The Hawthorne effect is but a single piece to a puzzle that I’ve been working on for years. Cognitive bias, a concept called “framing” and a few other pieces sit along the unfinished frame – the completed picture is promising.
I’ll discuss this effect as an introduction, in order to – eventually, show you that completed tableau.
Essentially, when someone says, “Hawthorne effect”, they’re referring to the principle that worker productivity increases in a given process regardless of what is done to that process – at least for a short while.
The effect was first recorded during experiments at a Western Electric factory outside Chicago, a place called “Hawthorne Works”, during the late 1920’s. There was a study to see if the workers would become more productive in higher or lower levels of light. The workers’ productivity seemed to improve when changes were made and dipped back again when the study ended. It didn’t matter if the line was brighter, or dimmer – productivity increased.
Other similar experiments showed that It seems to work regardless of the stimulus, as long as the workers are aware something is going on.
Naturally, one wouldn’t introduce higher or lower numbers of tarantulas – or toxic gas; but anything perceived as a beneficial exercise should do.
Key word is “perception” – an understanding of the context of the organization; its culture in particular, is needed. For example, there are studies that show productivity decreased at each turn when the participants thought the data would be used to select or support downsizing (nice teamwork!).
The Hawthorne Effect, as a real thing, does have some detractors, however. Studies that have attempted to reproduce the effect have sometimes not been able to do so. Some scientists have attributed the result to one thing or another – no one, near as I can tell, has completely debunked the theory.
It may be something you’d want to try in your own organization – or monitor more closely since if you’re ISO registered there is already an improvement process in place.
I believe it is one reason a healthy, formal, improvement program is so beneficial. Frequent changes, under the banner of “Improvement”, can provide a reliable cycle of Hawthorne effects, if judiciously managed.
A few things are required for the Hawthorne effect to have any positive impact. One key thing is – a firm understanding of process measurables. If there isn’t something to measure the process by, relative change isn’t knowable. We’ll cover various metrics in another post.
Another needed thing is a strong Quality Leadership; an entity that can understand and direct the variables in the process; can operate to effectively communicate between management and the production line.
Using this article, I hope you’re able to leverage the Hawthorne effect as you manage your business. Stay tuned as I use this, and other aspects of the human condition, to reveal a larger strategy.
Thanks for your attention. Go forth, and calibrate thyself.
Kerry Palejs, General Manager of Global Operations, suggested I read the website FAQs when I asked him the question. The change, near as I can decipher, has to do with the organization’s desire to show that they can offer any solution to any market, anywhere. These solutions would be related to their experience and knowledge in the development and application competence services.