CIMA Managing Performance (E2) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CIMA E2 Practice Questions and Study Guide

The idea being tested is that people change their behavior when they know they are being observed or given extra attention. In Mayo’s Hawthorne studies, productivity rose not mainly because of changes in lighting or automation, but because the workers received attention, feedback, and a sense of being valued and watched. This showed that social factors, morale, and management attention can influence performance just as much as physical conditions. So the key concept is that the Hawthorne effect describes a change in behavior when faced with new or increased attention. The other ideas—that pay rises, automation, or more supervision alone drive productivity—don’t capture this behavioral response to observation and attention.