Explain the Hawthorne Effect and its influence on HRM practices today

THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT
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The Hawthorne Effect
The Hawthorne effect refers to the reaction or change of the trials participants’ behavior regarding of the output and productivity in the workplace when they realize that they are being observed or are party to a research study. This change happens when they change their behavior or become motivated when attention or interest is increased and not the treatment associated with it. The original Hawthorne study was aiming at studying the effect that light has on employee productivity (Holden, 2001). The researchers concluded that the output increased due to alterations made in the lighting, regardless of the level. Another research carried out in a different environment revealed the same, the level of productivity increased notwithstanding the type of alterations made and withdrawal of this led to a decline in the output. This change prompted the researchers to conclude that supervision, regardless of any experimental influence, was a way of improving output in the workplace. The general conclusion of the Hawthorne effect studies was that social factors, supervisor and employee relations directly influences the level of productivity by employees, and that the workplace is a social system comprising of interdependent parts.
Influence on HRM practices today
The Hawthorne effect remains to be used today, many years after its discovery. Other managerial factors have advanced, but the management technique of using psychological motivation to improve employee productivity is still applied.

Supervision and constant monitoring are factors that increase employee output as well as in the creation of a company’s culture.
It established the importance of listening to the employee’s views. From the Hawthorne studies, we see that employees recorded high outputs when they felt that the observers were listening to their opinions. It is evident today since the management has a keen interest in what the employees think and appreciating their idea contributions in the workplace. People are sometimes motivated not only by monetary forms but also through emotional factors. Many organizations have benefited because of listening to ideas of the junior employees and go ahead to involve employees in making of critical decisions.
Additionally, organizations pay keen interest in observing the employees rather than being vigilant with them. The Hawthorne effect gave a clear picture of how watching employees increased the productivity. In the modern setting, employees hate extreme supervision, but they might want continuous supervision. Employees want employers to notice their output and commended for the same. Therefore, the human resource managers pay attention to what employees are doing and their yield.
Thirdly, placement of employees in the right team with the right people is common in the modern workplace. In some cases, employees tend to relax when placed in a group with unmotivated and lazy workers (Barankay, 2012). In the Hawthorne studies, replacement of the less productive workers with productive workers increased the level of production. Fuelling this output is their motivation and the corrective action on the mediocre employees. Another effect is the presence of diverse gender. In today’s workplace, women have taken up male-dominated roles despite being looked down upon and underestimated by the male counterparts, leading to low productivity. Employers are, therefore, more observant so that they can introduce minor changes that will create a bearable environment. The feeling of belonging and being somehow “selected” will alter the output.
Lastly, employers today consider the effect of altering minor issues, the ones usually neglected. The Hawthorne studies revealed that slight changes in lighting affect the employee output. Therefore, the administration not only concentrates on the major issues but also the minor ones. The supervisors, then, take time to study the workplace and identify areas that need alterations. This effect has laid a foundation for employee engagement which when done, brings about higher productivity among workers.
Conclusion
The Hawthorne effect, as observed, is the reactive employee behavior showcased when they are under observation from management. Observing the employees, alteration of the working environments and changing the work schedules led to a change in the output recorded. This behavior shows that employees are not only motivated by material actors but also through psychological factors. This technique is applied to the present human resource management so that they can realize a bigger output. One of the ways is through listening to employees’ ideas and grievances which gives them a sense of belonging. Additionally, managers are keen on transformative factors that can be changed so that workers can be motivated to record increased output. Today’s managers tend to focus on the employee output through regular supervision of the employees to identify hardworking employees and reward them. Also, the managers are keen to categorize individuals into groups that they fit best and one that matches their abilities and with the highest motivation to produce more. In line with that, employers are keen to give distinct “unusual” genders roles to opposite genders which act as a motivation to other employees. Lastly, through the Hawthorne effect, managers are keen on minor details that might trigger employees to realize greater output.
References
Holden, J.D., 2001. Hawthorne effects and research into professional practice. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 7(1), pp.65-70.
Barankay, I., 2012. Rank incentives: Evidence from a randomized workplace experiment. Unpublished manuscript.