Performance management learning objectives unit 1

How does PM deal with thoughts and feelings? What are private behaviors/private events?

PM considers feelings and thoughts just more behavior to be explained. Thoughts and feelings are private behaviors. The only person who can use those methods on internal thoughts and feelings is the individual... it is considered private until one speaks out about it.

Pm requires no formal psychological training

PM is supported by thousands of experimental and applied research studies; Dr. Skinner rejected the belief that in order to work effectively with people you must first understand their deep-seated anxieties, feelings, and motives.

Pm is an open system

PM relies primarily on positive methods for changing another person's performance, there is no need for a secret improvement plan.

What is "Pareto's Law" and how does it apply to the distinction between behavior and results?

Pareto's Law is engaging in many behaviors to produce a result when only a few behaviors are actually related to the accomplishment of the result. Also, all possible causes of a result, only a small percentage actually are responsible for most of the effect. Nowadays, we interpret this law to mean that 20 percent of employee behaviors probably produce 80 percent of the results.

"Behaviors or results: When should you emphasize one?" answer/explain

Pinpoint both behaviors and results, but always pinpoint and measure results first. Because all results are the outcome of behavior, behavior must be the primary concern of managers. Managers who focus solely on results may create lying, cheating, or stealing. This is frequent when the pressure is high to create results. False data may also occur. Behaviors may get neglected that are necessary for long term results. In other words, short term gains will be reinforced at the expense of long-term results.

What are the three characteristics of pinpoints?

Pinpoints must be clearly measurable and observable. Measurements of these results must be reliable. The number of miles driven per gallon is an example of a good pinpoint.

What is the major reason for measuring in a PM system?

Progress requires measurement, in other words "Measurement is key to progress". If you don't measure, you usually can't tell if performance is improving, waning, or staying the same

what are the four measurement cateories?

Quality, quantity, timeliness, cost

Ranking and rating are the two main methods of judgment measurement. What are the pros and cons for each one?

Ranking involves comparing the performances of individuals against one another. It consists of deciding if the performance you are considering is better or worse than the one closest to it. In a rating system, all performers could receive a perfect score at the same time. This can also be problematic at times. Rating- The ability to meet a criteria.

According to Skinner, "Mentalistic explanations explain __________." Explain

"Mentalistic explanations explain NOTHING." It explains nothing to say that a person is "lazy" or "unmotivated". It requires interpretation of the action of performers.

What is the key advantage of a point system?

A point system weighs different aspects of a job according to their value to the organization at the time. Focusing on merit means to focus on positive behaviors that are beneficial to the company.

How is the word result used in PM? 20 Explain in your own words: "You do not manage the bottom line; you manage the processes that create it..."

A result refers to the processes we design to convert inputs into outputs. It is not realistic to think that you can directly manage the bottom line in an organization. However, the various elements that affect the bottom line are the people that work in an organization. If you can manage them correctly(processes), then it is likely that your bottom line will undergo a massive improvement.

distinguish between an active and inactive pinpoint

Active pinpoints is having to do something or an action or they make it known what is wanted. They are easy to follow and make expectations clear. Inactive pinpoints imply absenteeism. The person does not have to do anything in order not to come to work.

What design do you use when you want to compare two treatments simultaneously?

Alternating Treatment Desgins

Give an example to support "attitudes are not behavior."

An example of "Attitudes are not Behaviors" is that of a coworker who completes work at a much higher rate than others and as a consequence, is ostracized from the slower coworkers group. Only when she slows her rate of work down is she then accepted by her peers in consequence. This is the case of the rate buster.

job mission

Best way to determine a job mission is to start by listing all the results and key activities of a job then try to summarize it in one short statement why the performer do these things (Starbucks example = jobs filled)

why is a scientific orientation important for organizations? Carefully consider "correlation is not causation" and why this is important to understand in business

Correlation is not causation. Just because two things are associated with overtime does not mean that one caused the other. In behavior analysis there are two primary ways of determining cause and effect: They are reversal and multiple-baseline research designs.

