Problem:
Respond in a humanely way giving your opinion and agreeing in less than 130 words: The Hawthorn effect was a series of different experiments conducted in Hawthorn IL, during the 1920's and 1930's by Elton Mayo. This experiment tested whether different work environments had an effect on work productivity like work hours, breaks and even little things, like lighting. The results were shockingly unexpected, productivity continued to rise no matter the changes that were made. Researchers eventually realized the productivity was good not because of the changes, but because the workers knew they were being observed. The workers were highly motivated simply because they were being observed and studied. This became a problem for the experiment, causing the results to be influenced by observation, rather than having actual variables tested (Mayo, 1933). There were many different options the observers could've explored other than direct observation. For example, production records would've been a good method of testing. This would've allowed them to stay under the radar and have less interaction with the workers, resulting in more accurate results since the workers would've acted much more natural. Another way they could've prevented faulty results, would've been to not make so many changes to the work environment. By making all the adjustments, they may have made workers aware that they were being observed which would cause them to shift their work ethic. Need Assignment Help?