a process by which individuals learn voluntary behavior.

*Voluntary behaviors are called operants because they operate, or have some influence, on the environment

*Learning occurs from the consequences of behaviors and many employee work behaviors are operant behaviors

the crucial aspect of OC is what happens as a consequence of the behavior.  

*The strength and frequency of operantly conditioned behaviors are determined mainly by consequences

*In OC, a response is learned because it leads to a particular consequence (reinforcement), and it is strengthened each time it is reinfoced

the relationship between a behavior and the preceding and following environmental events that influence that behavior.

Consists of antecedent, a behavior, and a consequence

precedes and is a stimulus to a behavior

Instructions, goals, and advice from other that help individuals to know which behaviors are acceptable and which are not and to let them know the consequences of such behaviors

1: Manager and Employee set goal (Antecedent: precedes the behavior)

2: Does employee achieve goal? (Behavior)

3: NO (Consequence:result of behavior)               

    YES (consequence: result of behavior)

4: If No, Manager is silent or reprimands

    employee (reinforcement Contingent on  

    Consequence)

    If Yes, Manager compliments employee for

    accomplishment (Reinforcement Contingent on  

    Consequence) 

1: The event can be presented (applied) or withdrawn (removed), contingent on employee behavior

3: The event may also be positive or aversive

a behavioral contingency that increases the frequency of a particular behavior that it follows

Whether positive or negative, it alsways increases the frequency of the employee behavior

an event that an individual finds desirable or pleasing

an individual's culture influences whether a _____ acts as a reinforcer

an event for which the individual already knows the value

ex) food, shelter, and water

an event that once had neutral value but has taken on some value (postive or negative) for an individual because of past experience

in organizations, ____ influence most behaviors

ex) money

Core Benefits: life insurance, sick leave, holiday pay, retirement savings plan

Optional Benefits: dental and eye care, health spending acounts

Other Benefits: tuition reimbursements, car pooling, career planning

states that the larger the amount of reinforcer delivered after the desired behavior, the more effect the reinforcer will have on the frequency of the desired behavior

The amount, or size, of the reinforcer is relative and will be different from one person to another

occurs when an unpleasant event that precedes the employee behavior is removed when the desired behavior occurs

increases the lieklihood that the desired behavior will occur

sometimes confused with punishment because both use unpleasant events that influence behavior

used to increase the frequency of a desireed behavior

the removal of all reinforcing events

________ decreases the frequency of an undesirable behavior

Leaders use extinction to reduce undesirable employee behaviors that prevent achievement or org. goals.

Useful techinique for reducing and eliminating behaviors that disrupt normal workflow 

Extinction procedure consists of 3 steps

1) identify behavior to be reduced or eliminated

2) identify the reinforcer that maintains the behavior

3) stop the reinforcer

refers to an unpleasant event occuring following a behavior and decreasing that behavior's frequency

used to decrease the frequency of an undesired behavior

ex) material consequences (cut in pay, suspension without pay, demotion, transfer to a deadend job, firing)

ex) interpersonal punishers (oral reprimand)

1) a punisher should be irectly linked to the undesirable behavior (principle of contingent punishment)

2) the punishment should be administered immediately (principle of immediate punishment)

3) the greater the size of the punisher, the stronger the effect on the undesirable behavior (Principle of punishment size)

*potential negative consquences may be greater than the original undesirable behavior

*may cause undesirable emotional reactions

*frequently leds to shortterm suppression f the undesirable behavior, rather than to its elimination

*individuals may try to avoid or escapt the situation (high absenteeism or quitting)

*suppreses employee initiative and flexibility

*produces a conditioned fear of management

1: Antecedet

2: Undesirable employee behavior

3: Punishment by manager

4: Short-term decrease in frequency of  

    undesirable employee behavior

5: Long-term effects including:

*recurrence of undesirable employee behavior

*undesirable emotional reaction

*aggressive, disruptive behavior

*apathetic, noncreative performance

*fear of manager

*high turnover and absenteeism

"Praise in public; punish in private"

Speficially describe the undesirable behavior to be avoided in the future

Focus on the target behavior and avoid threatening the employee's self-image

punish the specific undesirable behavior, not the employee.  Behavior is easier to change than the employee

specify alterative behavior to the emlpyee

balance between use of pleasant and unpleasant events.  Rule of tumb is that this ratio should be 5 to 1: five positive reinforcements to one punishment

means that the behavior is reinforced each time it occurs and is the simplest schedule of reinforcement

ex) dropping coins in a soft drink vending machine

refers to a reinforcer being delivered after some, but not every, occurence of the desired behvior

can be subdivided into:

1) interval and ratio schedules

2) fixed and variable schedules

a constant amount of time must pass before a reinforcer is provided

**Leads to average performance

**ex)weekly, biweekly, or monthly paychecks

represents the changes in the amount of time between reinforcers

ex) spot checking the quality of employee's work at different times

**Leads to moderately high and stable performance

**ex) occasional praise by team members

the desired behavior must occur a specified number of times before it is reinforced

administering rewards under this schedule tends to produce a high response rate when thet ime for reinforcement is close, followed by periods of steady behavior

the employee soon determines that reinforcement is based on the number of responses and performs the responses as quickly as possible in order to receive the reward

**Leads quickly to high and stable performance

**Ex) Piece-rate pay

a certain number of desired behaviors must occur before the reinforcer is delivered, but the number of behaviors varies around some average

leaders frequently use this with praise and recognition

this schedule is effective because it creates uncertainty about when the consequence will occur

the use of this schedule makes sense for giving praise or autitingthe behavior of employees.  Employees know that the consequences will be elivered but don't know when

**Lead to very high performance

**Ex) random quality checks with praise for zero defects

refers to knowledge acquisition through the mental processing of information by observing and imitating others

Symbolizing

Forethought

Vicarious Learning

Self Control

Slef Efficacy

the process of creating a mental image to guide an individual's behavior

employees process visual experiences into cognitive models that serve to guide their behavior

refers to the individual planning his or her actions based on the level of performance he or she desires

employees plan their actions, anticipate consequences, and determine the levels of desired performance

refers to the individual observing the behavior of others and the consequences of that behavior

employees observe others' performance and the consequences of their performance

individuals learn what works and what doesn't work by watching others and studying what happens to them

refers to the individual selecting his or her own goals and ways of reaching them to learn new behaviors

employees control their own performance by comparing it to their own performance standards

employee takes responsibility for learning and performing the desired behaviors

the individual's estimate of his or her own ability to perform a specific task in a particular situation

employees are confident that they can do a task

• the greater the employee's perceived ability to perform the task, the higher the employee's self-efficacy
• influences the activities and goals that individuals choose for themselves
• influences the effort that individual exert on the job
• affects the persistence with which an individual stays with a complex task

• individuals believe that they have the ability needed
• individuals believe that they are capable of the effort required
• individuals believe that no outside events will keep them from performing at a high level

• individuals believe that no matter how hard they try, something will happen to prevent them from reaching the desired level of performance