Pm is practical and it works

Firms using PM have reported ROI and job-specific applications range from sales and safety to customer service and vendor performance.

"For every pinpoint you should ask..." ___________.

For every pinpoint you should ask, "What are the relevant measures of performance?"

unit mission

For example (Starbucks sales department's mission should state as simply as possible the essential outcome of its effort: contracted sales.)

What is behavior NOT

Generalities are not behaviors, many people have an imprecise definition of the term behavior. Attitudes are not behaviors and are often general descriptions. States are not behaviors, a state is a static condition that exists as a result of a behavior. Values are not behaviors, articulating mission, vision, and values have had little impact on behavior.

Deming, who was known for his work in quality, was interested in process variance - what is this?

He stated that the employee should not be held accountable for results when the system was out of control, meaning that the sources of variability in the process were not minimized.

Labeling can lead to _______. Why is this so bad?

Labeling can lead to stereotyping. Stereotyping leads to us having a preconceived idea of someone's potential. This can cause us to attribute many qualities that are often negative to a person or group. This can be dangerous and limiting.

Why not just look at profitability measures as a means of evaluation of organizational performance?

Looking at profitability or bottom line to evaluate organizational performance is not the best route. The bottom line can be referred to as the overall scorecard for an organization. The bottom line or profitability of a company is a good place to start your analysis when finding areas of improvement, but not a good place to end it. You must look at the various behavioral components within a company to determine where areas can be improved

What does "M.O." stand for? How does this add to our understanding of factors which affect behavior?

MO stands for Motivating Operation. These are events that alter the present value of a reinforcer. MO's can be described as invisible drivers that propel behavior in search of a way to decrease the deprivation. MO's occur simultaneously with antecedents and prior to behavior to alter the value of consequences for an individual, in accordance to the ABC model.

What does this mean: "Managing effectively requires performance data."

Managing effectively requires performance data, if you don't have data to support your assessments, you may appear opinionated, subjective, and irrational.

Why is "Managing the detail of successful performers..." overkill?

Managing the detail of successful performers is overkill. Once performers demonstrate skills at high and steady rates, the need to supervise every event is not required. PM creates a great advantage by pinpointing the critical

There appear to be many excuses used for not measuring performance, give at least three in your own words.

Many people and organizations feel that certain jobs can't be measured. This has been a common theme for a long time but isn't necessarily accurate. Instead, the mindset needs to be: everything can be measured. People feel that measurement is hard work. The actual measurement is not typically the hard part. Instead, pinpointing is the difficult part. Punishment is often associated with measurement which can lead organizations away from using performance management. This is because it is often used to catch people who are underperforming.

What are the "four Ms"

Materials, machinery, methods, and manpower

Pinpoints are not beliefs, attitudes, etc. Why not? Motivation, personality, and morale all requirepinpointing, why?

Observations made from different performances cause people to conclude that a person is motivated, has a pleasant personality, communicates well, or has high morale. However, these are opinions of that person, not observations of their behavior. These all require pinpointing because each represents a collection of behaviors and results.

when are you ready for the measurement phase?

Once you pinpointed the behavior and the result you would like to change and your mission has passed the ACORN test, you are ready to begin the measurement phase.

what are the four purposes of work sampling?

One purpose of work sampling is when it is done at levels below your direct reports, this determines how well your organizational structure functions. The second purpose is to determine how well your management process works. Three, sample work with the supervisor to ensure that you both are seeing the same things and to train him on what your criteria for success are. Lastly, use this opportunity to strengthen the position of the supervisor rather than undercutting it.

What was the problem that the consultants were working on? what was their solution? did it work? (about the upselling of popcorn)

The problem was that the employees/ staff were not engaging in the behaviors necessary to sell what they needed to sell in concessions consistently. GOAL = increase profits. The consultants started a reinforcement plan to compensate for the built-in punishers (staff being told no by customers). They used a computer-facilitated behavior measurement system to track the frequency of the desired sales behaviors. No, Although they quickly learned what reinforcers the staff would work for as we saw significant increase in the behaviors of interest, up-selling took more time which resulted in longer wait times for the customers, as lines lengthened, arriving customers were bypassing the concession stands entirely. They achieved the behavior change wanted but it was never going to make a contribution to the bottom line.

