WEEK 1:

Research and discuss The Hawthorne experiments and their relevance to organizations today.
Compare the Hawthorne Effect with the modern-day practice of Micromanagement. What are their
benefits and criticisms? How can managers apply these concepts to improve worker performance?

Hawthorne experiments have been performed by Elton Mayo in 1924 at the Hawthorne plant of
an electric company. The aim of this experiment was to manage organization performance more
effectively and efficiently by testing the productivity of the workers within the organization. The
experiments were initially attempting to evaluate the effect of lighting and working conditions
had on productivity. The researcher made an adjustment of the lighting in a variety of ways and
measured the impact of the output. Each time the lighting was adjusted, the productivity increase
relatively. Interestingly, when the working conditions and lighting were returned to the initial
level, absenteeism and productivity increase dramatically to the highest level. Researchers
realized that the productivity increase could be attributed to the attention. This experiment result
was then recognized as the Hawthorn effect which the term is being used in a modern
organization.

This experiment has been conducted for more than eight decades. Nevertheless, the result of this
experiment concerning psychological motivation hence the techniques still can be applied in
today's organization. Below are some examples of the relevance of this experiment towards
modern organizations:

1. The Hawthorne research showed that the productivity of employees soared dramatically
when they realized that their voices were being heard by management. It is relevant in
today's organization to increase the working motivation of the employees.
2. The Hawthorne research showed that working surveillance also could change employee’s
behavior and give a significant impact on their productivity that relevant to nowadays
organizational. 

A manager who understands the meaning of the Hawthorne Effect without realizing the
implications will lead to micromanagement practices. Micromanagers are notorious for causing
high-stress levels, low morale, loss of productivity, and dread in the office, among other negative
repercussions (Haynes, 2020). Management involvement is essential to ensure productive
supervision, however, the manager needs to be careful in terms of supervision by avoiding
situations where the employees feel being spoon-fed. 

There are some benefits of this Hawthorne experiment towards the organization. According to
George (2010), the Hawthorne effect will create good communication between team members
and management, tighten teamwork in a group to achieve a better goal in the organization.
Despite the benefits of this effect, there are also associated with criticism. Some researchers
claimed that the experiment is biased and manipulated it makes people believe that the company
is only interested in the employee just because of their productivity. 
Managers have practical control and a great approach to this principal in order to improve
worker performance. There are many things managers can do to create an environment that
allows people to work at their inventive and productive. One of the most important examples is
also the most simpler way is paying attention to the employee. It does not require financial
investment instead it is only required energetic investment. For instance, if an employee takes a
long break during their work and the manager realizes that the employee exceeds the break time
by doing their own stuff then the manager can supervise by giving a call or email to him so he
will improve performance after realizing of being supervised. 

References:

Haynes, A. (2020). 7 Warning Signs You're the Dreaded Micromanager. Retrieved 16 November
2020, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/289699

George, J. A. 2010. Hawthorne Effect to Better Manage Your Employee. Academic press.
London. 56 pp.