What is organizational behavior management? What are the five steps of this management approach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using the organizational behavior management approach, managers systematically analyze the factors that influence employee behavior, rather than relying on intuition or trial-and-error methods. Then, they carefully optimize both antecedents and consequences to maximize what Aubrey C. Daniels calls \u201cdiscretionary effort.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s explore the five steps and examine Daniels\u2019s tips for success at every stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
To explain what organizational behavior management is, Daniels goes through each step and offers tips. The first step of Daniels\u2019s approach is to identify the desired behavior by clearly defining your objective and the specific employee actions that support it. The objective may be to solve a problem, <\/em>like frequently missed deadlines, or achieve a goal, <\/em>like heightened productivity. Daniels recommends that you start by establishing the objective; then, work backwards and decide which employee behaviors are most likely to lead to those desired results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels notes that executives often identify objectives\u2014they\u2019re responsible for knowing the company\u2019s mission and values, so they have a better idea of what the company needs employees to achieve. In contrast, managers are responsible for implementing the behavioral strategies needed for employees to achieve the desired objective.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you decide which employee behaviors to target, Daniels suggests that you consider three factors. Let\u2019s explore each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels suggests that behavioral interventions are best suited for cases when an employee is undermotivated<\/strong>\u2014when they\u2019re capable of achieving excellence, but they don\u2019t want to for one reason or another. Daniels\u2019s methods are not as helpful when the employee is simply underequipped to perform the desired behavior. If they lack adequate know-how or resources, you should address that\u2014for example, with additional training\u2014before asking them to change their behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniel says that before you decide to target a specific behavior, you should consider how it contributes to the objective. If an objective depends on external factors beyond an employee\u2019s control\u2014like market conditions, organizational constraints, or actions by other departments\u2014then targeting that employee\u2019s behavior won\u2019t garner the results you want to achieve. Instead, Daniels says you should focus on empowering employees<\/a> to take ownership of behaviors that have a direct impact on the objective.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, say that your objective is to boost sales. It would be inappropriate to ask a salesperson to increase the number of customers entering the store, as that\u2019s influenced by factors like location, advertising, and external demand\u2014things that are largely out of their control. But you could consider targeting behaviors like whether the employee proactively reaches out to prospects, uses upselling and cross-selling techniques, and follows up on leads.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels clarifies that you should ensure you\u2019re targeting behaviors <\/em>that are specific and measurable<\/strong>, <\/em>rather than attitudes or personal qualities, which are subjective and hard to change from the outside. This ensures that both employees and managers have a clear understanding of what the desired behavior looks like and how progress can be tracked. For example, setting a goal to \u201cimprove customer service\u201d is too broad and open to interpretation, whereas a goal like \u201crespond to customer emails within two hours\u201d is specific and measurable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Step 2 of Daniels\u2019s approach, you\u2019ll collect baseline data about your employees\u2019 current performance to use as a reference point for evaluating how effective your behavioral intervention is. Daniels suggests clearly communicating the purpose of the evaluation process\u2014he notes that many employees are uncomfortable with performance assessments because they fear being judged or punished based on the results. This discomfort often stems from past experiences where evaluations were used solely for disciplinary purposes. To mitigate this fear and gain accurate baseline data, emphasize that evaluations are intended to identify areas for growth and improvement, not to find fault or assign blame.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels says managers should collect two kinds of baseline data about employee behaviors: quantitative and qualitative data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quantitative data<\/strong> is more objective, so Daniels recommends focusing on that whenever possible. He also recommends using raw data\u2014like simple frequency counts, response times, and numerical scores\u2014over processed data like percentages and averages. Raw data provides a more accurate picture of behavior as it captures specific, concrete actions rather than potentially distorting the results through calculations or transformations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, instead of averaging<\/em> the time employees take to respond to customer inquiries, you might track individual<\/em> response times for each inquiry. This allows you to see how consistently employees meet response time targets and identify any outliers or patterns that could signal specific problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qualitative data<\/strong> describe your subjective assessments of aspects of performance that can\u2019t be counted, like an employee\u2019s acumen for customer service. Because qualitative data are subjective, many people consider them less reliable than quantitative data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 3 of Daniels\u2019s approach involves giving employees feedback about their performance so far and setting up goals for them to aim for. Both