What is wrong with managing by results only?

The problem with managing by results only is that you're already a step behind if you ask yourself what the problem is after it already occurs. You have to recreate the past and determine the behavior that was used to produce a specific result. In terms of profitability, you must outline the results you need as goals and then create a behavior within the workplace that will allow you to reach those goals. This will make profitability a much easier task within an organization.

The statement behavior is a function of its consequences, could be modified to say, "Behavior is a function of its antecedents, consequences, and motivating operations." Explain how this is a more complete explanation

The statement behavior is a function of its consequences, could be modified to say, "Behavior is a function of its antecedents, consequences, and motivating operations" because behaviors do not only involve consequences, but they also produce antecedents that prompt behavior, as well as motivating operations that stimulate the motivation to exhibit a behavior.

How does PM relate to the larger field of applied behavior analysis?

The techniques and practices of PM are derived from Behavior Analysis, the term describing the scientific study of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis is a branch of behavior analysis that seeks to extend the findings of laboratory research to everyday problems. PM is a workplace technology derived from the science of behavior analysis. PM is the branch of apple's behavior analysis that focuses on the workplace.

define pinpointing and give an example of it in a business situation

The term pinpointing simply means being precise about behavior. Example: An employee making a presentation to upper management about a certain topic they are trying to fix in stores.

what are the two major measurement methods

The two major measurement methods are counting and judgement. Counting is preferred.

While in the process of pinpointing you can sometimes discover there really is not problem. Explain this. What is meant by the magnitude of a problem?

This can occur when someone dives into a problem they think is present. When dissecting this, they realize that the magnitude of this problem turns out to be much different than the problem that was originally there. Sometimes a simple change in behavior can solve this problem. Simple word changes often have multiple, unanticipated but positive effects.

"All organizational results are the products of human behavior." Explain.

This means that every result is produced by someone doing something. Everything stems from human behavior and what the employees are doing. To change results, you must change behavior.

"Organizations can only increase value through the behavior of employees." What does this mean?

This means that where we value a result, we will see the behavior that contributes to its accomplishment as valuable. The value of behavior for a given organization can only be determined by its relationship to the organization's output.

How does a "proactive manager" work?

To be a proactive manager, you have to define the results that you need and determine the behaviors that will yield those results. You then have to manage those behaviors as they occur. If you manage these behaviors consistently, you will know the result before it comes time to look at a report at the end of the quarter. For example, if you are running a business and have a culture that all employees must represent, you know there will not be a bug culture issue within the company. You know the behaviors of employees in the workplace and understand the result as they do their jobs.

"To change results, you must change _____." 19 Explain.

To change results, you must change behavior. Managing by results is not efficient or sustainable. By the time you tackle something based on the result, the behavior that caused it to be created is already gone. You must recreate the past to understand the causes of results.

What are the problems with measuring attitudes? What is wrong with informal surveys, opinionpolls, and the like? What is the most serious concern and why? What does attitude surveysindicate, at best?

To measure attitudes reliably, psychologists and test experts have to be consulted which can be very costly and time consuming. Informal surveys such as straw votes or opinion polls can produce invalid and unreliable results. These surveys and opinion polls can be wrong which is why managers who use surveys must ensure that the surveys actually measure the correct variables and the results are meaningful. The most serious problem with measuring attitudes is that people's responses to questionnaires or interviews may not predict their behavior. Attitude surveys indicate expressed attitudes rather than actual behavior.

"Trying to solve a business problem by trying to change thoughts and feelings is inefficient and intrusive..." What does this mean?

Trying to solve a business problem by trying to change thoughts and feelings is an inefficient and intrusive approach to changing performance. This means that while everyone has thoughts and feelings, and those thoughts and feelings seem concrete enough to the individual we do not attempt to manipulate them in our PM approach.

