When Elton Mayo did his now-classic experiment on worker productivity, he found that he could increase productivity by changing variables in a work environment, but also that changing back variables increased productivity. What did he conclude was the true cause of the increase in productivity?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mayo concluded that the true cause of the increase in productivity was the Hawthorne effect, which is the phenomenon where people improve an aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they know they are being studied, not necessarily because of any specific changes made to their work environment.

When Elton Mayo Did His Now-Classic Experiment on Worker Productivity