The effect occurs when people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being assessed.

The Hawthorne effect occurs when people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being assessed.

Explanation:

Organizational behavior is the study of the way an individual or group of individuals act in a given organizational setting. This area of study aims at examining the behavior of an individual as it relates to the work environment and how such behavior affects their performance, drive, communication and job structure. The principles or organizational behavior aim at improving the efficiency in a work environment. The principles are used to improve efficiency in various aspects of the job structure, for example; job performance, better communication, improving leadership skills and increasing satisfaction in the job.

Organization behavior studies have its foundation in the late 1920s. The Western Electric Company was a pioneer in launching a study to determine the behavior of its workers. They initially started out with workers at Hawthorne Works plant in Cicero, Illinois. This was followed by numerous organizational research. They later came up with what is now known as the Hawthorne effect, which is the improvement of an aspect of peoples behavior simply because they are being assessed.