Why is a value, like honesty, not a behavior? what is a behavior that might capture these terms?

Values such as Mission, Vision, and values are activities that help articulate their chief functions or activities, their direction, focus, or impact for the anticipated future, and what is acceptable in terms of how they treat one another and go after business success, but this has had little impact on behavior. A value like honesty is not a behavior it is a group of behaviors defined by their impact on the observer. Teamwork is not A single behavior but many behaviors.

What is an organizational "mission"?

We define a mission as "The reason the organization or the job exist." It is the single most important outcome associated with success.

How might counts be mistaken for results?

While counting the occurrence of behaviors is sometimes helpful in knowing whether you have a behavior problem, they should not be confused with a valuable result. For example in call centers when dealing with performances such as calls answered, time to answer calls, etc.

what is work sampling?

Work sampling is when a manager must be sure that they understand what they are seeing and do not make the mistake of reinforcing inappropriate behaviors.

why is a scientific approach helpful in PM

Yes, a scientific orientation approach certainly is helpful in this day and age for many organizations. Many times, it can be practical but oftentimes it can show consistency. We do need to cut out any outliers that are unnecessary work in order to maximize our strengths and be efficient in our companies to gain the most profit and be the most cost-effective. After reviewing the behavior and results, we may now make relationships that are consistent and trustworthy for approval.

What are some of the challenges with using between-group designs in PM? What are the advantages of a repeated measures design?

You cant easily move people from one department or job to another to get groups that are alike in age, experience, education and so on. The other problem is that it measures success in terms of statistical probability.

Why might Pm approaches not be currently mainstream in all organizations?

an outdated performance management culture could put the business and risk. There are a lot of obstacles and hurdles companies have to go through which can result in high turnover and employees leaving.

Pm produces short term as well as long term results.

applications of PM to accelerate organizational performance are so successful that they become habitual and so positive that they become the only way to manage performance; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, #1 rated PPO using PM way of managing for over 30 years.

What are behavioral consequences?

behavioral consequences are events that follow a behavior and change the probability that the behavior will recur in the future. According to Figure 9.2, the way the boss reacts to the behavior elicited by the employee determines whether the employee will continue that behavior in the future. For example, if the employee finishes his work early (behavior) and the boss tells him to help out a coworker (consequence), that coworker is more likely to decrease the original behavior of finishing early so that he won't have to do other people's work.

What are discretionary behaviors?

discretionary behaviors are behaviors that occur beyond the minimum required by the organization. Reinforcement maintains discretionary behavior.

What is the ACORN test?

it is a test fir determining the job mission which includes: accomplishment, control, overall objective, recognizable, and numbers.

generalizations

lazy, careless, poor body language

Pm can be used to enhance relationships at work, home, and in the community

many managers have been convinced to used PM when problems arise at home, for example; using PM to increase your Child's completion of chores.

results

missed deadlines, costing customer relations, poor customer service

Note that there are three levels of mission. What does this mean?

organization mission, unit mission, job mission

organization mission

pitchy statement that defines why the company or organization exist (Starbucks: to inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time)

behaviors

slow on assignments, making mistakes, hanging head

what is so important about verbal behavior?

the higher you go in a corporation, the more important verbal behavior is. Policies, programs, procedures, instructions, questions.

Pm is a system for maximizing all kinds of performance

the principles are applicable to behavior wherever it occurs, PM applies to people. PM principles have shown effective in companies as small as 5 employees and as large as 50,000 or more employees.

What is the goal of performance management?

to bring out the best in people while generating the highest value for the organization.

Pm creates an enjoyable place in which to work

you do something you enjoy, you are more likely to perform better. For example, sales, and marketing folks know how to have fun at work but in manufacturing, there hasn't been too much of that.

how is reinforcement defined

Reinforcement is defined as any consequence that follows a behavior that increases the probability it will occur again in the future. This strengthening effect of certain consequences on specified behaviors is a foundational concept for the practice of PM.

"Results are pinpointed first..." why?

Results are pinpointed first because they are the outcomes or products of behavior.

