The Hawthorne effect is a phenomenon of the group-based observation studies, which was discovered into the 1920er-Jahren with experiments in the Hawthorne works (Illinois, the USA).

The Hawthorne effect is interesting under two points of view:

• In the psychology and/or psychological method teachings one understands by the fact the effect that test subjects can change their natural behavior, if they know that they are participants in an investigation. It can be thus that the results of a study are falsified by the study or caused only by them. Thus the Hawthorne effect represents a possible threat of the external validity of test results.
• In the management economics the discovery of the Hawthorne effect was a for the realization that human work is coined/shaped by social factors not only by the objective conditions of work, but completely substantially also (see relation movementmovement relation movement).

Discovery

The discovery of the effect decreases/goes back to the so-called Hawthorne experiments. This is a set of studies, which were accomplished between 1924 and 1932 in the Hawthorne factory of the Western Electric in Cicero/Illinois (the USA), in order to determine, how one can increase the work of employees. Different Designs and goals were regarded.

Experiment 1

The industrialism was controlled at that time still by the Taylorismus. For it the dismantling of the job is typical into as small however high-optimized a steps as possible. For further optimization one began with the Hawthorne studies. One examined first whether the change of the lighting conditions has effects on the work. The work of the experimental's group actually rose with improved lighting conditions. However the achievement rose also in the control's group, which worked at unchanged light. The increase in output remained even, when again to the original density of light one returned. The lighting experiment made the researchers on the psychological effect attentively to be that alone the presence of the researchers and the consciousness of the female workers part of an attempt and to be observed the increase in output caused. The researchers designated still as psychological interference factors and around these to exclude, developed one new experimental assemblies.

Experiment 2

The female workers of the experimental's group were accommodated into a separate work space, got more favorable work times, more wages and the high-level personnel like also the scientists maintained them opposite a non directives, understanding-oriented style of leadership. Thereupon the productivity of this group rose around approximately 30%. One led heated debates whether this rise was to due rather to more favorable or the "“more human"”, non-directives handling of the leading position. Following experiments examined both hypotheses and led to the result that this large rise arose only as a result of the combination of both factors.

Results

The interpretation of the results was politisiert between industry and trade unions. The relation beginningbeginning relation beginning come out from the Hawthorne studies as counterweight to the Taylorismus suggested that less was been to the workers because of an increase of wages, as rather at a sozioemotionalen transformation of the conditions of work, particularly the style of leadership. By Elton Mayo, a considerable scientist, who was involved in the Hawthorne experiments, on a large scale high-level personnel in non-directives the style of leadership were informed.

In and the 70's 60's the discussion lived around the Hawthorne studies, because the renewed examination of the data resulted in that the influence of Lohnanreizen on the work is to be set rather more highly and that socialpsychological factors rather lower, than the researchers estimated this at that time.

Of it it remains independent lasting earnings/services the Taylorismus with the relation beginningbeginning relation beginning, dominating at that time, an alternative model for further discussion opposite and completely generally on the effect of psychological factors to have made attentive.

Literature

• E. walter shrubs: The eye of the company. Ferdinand Enke publishing house, Stuttgart 1989
• J. - P. Thommen: Management and organization, concepts, instruments, conversion. Versus publishing house, Zurich 2002
• A. Kieser (Hrsg.): Organization theories. Kohl hammer publishing house, Stuttgart 1993

Articles in category "Hawthorne effect"

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