical environment
  affected worker productivity
• -Include psychological and social conditions at
  work, individual recognition, and
  participation in decision making
• Effective supervision significantly affected
  both productivity and employee morale

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Class activity

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Quiz Questions

• What is the definition of the Hawthorne Effect?
• Why did the productivity increase when a variable
  was changed?

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Answers to quiz questions

• The Hawthorne Effect is a phenomenon in which any
  kind of change produces productivity
• The productivity increased when a variable was
  changed because the workers worked harder when
  they received attention