Which of the following scenarios exemplifies the Hawthorne effect?
Group of answer choices
An employee’s productivity increases when the employee is told that their performance is being monitored.
An employee’s productivity increases when the employee is well rested and happy.
An employee’s productivity and quality of work improves when the employee works as part of a team.
An employee’s efficiency improves in the absence of the employee’s supervisor.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
An employee’s productivity increases when the employee is told that their performance is being monitored.
Explanation:
The Hawthorne effect refers to a psychological phenomenon where individuals alter their behavior or performance in response to being observed or aware that they are being studied. This concept was derived from a series of studies conducted at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s. The researchers initially set out to explore how different working conditions, such as lighting levels, affected workers’ productivity. However, they discovered that productivity increased regardless of the changes in the environment, simply because the workers knew they were being observed.
In the context of the provided options, the scenario where an employee’s productivity increases because they are aware that their performance is being monitored exemplifies the Hawthorne effect. The key element here is that the employee’s behavior is influenced by the awareness of being observed, which mirrors the original findings of the Hawthorne studies. When people know they are being watched, they tend to put forth more effort or behave differently than they would under normal, non-monitored circumstances.
Why the other options don’t exemplify the Hawthorne effect:
- An employee’s productivity increases when the employee is well-rested and happy: This scenario relates more to the direct benefits of good physical and mental well-being on productivity, not to the effect of being observed.
- An employee’s productivity and quality of work improves when the employee works as part of a team: This scenario focuses on the positive impact of teamwork, not the awareness of being observed.
- An employee’s efficiency improves in the absence of the employee’s supervisor: This scenario describes the effect of reduced supervision, not the influence of being watched or monitored.
Therefore, the correct example of the Hawthorne effect is the one in which an employee’s productivity increases due to being aware that their performance is being monitored.