#bias #psychology #unintented-consequences #measurements #goals
idea
Also known as the observer effect. The Hawthorne effect is the bias introduced by the simple observation of something. For example, workers working more efficiently because someone is looking at them. Or developers doing less revisions in their code reviews because someone is looking at their statistics.
Interestingly, the original experiment also underlines that simply giving interest to someone's work has an effect on their motivation.
links
Hawthorne effect is a form of statistical bias
Measuring productivity is rendered hard by the Hawthorne effect
The original experience also noticed how humane consideration to the workers influenced their Motivation
references
Harvard Library / The human relations movement details the experiment itself, where they effectively noticed that picking interest in the employee's work, and not treating them as a machine's appendage influenced their motivation.
“Instead of treating the workers as an appendage to ‘the machine’,” Jeffrey Sonnenfeld notes in his detailed analysis of the studies, the Hawthorne experiments brought to light ideas concerning motivational influences, job satisfaction, resistance to change, group norms, worker participation, and effective leadership.
Geckoboard / Statistical fallacies Is using it as an example of a statistical fallacy.