Behavioral Performance Management - Revision Notes

Behavioral Performance Management Model

Identification of Performance Behaviors
Measurement of the Behavior
Functional Analysis of the Behavior
Development of Intervention Strategy
Evaluation to ensure Performance

The whole text on organizational behavior is concerned with the what and how of managing and leading people for high performance in today's organizations.

Organizational behavior is a science that explains how people behave. In a changing world, the science of behavior must remain the bedrock, the starting place for every decision we make, every new technology we apply, and every initiative we employ in our efforts to bring out the best in people.

In this chapter, an over view of learning theory and principles are first discussed as they act as the foundation for presenting the behavioral management practice.

Learning Process - Change in Behavior

All organizational behavior is either directly or indirectly affected by learning. For example, a worker's skill, a manager's attitude, an assistant's motivation, or a doctor's mode of dress are all learned.  Hence managers of organizational behavior have to understand the learning mechanisms to guide employees to change their behavior. Learning is defined as change in behavior.

In learning theories, behavioristic theories, cognitive theories, social learning and social cognitive learning theories are discussed in the chapter. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are behavioristic theories.

In operant conditioning, the organism must operate on the environment in a right way or appropriate way to get the desired reward.

Working is the operation a worker has to do to get food clothing and shelter for himself and his family.

Cognitive Learning

Tolman proposed cognitive learning.

Kohler discovered insight learning (insight is not based on experience)

Social Learning

Learning takes place via vicarious, or modeling, and self-control processes.

Behavioral Dimension Performance Management Process 

1. Identification of Performance Behaviors

Critical behavior that contribute to job performance in the organization are to be identified

2. Measurement of the Behavior

A baseline measure is obtained by determining by observing or by analysis of records the number of times the identified behavior is occurring or not occurring.

3. Functional Analysis of the Behavior

A functional analysis identifies both the antecedents (A) and consequences (C) of the target behavior (B), or simply stated, an A-B-C analysis is performed.

The antecedent cues that emit or elicit the behavior, and sometimes control it, and the consequences that are currently maintaining the behavior must be identified and understood before an effective intervention strategy can be developed.  If the employee cannot do the behavior even if he wants to do it, then intervention has to be in antecedent variables. If the employee can do but not doing it, then the intervention has to be in consequence variables.

4. Development of Intervention Strategy

The strategies to be used strengthen functional behaviors and weaken dysfunctional behaviors are positive reinforcement and punishment-positive reinforcement.

Under positive control, people come to work in order to be recognized for making a contribution to their department's goal of perfect attendance, and they keep busy irrespective of the supervisor's presence to receive incentive pay or recognition

If punishment is to be used or used, the supervisor must take the first opportunity to positively reinforce the alternative behavior.

5. Evaluation to ensure Performance

Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation to a behavior modification initiative are important. They are reaction, learning, behavioral change, and performance improvement.

Step 1: Identification of Performance Behaviors

The goal of the first step of O.B. Mod. is to identify the critical behaviors—the 5 to 10 percent of the behaviors that may account for up to 70 or 80 percent of the performance in the area in question.

The process of identifying critical behaviors can be carried out in a couple of ways. One approach is to have the person closest to the job in question—the immediate supervisor or the actual jobholder—determine the critical behaviors. Another approach to identifying critical behaviors would be to conduct a systematic behavioral audit by internal staff specialists and/or outside consultants. The audit would systematically analyze each job in question, in the manner that jobs are analyzed using job analysis techniques commonly employed in human resource management. In this approach  the jobholder, his immediate supervisor, and others related provide inputs. 

 

Regardless of the method used, there are certain guidelines that can be helpful in identifying critical behaviors. First, only direct performance behaviors are included. Only direct performance behaviors such as absenteeism or attendance, tardiness or promptness, or, most importantly, doing or not doing a particular task or procedure that leads to quantity and/or quality outcomes play the major role in O.B. Mod.  The behavior has to be measurable such as not being at the workstation, being tardy when returning from breaks, spending time at the water cooler, disrupting coworkers, playing computer

games or surfing for personal reasons, and even socializing with coworkers face-to-face or

with others online. However, for a behavior to be identified as a critical behavior appropriate for O.B. Mod., there must be a positive answer to the questions: (1) Can it be directly measured? and (2) Does it have a significant impact on a performance outcome?

The behaviors causing problems must be properly identified, or the subsequent steps of O.B. Mod. become meaningless for attaining the overall goal of

performance improvement.

Step 2: Measurement of the Behavior

After the performance behaviors have been identified in step 1, they are measured. A baseline measure is obtained by determining (either by observing and counting or by extracting from existing records) the number of times that the identified behavior is occurring under existing conditions.  The purpose of the baseline measure is to provide objective frequency data on the critical behavior. A baseline frequency count is an operational definition of the strength of the behavior under existing conditions. It is important to realize that measures are taken after the intervention as well. 