Results must be ______________, _____________, and ____________. Why?

Results must be measurable, observable, and reliable. You can only examine a behavior. Results should be stated in positive terms. It's more effective to reinforce someone's rate of production.

define science and how it relates to PM

Science is a systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena- as evidenced by description, prediction, and control that relies on determination, empiricism, experimentation, replication, parsimony, and philosophical doubt. Science relates to PM through a modern approach called operant conditioning. This sought to understand the basic principles by which behavior was acquired and maintained. Skinner established fundamental principles that we still use today: conditioning, extinction, stimulus discrimination, motivation, basic schedules of human reinforcement. His tradition is to assume behavior in the workplace is determined by the conditions that surround it. Data is taken on human performance and interventions are implemented to evaluate them.

What is the most frequently used measurement category? Why do you think this is the case?

The most frequently used category is quantity. Quantity involves counting and is reported in terms of volume or rate. Many companies reward people based on quantity of their performance. This can become a grey area fast because relying solely on quantity often causes mangers to forfeit other aspects of the business.

What is the logic behind the multiple baseline design? Why do the performances have to be independent?

The multiple baseline design does not require a reversal or a rearranging of the workforce as required in traditional control-group designs. All you have to do is stagger the interventions. Since most PM interventions do not start at the same time, a multiple baseline is the ideal method for doing behavior analysis at the workplace. Productivity of one plant would generally not be affected by production in another. Lastly, there must be some overlap between the interventions on the first variable and the baseline of the later variables. Allows for comparison of different variables at the same time.

What is "performance"? What is the relation between behavior and performance?

The performance consists of a situation, one or more behaviors, tasks, and results, which are combined to produce a specific accomplishment. The behavior comes together with the performance in order to create the accomplishment.

What does, "The power of the A-B design to tease out cause and effect is low" mean?

The power of the A-B design to tease out cause and effect is low. For example, while it would be tempting to look at the improvement in Location A (chapter 2 example) and say that the quality management process was responsible, it was discovered that the real variable was attributed to change in the quality of the incoming raw material.

What is the "most difficult" thing to do to improve performance?

The most difficult thing to do to improve performance after pinpointing the business case (results) is to identify the basic behaviors driving the driving the desired result.

what are the seven ways PM brings significant value to organizations

1. Pm is practical and it works. 2. Pm produces short term as well as long term results 3. Pm requires no formal psychological training. 4. Pm is a system for maximizing all kinds of performance. 5. Pm creates an enjoyable place in which to work 6. Pm can be used to enhance relationships at work, home, and in the community. 7. Pm is an open system

Common sense knowledge must be:

1. acquired in ordinary business and living 2. is individual 3. accepts the obvious 4. is vague 5. is not reliable for consistent results 6. gained through uncontrolled experience

scientific knowledge is:

1. must be pursued deliberately, systematically 2. is universal 3. questions the obvious 4.is precise 5. yields same results every time 6.gained through controlled experience

what are "behavior chains"

A behavior chain is when behaviors are performed in some sequence. They are produced when a behavior produces a stimulus that serves as a reinforcer. Ex: when you squeeze a toothpaste tube, the paste is extruded onto your toothbrush; the appearance of toothpaste on your brush is a reinforcer for squeezing the tube and is antecedent for brushing your teeth.

Be able to compare a behavior checklist with a weighted checklist. Under what conditions is one preferred over the other?

A behavior checklist details specific actions expected to be seen by from the individual. A weighted checklist is a behavior checklist with priorities given to actions, making some actions more difficult therefore more rewarding, especially when using a point system to evaluate.

"behavior is valuable only _____." Explain

A behavior is valued only in a relationship to its output, which means that if we don't value the output we won't value the effort to produce it.

What are the four components to a behavior pinpoint?

The four components to a behavior pinpoint are action, object, condition, and criterion. An example is when one says, "tell her." "Pick it up." "Drink your milk." The action is always a physical movement that can be observed.

What distinctions do the authors make between attitudes and behavior?

