Learn About Hawthorne Effect "The Hawthorne experiments are still among the most frequently cited and most controversial experiments in the social sciences (Gillespie, 1991)."

Hawthorne Effect

Concept Overview

Hawthorne Effect Definition

The Hawthorne Effect is the tendency of people being observed, as part of a research effort, to behave differently than they otherwise would (Gillespie, 1991). The Hawthorne Studies of the 1920s and 1930s revealed the social forces at play in work situations and led to the development of the Human Relations approach to management (Burnes, 2009).

Hawthorne Effect Description *

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Business Evidence

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Examples of Hawthorne Effect *

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Business Application

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Professional Tools

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Further Reading

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Hawthorne Effect References (4 of up to 20) *

  • Burnes, B. (2009) Managing Change. (5th Ed.) Pearson Education, Essex, UK.
  • Chiesa, M. and Hobbs, S. (2008) Making Sense of Social Research: How Useful is the Hawthorne Effect? European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 38, pp. 67-74.
  • CIMA (2005) CIMA Official Terminology. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Oxford, UK.
  • Cox, A., Marchington, M. and Suter, J. (2009) Employee Involvement and Participation: Developing the Concept of Institutional Embeddedness Using WERS2004, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 20(10), pp. 2150-2168.

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