consider a factor called the Hawthorne
Effect. The name comes from a well-known study
performed in the Hawthorne plant of the Western
Electric Company in the 1920s. The purpose of the
study was to determine how various changes in the
work environment would affect employee productivity. The surprising result was that productivity
improved during observation whether the conditions
were made better or worse. Researchers concluded
that productivity seemed to improve whenever the
workers knew they were being observed.
Although some recent studies have raised questions
about the original findings, you should be aware that
observation can and does have an effect on normal