Conflict Management Techniques

Conflict is largely a perceived phenomenon. It is our perception of the situation that determines if a conflict exists. It is useful to assess our predominant conflict management style(s) because we tend to get stuck in one or two styles and apply them inappropriately. The emphasis is not on judging any style right or wrong. Each person determines their predominant conflict management style.
Objectives: Identify personal management style(s), develop an awareness of strategies used in each conflict management style.
Shark - Competing - is assertive and uncooperative. An individual pursues his or her own concerns at the other person's expense. This is a power oriented mode in which one uses whatever power seems appropriate to win ones own position.
When to use Competition:
1. When you know you are right.
2. When you need a quick decision.
3. When you meet a steamroller type of person and you need to stand up for your own rights.
Teddy Bear - Accommodating - is unassertive and uncooperative.
This is the opposite of competing. When accommodating, an individual neglects his/her own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person. There is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode.
When to use accommodating:
1. When the issue is not so important to you but it is to the other person.
2. When you discover that you are wrong.
3. When continued competition would be detrimental - "you know you can't win."
4. When preserving harmony without disruption is the most important - "it's not the right time."
Turtle - Avoiding - is unassertive and cooperative.
When a person does not pursue her/his own concerns or those of the other person. He/she does not address the conflict, but rather sidesteps, postpones or simply withdraws.
When to use avoiding:
1. When the stakes aren't that high and you don't have anything to lose - "when the issue is trivial."
2. When you don't have time to deal with it.
3. When the context isn't suitable - "it isn't the right time or place."
4. When more important issues are pressing.
5. When you see no chance of getting your concerns met.
6. When you would have to deal with an angry, hot headed person.
7. When you are totally unprepared, taken by surprise, and you need time to think and collect information.
8. When you are too emotionally involved and the others around you can solve the conflict more successfully.
Owl - Collaborating - is both assertive and cooperative.
This is the opposite of avoiding. Collaboration involves an attempt to work with the other person to find some solution which fully satisfies the concerns of both persons. It includes identifying the underlying concerns of the two individuals and finding an alternative which meets both sets of concerns.
When to use collaboration:
1. When other's lives are involved.
2. When you don't want to have full responsibility.
3. When there is a high level of trust.
4. When you want to gain commitment from others.
5. When you need to work through hard feelings, animosity, etc.
** The best decisions are made by collaboration.
Fox - Compromising - is intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness.
The objective of compromise is to find some expedient, mutually acceptable solution which partially satisfies both parties. It falls in the middle group between competing and accommodating. Compromise gives up more than competing, but is less than accommodating.
When to use compromise:
1. When the goals are moderately important and not worth the use of more assertive modes.
2. When people of equal status are equally committed.
3. To reach temporary settlement on complex issues.
4. To reach expedient solutions on important issues.
5. As a back-up mode when competition or collaboration don't work.

Source: http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/Psychology/PSY0003.html

HOW TO WORK OUT CONFLICTS(Fairly and Peacefully)
1. STOP . . .before you lose control of your temper and make the conflict worse.
2. SAY . . .what you feel is the problem. What is causing the disagreement? What do you want?
3. LISTEN . . .to the other person's ideas and feelings.
4. THINK . . .of solutions that will satisfy both of you.
If you still can't agree, ask someone else to help you work it out.

What is so good or bad about conflict?

Is Conflict Good or Bad?
The answer is YES. Conflict is good when the outcome is a win-win resolution. Conflict is good when the relationship between the people in conflict is strengthened as a result of the conflict. But few people are skilled in the interpersonal skills necessary to manage conflict effectively, and when conflict isn't managed it generally goes bad. And when it goes bad it can get really bad.
The drama of conflict gone bad can have a devastating effect on the attitudes of everyone involved, and if it isn't resolved it can linger and spread like an infectious disease. The result is negativity, low employee morale, and a dramatic drop in productivity.
Conflict Management and Conflict Styles
Most people don't really think about how they approach conflict. It just happens. When conflicts arise we tend to play out our roles like scripts based on our behavioral and conflict styles. Effective conflict management can only be achieved when an individual begins to really see how her or his conflict style is actually self-destructive.