feedback and goals are potent antecedents<\/strong>\u2014they help employees understand whether they need to speed up, slow down, or be more careful in their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels explains that the way you deliver feedback has a significant impact on its effectiveness. When providing feedback<\/a>, focus only on aspects that are within the employee\u2019s control. This ensures that the feedback is actionable and doesn\u2019t lead to frustration over outcomes that are beyond their influence. Additionally, Daniels recommends that you give individual feedback privately; public recognition can be uncomfortable<\/a> or demoralizing for those who are underperforming. In contrast, you should give group feedback publicly\u2014this can encourage mutual support among your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels suggests setting easily achievable, bite-sized goals for your employees and taking things one goal at a time. Easy goals are those that are just beyond an employee\u2019s current reach. The employee is more likely to succeed at these than they are at challenging goals, which increases the likelihood of positive reinforcement and boosts their motivation to keep doing their best. This means that, somewhat counterintuitively, easy goals can be more effective at improving performance than challenging ones. It\u2019s also important to set goals that are fair\u2014instead of giving everyone on your team the same goal, tailor individual goals to suit each person\u2019s current performance level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fourth step\u2014using consequences\u2014is the crux of Daniels\u2019s approach to management. According to Daniels, people tend to repeat behaviors that lead to positive consequences while avoiding those that have negative consequences. This means you can leverage consequences to reinforce desired behaviors and deter undesired behaviors<\/strong>. Daniels lists two main types of behavioral consequences; we\u2019ll discuss each, along with some of Daniels\u2019s tips for harnessing their power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Positive reinforcement is a motivational technique that works by tying desired behaviors to positive outcomes, thereby increasing the likelihood they\u2019ll be repeated. Daniels asserts that positive reinforcement is the only way to promote discretionary effort<\/strong>\u2014it creates a clear and rewarding connection between employees\u2019 actions and their sense of satisfaction, motivating them to consistently invest extra effort into their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two kinds of positive reinforcement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daniels states that negative reinforcement discourages repetition of a behavior by tying it to an unpleasant consequence.<\/strong> These consequences can be punishments (natural outcomes of the behavior, like reprimands) or penalties (outcomes that take something of value away from the employee, like pay cuts).<\/p>\n\n\n\n While negative reinforcement can be useful for achieving short-term results, Daniels advises against using them too liberally<\/strong>. He says negative reinforcement prompts employees to do just enough to avoid the consequence and doesn\u2019t encourage them to invest discretionary effort into their work. For example, say you set a rule that employees must follow procedures exactly as documented, or else they\u2019ll be fired. They\u2019ll likely follow the procedures to the letter, but they may not engage creatively or suggest improvements to the process, as they\u2019re primarily focused on avoiding negative outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the final step of Daniels\u2019s approach, you\u2019ll evaluate whether your behavioral intervention has helped you achieve your objective. To do this, gather the same kinds of data you collected in Step 2 and compare your results. Then, determine whether the behavior changed and whether you\u2019re closer to achieving your objective than you were before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also ask your employees for feedback about the reinforcements you\u2019ve been using. Daniels warns against asking people what reinforcements they want before your intervention because they may not know or answer honestly, but you can gather feedback afterward to gauge the intervention\u2019s effectiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is organizational behavior management? What are the five steps of this management approach? Using the organizational behavior management approach, managers systematically analyze the factors that influence employee behavior, rather than relying on intuition or trial-and-error methods. Then, they carefully optimize both antecedents and consequences to maximize what Aubrey C. Daniels calls \u201cdiscretionary effort.” Let’s explore the five steps and examine Daniels\u2019s tips for success at every stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":134156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,14],"tags":[1632],"class_list":["post-133303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-management","tag-bringing-out-the-best-in-people","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nFactor #1: The Behavior Should Be Achievable for the Employee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Factor #2: The Behavior Must Directly Contribute to the Objective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Factor #3: The Behavior Must Be Specific and Measurable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Assess Performance to Date<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Kinds of Data Should You Collect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Communicate Feedback and Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Deliver Feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Set Goals for Your Employees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Encourage With Consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Consequence #1: Positive Reinforcement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Consequence #2: Negative Reinforcement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: Review Your Progress<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n