THE HAWTHORNE MISUNDERSTANDING (AND HOW TO GET THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT IN ACTION RESEARCH)

The Hawthorne relay-assembly research has been misinterpreted as showi ng that interest in employees' well-being is sufficient to stimulate i ncreased performance. In the original studies of this phenomenon, the assemblers of relays received considerable attention, but they also wa nted to improve their performance and they were given feedback on how they performed As a result, they learned to produce more relays. The ' 'Hawthorne misunderstanding'' is common in criminology, criminal justi ce, and other fields because authors have failed to recognize this exp lanation of improved work output. Producing real Hawthorne effects-tha t is, improvements in the performance of people-is important in action research, and such improvements are often the aims of scientists who pursue this form of research. To produce Hawthorne effects, foster the acceptance of performance goals or standards, provide feedback on per formance, and remove obstacles to improved performance.