Source: http://www.conflictmanagementworkshops.com/

Conflict Management Style

Choosing A Conflict Management Style
Cooperative Problem Solving
Competing
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
In every situation we are responsible for our actions. Conflict situations offer each of us an opportunity to choose a style for responding to the conflict. The key to effective conflict prevention and management is to choose the conflict management style appropriate for the conflict. Most of us have a favorite style that we use in conflict situations, but we are all capable of choosing a different style when it is appropriate.
Five main types of conflict management styles are described below: Cooperative problem-solving, competing, avoiding, accommodating and compromising. Animals are associated with each style to help you remember the differences among the styles. Remember that animals, like people, may have a favorite style, but they may also choose to adopt a new style in special situations.
Review the five styles and then proceed to the following activities. Teachers may want to refer to additional information located in Section Three, Resources for Skill Enhancement.
Cooperative Problem Solving
Choosing a cooperative problem-solving style enables people to work together so everyone can win. Using this style, people try to find a solution that will help everyone meet their interests and help everyone maintain a good relationship.
A dolphin usually chooses a cooperative problem-solving style. Dolphins use whistles and clicks to communicate with each other to catch food cooperatively and to summons help. For example, when a dolphin is sick or injured, other dolphins will help it to the surface so it can breathe.
Although the dolphin usually chooses to be a cooperative problem solver, it can also choose other styles depending on the situation. For example, if a dolphin has a baby and a shark is in the area, the dolphin will choose to use a competitive style to deal with the shark. Continuing to use its favorite style of cooperation would greatly endanger the life of the baby dolphin.
Competing
Choosing a competitive style means that a person is putting his/her interest before anyone else's interests. In fact, sometimes people who use the competitive style try so hard to get what they want that they ruin friendships.
A lion can be a symbol of a competitive style. The lion's roar helps the lion to satisfy its interests. For example, if the lion's family is hungry and needs food, the lion may use its strength and loud roar to get the food because it is important for the family.
However, the lion can also choose to use a compromising or accommodating style when playing or resting with a lion cub.
Compromising
People choose a compromising style when it is important for them to satisfy some of their interests, but not all of them. People who compromise are likely to say "let's split the difference" or "something is better than nothing."
A zebra can be a symbol for the compromising style. A zebra's unique look seems to indicate that it didn't care if it was a black horse or a white horse, so it "split the difference" and chose black and white stripes.
However, a zebra may not choose a compromising style for all things. A zebra may choose a cooperative or competitive style like the dolphin or lion depending on the situation.
Avoiding
People who chose the avoiding style do not get involved in a conflict. A person choosing the avoiding style might say "you decide and leave me out of it."
A turtle is a symbol for the avoiding style because it can avoid everything by pulling its head and legs into its shell to get away from everyone.
A turtle also chooses other styles at times. It does not always choose to stay in its shell, because it would miss out on everything from eating to swimming.
Accommodating
People who choose an accommodating style put their interests last and let others have what they want. Many times these people believe that keeping a good friendship is more important than anything else.
A chameleon is a symbol of the accommodating style because it changes its color to match the color of its environment. By changing its color to accommodate its surroundings, the chameleon fits quietly into its environment.
Although the chameleon may always change its color to accommodate its surroundings, it may choose other styles when it is hunting for food, taking care of its young, or hiding from enemies. Written by Terrence Wheeler, Ohio Commissi

Motivation

Unlimited Employee Motivation


70% of your employees are less motivated today than they used to be.

80% of your employees could perform significantly better if they wanted to.

50% of your employees only put enough effort into their work to keep their job.⁽¹⁾

Is this the way you want it to be at your company? Did you know that all your employees are capable of an unlimited supply of motivation? Think of one or two people in your organization that appear to have more energy, higher output, and more enthusiasm for their work than all your other employees combined. Perhaps it is you! Have you ever wondered why everyone else does not feel as motivated as you do? After all, you are not asking them to come in 2 hours early or stay 2 hours late, all you want is for them to give that little extra customer service, smile instead of frown, and not complain so much. How do you get your employees to give that little extra that goes so far in making your customers satisfied?

Does your company offer a great health plan, a 401k retirement plan, and four weeks of vacation each year and you are still obtaining less than stellar performance from your employees? Well, you have just discovered that a great benefits package, vacation, and even a salary increase are not human motivators. Benefits, vacation, and salary are employee retainers and do not provide employee motivation. A company offers these benefits in order to attract and retain talented workers. Take a look at any company and you will find that the more valuable the employee is to the company, the more valuable their benefits packages will become.