Attitudes which are general descriptions are particularly difficult to work with because they are assumed to come from a state of mind. They are not behaviors but refer instead to a vast collection of tasks and behaviors.

What are BARS? Develop an example for a measurement situation in a small business

BARS- Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales. It uses a point system, usually out of an even number like 100 or 1,000 that is easily divisible. An example is rating the cleaning process of a franchise restaurant out of 100 every night, broken down by categories.

What is the difference between behavior and misbehavior?

Behavior and misbehavior can be considered the same thing. Behavior refers to all of what people do, good or bad. In some situations, a 'misbehavior' can be life saving in other situations.

Does all behavior add value? What is value-added behavior?

Behavior can be good or bad, productive or unproductive, significant or trivial. Organizations can only increase value through the behavior of employees, however, that does not mean that all behavior adds value. Value-added behavior, what is needed in business, can only be determined by its relationship to the organization's output

Discuss the concept of predictability in laws of behavior

Behavior is much more predictable than many people realize. Most people don't like the thought of being predictable because it can have a negative connotation. However, being predictable is basically the same as being dependable. This is a valuable trait in the business world because it shows that people will do something when they say they will do it. The best predictor of what people will do today is what they did yesterday.

"Some managers may spend too much time with nuisance behaviors" means what?

Compared to how individuals take long breaks, the challenge is to ensure that you are dealing with the real issue and not a symptom.

Data (as the result of measurement) can help you detect what?

Data will help give you important clues as to whether changes are the product of positive or negative reinforcement. Data helps you plan what and when to reinforce. By watching the data, even small changes in behavior can be detected and reinforced when appropriate.

Give two examples that support the proposition that "doing nothing can change behavior."

Ex 1. If an employee goes to a lot of extra trouble to solve problems for the boss, and the boss does nothing to acknowledge it, then it is expected that the behavior will decrease. Another example is that if an employee is doing something dangerous that does not adhere to safety guidelines, and there is no reprimanding of the action, then it is accepted that the behavior will continue.

Explain: "If the result is completely achieved, would anything else be expected?"

That is the basic question to ask when evaluating whether the mission statement represents the job's overall objective. If you answer yes, then the result described in your mission statement does not meet this criterion.

what is the A-B design?

The A-B design is the simple comparison of baseline data (before) with intervention data (after).

How do the A-B-A-B designs add power to the determination of cause and effect?

The A-B-A-B reversal design is the most straightforward, and generally the most powerful, within-subject design for demonstrating a functional relation between an environmental manipulation and behavior. When a functional relation is revealed with a reversal design, the data show how the behavior works.

What is the dead persons test? contrast it to the definition of behavior

The dead person's test means that if a dead man can do it, it ain't behavior. Human behavior is defined as any observable, measurable activity of a person. In this business setting, we have to observe the behavior of employees and see what value it brings to the organization. Such as working to get employees to smile more often. Keep in mind that the value of behavior for a given organization can only be determined by its relationship to the organization's output. (example: Simple behaviors such as asking a customer "Would you like fries with that?" Contribute significantly to profitability.)

What are the elements for writing a pinpoint?

The elements for writing a pinpoint are the direction of change, the units of measure, and the pinpoint itself. Always begin by pinpointing a result you want to increase. Also, we must focus on action, object, condition, criterion. See figure 5.5 on page 51 for results pinpoint vs behavior pinpoints.

What is wrong with the first 3 ways of "knowing"? how do we really "know" anything? ? Is "knowing" similar to "truth"? What ways of knowing can lead to false impressions?

The first three ways of knowing are all subject to considerable error. Authorities have often proven to be wrong. We oftentimes will agree with whatever agrees with us. Also, personal experience is usually not valid for reasoning in objective truth. Just because it is true to you doen't mean it is true for everyone else. No, knowing is not similar to truth. Just because you know something doesn't make it authoritative and objective truth for all. Scientific knowledge teaches us that we can know things that are universal and systematic. Things that are precise and consistently gained through controlled experience. We can have false impressions through individual opinions that also may be very vague. If results are inconsistent then we may have false impressions.