5-1 ©2005 Prentice Hall

Understanding and

Managing Organizational

Behavior

4th Edition

Chapter 5:5:Learning and Learning and

CreativityCreativity

JENNIFER GEORGE JENNIFER GEORGE & GARETH JONES& GARETH JONES

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Chapter Objectives

Describe what learning is and why it is so important for all kinds of jobs and organizations

Understand how to effectively use reinforcement, extinction, and punishment to promote the learning of desired behaviors and curtail ineffective behaviors

Describe the conditions necessary to determine if vicarious learning has taken place

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Chapter Objectives

Appreciate the importance of self control and self efficacy for learning on your own

Describe how learning takes place continuously through creativity, the nature of the creative process, and the determinants of creativity

Understand what it means to be a learning organization

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Opening Case: Continuous Learning at Seagate Technologies

Why is continuous learning a necessity in today’s business environment?

Seagate Technologies has shown how continuous learning can put organizations and their members in charge of their own fate

Seagate decided to learn from multiple sources including its customers’ customers.

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Learning in Organizations

A relatively permanent change in knowledge or behavior that results from practice or experience– With learning comes change– Change must be relatively permanent– Learning takes place as a result of

practice or through experience

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Operant Conditioning

Learning that takes place when the learner recognizes the connection between a behavior and its consequences– Individuals learn to operate on their

environment, to behave in certain ways to achieve desirable consequences or avoid undesirable consequences

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Reinforcement in Operant Conditioning

The process by which the probably that a desired behavior will occur is increased by applying consequences that depend on the behavior in question– Step 1: identify desired behaviors to be

encouraged– Step 2: decide how to reinforce the

behavior

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Positive Reinforcement

Increases the probability that a behavior will occur by administering positive consequences to employees who perform the behavior

Potential positive reinforcers– Pay– Bonuses– Promotions– Job titles– Verbal praise– Awards

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Negative Reinforcement

Increases the probability that a desired behavior will occur by removing a negative consequence when an employee performs the behavior

Subordinates experiencing negative reinforcement learn the connection between a desired organizational behavior and a consequence

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Reinforcement Schedules

Continuous Reinforcement: Occurs after every occurrence of a behavior

Partial Reinforcement: Occurs only a portion of the time that behavior occurs

Differences:– Continuous reinforcement can result in faster

learning of desired behaviors– Behaviors learned using partial reinforcement

are likely to last longer

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Reinforcement Schedules

Fixed-Interval ScheduleFixed-Interval Schedule Variable-Interval ScheduleVariable-Interval Schedule Fixed-Ratio ScheduleFixed-Ratio Schedule Variable-Ratio ScheduleVariable-Ratio Schedule

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Extinction and Punishment

ExtinctionExtinction: Removing a consequence that is currently reinforcing an undesirable behavior in an effort to decrease the probability that the behavior will occur again in the future

PunishmentPunishment: Administering negative consequences to workers who perform undesirable behaviors in an effort to decrease the probability that the behavior will occur again in the future

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Negative Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Punishment reduces the probability of an undesired behavior

Negative reinforcement increases the probability of a desired behavior

Punishment involves administering a negative consequence when an undesired behavior occurs

Negative reinforcement entails removing a negative consequence when a desired behavior occurs

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Organizational Behavior Modification

The systematic application of the principles of operant conditioning for teaching and managing organizational behaviors

OB Mod

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The Basic Steps of OB Mod

Identify the behavior to be learned Measure the frequency of the behavior Perform a functional analysis Develop and apply a strategy Measure the frequency of the behavior

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Social Cognitive Theory

A learning theory that takes into account the fact that thoughts and feelings influence learning.

Necessary components include– Vicarious learning– Self-control– Self-efficacy

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Vicarious Learning

Learning that occurs when one person (the learner) learns a behavior by watching another person (the model) perform the behavior

Learners can also learn from situations in which models get punished

Role models can be positive or negative

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Conditions Required for Vicarious Learning

Learner observes the model when the model is performing the behavior

Learner accurately perceives model’s behavior

Learner must remember the behavior Learner must have the skills and abilities to

perform the behavior Learner must see that the model receives

reinforcement for the behavior in question

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Conditions Indicating Use of Self-Control

Individual must engage in a low-probability behavior

Self-reinforcers must be available Learner must set goals that determine when

self-reinforcement takes place Learner must administer the reinforcer when

the goal is achieved

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Self-Efficacy

A person’s belief about his or her ability to perform a particular behavior successfully– Not the same as self-esteem

Self-efficacy affects learning via – Activities– Effort– Persistence

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Sources of Self-Efficacy

Past performance Vicarious experience or observation of

others Verbal persuasion Individuals’ readings of their internal

physiological states

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The Learning Organization

Organizational learning: the process through which managers instill a desire to find new ways to improve organizational effectiveness

Knowledge management: the ability to capitalize on the knowledge possessed by organizational members which is not necessarily written down anywhere or codified in formal documents

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Central Activities in a Learning Organization

Encouragement of personal mastery or high self-efficacy

Development of complex schemas to understand work activities

Encouragement of learning in groups and teams

Communicating a shared vision for the organization as a whole

Encouraging systematic thinking