Okay, you have convinced me! I will not try to motivate employees by giving them extra vacation or benefits. My company does offer employees free use of the company car on weekends, a bimonthly drawing for a designated parking spot, and even a free pizza every Friday afternoon. Will these activities provide the company with highly motivated employees? Unfortunately no, the above activities are called employee morale boosters. They are designed to raise the morale of employees so that they feel good about the company they work for. Morale boosters do not increase motivation because they are not directly tied to an increase in performance. An employee with good morale is not necessary a motivated employee. For example, an employee that comes to work and spends one or two hours each day socializing may have great morale, but will also have the worst production levels of any employee in the department.

If a great benefit package will not motivate an employee, and a designated parking spot with their name stencilled in gold will not motivate an employee, what will? Okay, let me provide you with some good news, but before I do so, answer this question. In order to motivate your employees do you change the employee or the organization in which the employee works?

Source: http://www.employer-employee.com/motivat.htm

Effective employee recognition

Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing.

When you consider employee recognition processes, you need to develop recognition that is equally powerful for both the organization and the employee. You must address five important issues if you want the recognition you offer to be viewed as motivating and rewarding by your employees and important for the success of your organization.

The Five Most Important Tips for Effective Recognition

You need to establish criteria for what performance or contribution constitutes rewardable behavior or actions.

· All employees must be eligible for the recognition.

· The recognition must supply the employer and employee with specific information about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded and recognized.

· Anyone who then performs at the level or standard stated in the criteria receives the reward.

· The recognition should occur as close to the performance of the actions as possible, so the recognition reinforces behavior the employer wants to encourage.

· You don't want to design a process in which managers "select" the people to receive recognition. This type of process will be viewed forever as "favoritism" or talked about as "it's your turn to get recognized this month." This is why processes that single out an individual, such as "Employee of the Month," are rarely effective.

A Working Example of Successful Recognition

A client company established criteria for rewarding employees. Criteria included such activities as contributing to company success serving a customer without being asked to help by a supervisor. Each employee, who meets the stated criteria, receives a thank you note, hand-written by the supervisor. The note spells out exactly why the employee is receiving the recognition.

The note includes the opportunity for the employee to "draw" a gift from a box. Gifts range from fast food restaurant gift certificates and candy to a gold dollar and substantial cash rewards. The employee draws the reward, so no supervisory interference is perceived. A duplicate of the thank you note goes into a periodic drawing for even more substantial reward and recognition opportunities.

More Tips About Recognition and Performance Management

· If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.

The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.

· People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. If you thank a manufacturing group every time they make customer deliveries on time with a lunch, gradually the lunch becomes a "given" or an entitlement and is no longer rewarding.

In another organization, the CEO traditionally bought lunch for all employees every Friday. Soon, he had employees coming to him asking to be reimbursed for lunch if they ate lunch outside of the company on a Friday. His goal of team building turned into a "given" or an entitlement and he was disappointed with the results.

· There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.

They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.

Rewards and recognition that help both the employer and the employee get what they need from work are a win-win situation. Make this the year you plan a recognition process that will "wow" your staff and "wow" you with its positive outcomes. Avoid the employee recognition traps that:

· single out a few employees who are mysteriously selected for the recognition,

· sap the morale of the many who failed to understand the criteria enough to compete and win, and

· sought votes or other personalized, subjective criteria to determine winners.

Want to Kick Employee Recognition Up a Notch?

You can reinforce powerfully the recognition you provide in these ways.

· Write out the recognition, what the employee did, why it was important, and how the actions served your organization. Give a copy of the letter to the employee and to the department head or CEO, depending on the size of your company. Place a copy in the employee’s file.

· Write a personal note to the employee. Perhaps have your supervisor sign it, too. Photocopy the note and place the recognition in the employee’s file.

· Accompany the verbal recognition with a gift. Engraved plaques, merchandise that carries the company logo, even certificates of appreciation reinforce the employee recognition.

· Everyone likes cash or the equivalent in gift cards, gift certificates, and checks. If you use a consumable form of employee recognition, accompany the cash with a note or letter. When the money has been spent, you want the employee to remember the recognition.

· Present the recognition publicly, at an employee meeting, for example. Even if the employee is uncomfortable with publicity, it is important for the other employees to know that employees are receiving recognition.

Conclusion and More Information About Employee Recognition

A simple “thank you” counts as employee recognition. But, you can also make employee recognition as elaborate as your imagination can conceive. Recognition is not a scarce resource. You can’t use it up or run out of it. No budget is too small to afford employee recognition. For increased employee satisfaction, bring on lots of employee recognition.