Step 3: Functional Analysis of the Behavior

Once the performance behavior has been identified and a baseline measure has been obtained, a functional analysis is performed of the critical behaviors finalized on the basis of baseline data. A functional analysis identifies both the antecedents (A) and consequences (C) of the target behavior (B), or, simply stated, an A-B-C analysis is performed. As discussed under behavioristic learning theory and operant conditioning, both the antecedent and the consequent environments are vital to the understanding, prediction, and control of human behavior in organizations.  In the A-B-C functional analysis, A is the antecedent cue, B is the performance behavior identified in step 1, and C is the contingent consequence. 

They know how to do the desired performance behavior and there is all the necessary support to do it, but there are not reinforcing consequences and therefore the behavior is not occurring. This lack of reinforcing consequences is the major problem and challenge facing behavioral management. 

Step 4: Development of an Intervention Strategy

The goal of the intervention is to strengthen and accelerate functional performance behaviors and/or weaken and decelerate dysfunctional behaviors. There are several strategies that can be used, but the main ones are positive reinforcement and punishment–positive reinforcement.

A Positive Reinforcement Strategy

Positive, not negative, reinforcement is recommended as an effective intervention strategy for

O.B. Mod. Under positive control, the person behaves in a certain way in order to

receive the desired consequence. Under positive control, people come to work in order to be

recognized for making a contribution to their department’s goal of perfect attendance, or they

keep busy whether the supervisor is around or not in order to receive incentive pay or because

they get social recognition/attention and feedback for their good work. Positive control through

a positive reinforcement intervention strategy is much more effective and longer lasting than

negative control. It creates a much healthier and more productive organizational climate.

Besides money, many positive reinforcers that are also very powerful, readily available to all behavioral managers, and cost nothing are the social reinforcers (attention and recognition) and performance feedback. These reinforcers (money, recognition, and feedback) can be and, as has been demonstrated through research, have been used as an effective O.B. Mod. strategy to improve employee performance. In fact, the most comprehensive evidence shown in Figure 12.5 indicates that when these three reinforcers are used in combination in the intervention, they produce a stronger (synergistic) effect and probability of success than any of the reinforcers used by themselves, the sum of the individual

effects, or the combination of any two of the interventions.

A Punishment–Positive Reinforcement Strategy

So many negative side effects such as hate and revenge accompany the use of punishment that it should be avoided if at all possible. Punished behavior tends to be only temporarily suppressed; for example, if a supervisor reprimands an associate for some dysfunctional behavior, the behavior will decrease in the presence of the supervisor but will surface again when the supervisor is absent. In addition, a punished person becomes very anxious and uptight; reliance on punishment may have a disastrous impact

on employee satisfaction and commitment and create unnecessary stress.

If punishment is deemed necessary and given, the desirable alternative behavior (for example, safe behavior) should be positively reinforced at the first opportunity. Use of this combination strategy will cause the alternative desirable behavior to begin to replace the undesirable behavior in the person’s

behavioral repertoire. Punishment should never be used alone as an O.B. Mod. intervention. It has to be supported by positive reinforcement support quickly.  If punishment is absolutely necessary, it should only be used in combination with positive reinforcement of the desirable alternative behavior.

Step 5: Evaluation to Ensure Performance Improvement

O.B. Mod. attempts to meet the credibility and accountability problems head on by

including evaluation as an actual part of the process. In this last step of the approach, the

need for Kirkpatrick’s well-known four levels of evaluation (reaction, learning, behavioral

change, and performance improvement) is stressed. 

The reaction level refers simply to whether the people using the approach and those having it used on them like it. If O.B. Mod. is well received and there is a positive reaction to it, there is a better chance of its being used effectively. In addition, reaction evaluations are helpful because (1) positive

reactions help ensure organizational support, (2) they can provide information for planning

future programs, (3) favorable reactions can enhance the other levels of evaluation (learning, behavioral change, and performance improvement), and (4) they can provide useful

comparative data between units and across time.

The second level of evaluation is learning, which is especially important when first

implementing an O.B. Mod. approach. Do the people using the approach understand the

theoretical background and underlying assumptions and the meaning of, and reasons

for, the steps in the model? If they do not, the model will again tend to be used ineffectively.

The third level is aimed at behavioral change. Are behaviors actually being changed? The

charting of behaviors started in step 2 of the O.B. Mod. process gives objective data for this

level of evaluation. 

The fourth and final level, performance improvement, is the most important.   “Hard” measures

(for example, data on quantity and quality, turnover, absenteeism, customer complaints,

customer satisfaction, employee grievances, safety, length of patient stay, number of clients

served, sales revenue, and rate of return on investment) and scientific methodology are used

whenever possible to systematically evaluate the impact of O.B. Mod. on performance.

Introduction to Organizational Behavior - Online Book

May - Management Knowledge Revision - Cost and Management Accounting and Organizational Behavior

Updated on 25.5.2022,  23 May 2017, 17 July 2014