In Organizational behavior modification the second step is to

journal article

The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management

Vol. 6, No. 2, Implications and Applications for the Practicing Professional (Aug., 1986)

, pp. 61-70 (10 pages)

Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40471252

Abstract

How sales managers can effectively use rewards to shape the behavior or salespeople is the theme of this article. Organizational Behavior Modification specifies how rewards can be used to guide behavior. It has been tested and positive results have been found for a number of sales applications. The essential concepts of that method are explained and illustrations of sales force applications for each major concept are provided. A model for using the method in sales management is proposed. The fundamental purpose of this article is to convey a clear understanding of the technique to the practicing sales manager.

Journal Information

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Companies have been forced to change their corporate cultures and their standards of operation. The change has been forced on them by globalization of markets and competition, growth of immediate digital information and communications, growth of the service-based economy and changes in rules affecting corporate governance and trade relationships. Organizational structures have trended from tall, hierarchical bureaucracies to flat, decentralized operations that encourage innovation. Such change doesn't happen automatically. Organizational behavior modification, called OB-mod, plays a key role.

OB Mod or Behavioral modification has its roots in modern behaviorism, which draws heavily on the work of B.F.Skinner. It is based on the operant conditioning approach to learning, which advocates that desirable behaviors should be reinforced. In simple word OB Mod represents the application of reinforcement theory to individuals in work environment. OB Mod uses these concepts to provide managers with a powerful means for changing the behaviour of employees.

 In the words of Stephen Robbins “OB Mod is a programme where managers identify performance-related employee behaviour and then implement an intervention strategy to strengthen desirable behaviour and weaken undesirable behaviors”.

 According to Schermerhor, Hunt and Osborn, “ OB Mod is the systematic reinforcement of desirable work behaviour and the non-reinforcement or punishment of unwanted work behaviour. It includes four basic reinforcement strategies: Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, Punishment and Extinction

Steps in Organization Behaviour Modification

 As suggested by Luthans and Kreitner, OB Mod in organization involve the following five steps.

Identification of Critical Behaviour. The manager should try to identify behaviors that are desirable and undesirable from the point of view of the organization. The critical behaviours that have significant impact on the employees performance must be given due attention because it gets repeated time again and again. If such behaviour are modified good results could be expected afterwards. Critical Behaviours may be identified through discussion with the particular employee and his immediate superior as both are closely intimated with the job behaviours. A Behavioural audit can also be carried on to identify such behaviour. Some of the behaviours, which greatly influence job performance, include absenteeism or attendance, tardiness or promptness, complaints or constructive criticism.

Measurement of Behaviours. This step requires the manager to develop some base line which allows the manager to determine his success in changing the subordinates behaviour. It may also provide insight into the circumstances associated with each critical behaviour.

Functional Analysis of Behaviour: It is necessary to analyse the patterns of continued behaviour that requires modification. This may require insight and evaluation of individual differences in behaviour. If through this process an inventory of positive reinforce can be developed, the next step of intervention is greatly simplified. Since only contingent consequences of behaviour have an impact on subsequent behaviour, functional analysis must make sure that contingent consequences are identified. Functional Analysis often reveals that there are many competing contingencies for every organizational behaviour.

Development of Intervention Strategy: For the successful implementation of OB Mod, this stage involves a) developing a strategy for changing the behaviour b) implementing the strategy and c) measuring the frequency of the resulting behaviour. A record is kept of how often the problem behaviour is repeated. There are several strategies that can be used at this stage. These include positive reinforcements, negative reinforcement, extinction and punishment. The use of a particular strategy will depend upon the type of situation faced by an organization.

Evaluation: The purpose of evaluation of strategies of OB Mod is to know their effectiveness. This would reveal whether the undesirable behaviours have been substituted by desirable behaviours or not. This would also reveal if the employees have undergone a permanent change in behaviours. Lastly, the manager should appraise the improvement in performance which is the basic purpose of OB Mod measures like quality, turnover, absenteeism, grievances, tardiness etc. may be used to evaluate success of the OB Mod programme.

                               Reference

Karthick(2016) Organizational Behaviour Modification

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