Empowerment

Definition
Empowerment is the art of inspiring another person. The challenge here is to learn how to empower yourself-giving yourself permission to "be all that you can be." Empowerment isn't just bravado: it involves responsibility as well as vision. It means believing in yourself and taking actions on your own behalf. For nurses, empowerment is recognizing your own skill level and practicing your skills toward the betterment of patients. It means allowing yourself to be mindful and thoughtful about your work. It is the recognition that you became a nurse to provide "hands on" care for patients. How easy it is to look at empowerment from the perspective of what you or your colleagues are not doing well. Instead, personal empowerment is an opportunity to know who you are, what you are doing and what you need to do. It is within the context of personal empowerment that we often find information about ourselves-what we excel at doing and where we need to improve.

Employee Empowerment

Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of one's own destiny. When thinking about empowerment in human relations terms, try to avoid thinking of it as something that one individual does for another. This is one of the problems organizations have experienced with the concept of empowerment. People think that "someone," usually the manager, has to bestow empowerment on the people who report to him. Consequently, the reporting staff members "wait" for the bestowing of empowerment, and the manager asks why people won't act in empowered ways. This led to a general unhappiness, mostly undeserved, with the concept of empowerment in many organizations. Think of empowerment, instead, as the process of an individual enabling himself to take action and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. Empowerment comes from the individual. The organization has the responsibility to create a work environment which helps foster the ability and desire of employees to act in empowered ways. The work organization has the responsibility to remove barriers that limit the ability of staff to act in empowered ways.

Examples

The manager of the Human Resources department added weeks to the process of hiring new employees by requiring his supposedly "empowered" staff members to obtain his signature on every document related to the hiring of a new employee.

John empowered himself to discuss the career objectives he wished to pursue with his supervisor. He told his supervisor, frankly, that if the opportunities were not available in his current company, he would move on to another company.

Empowerment, Delegation, and Motivation
Both empowerment and delegation give away something. Empowerment, in fact, can be the dispersing of power or authority. The key feature of empowerment is the concept of responsibility. Nurses can empower their colleagues to learn a new technique, for example, but knowing how to apply the technique in the proper circumstances and towards the correct goal is critical. Just teaching someone or giving away authority is not empowerment. Helping a person (or yourself) rise to a new level of understanding or proficiency is what empowerment is all about.

Motivation is the energy we bring to a learning experience. It is the incentive to change; the stimulus to move ahead. Motivation is the drive or enthusiasm that moves one along the learning continuum. Positive motivation enables successful empowerment.

How do leaders empower employees/staff/teams?
Leaders empower staff by giving them the tools they need to do a good job. For example, a good nursing leader keeps her staff informed about innovations, techniques or educational opportunities. She advises her team about CEU opportunities, in-service educational offerings, or she brings in speakers to address specific concerns of the team. She enables her staff to participate in an enriching experience.

Empowering.
The job of a good leader is to observe the behaviors of your staff and respond to their needs in a professional manner. In this case, grief can obstruct the ability of nurses to provide the care the patients deserve.

You have acknowledged her burgeoning skills and are utilizing them in a new way.

Delegating.
You are sharing your role as committee representative with other members of your staff. This helps you get accurate information and gives your colleagues a chance to voice their opinions.

Mentoring.
The role of a good mentor is to allow a person room to try, try again, and succeed.
You have noticed her skills and enthusiasm, and you are helping her stretch herself by doing a new task.

Motivating
By acknowledging her skills in this area, you are encouraging her to continue to provide new information for the team.

Mr. Lagaipa

The figurehead is required to perform duties of a symbolic nature. Mr. LaGaipa plays this role when he attends the Brookdale President's Ball. He also makes a point to go to the homes of the executive staff when they have problems with their home computers.

The leader is responsible for the staffing needs at the institution. He performs this role as he hires employees, evaluates their performance, compensates them for their performance, reprimands them when necessary, and discusses career paths and career development with them.

Mr. LaGaipa is often in the role of liaison, a role which requires him to make and keep contacts with people outside the organization. He makes and maintains contacts with vendors that Brookdale may be doing business with and he keeps in constant contact with members of the client body, including but not limited to department heads, deans, and executive board members.

The monitor and disseminator roles go hand in hand. The monitor must keep abreast of information that concerns the organization. This information is then disseminated to the necessary parties. Mr. LaGaipa plays these roles by attending meetings and serving on committees. The information he gathers is then passed on to the members of his team, his supervisors in Collegis, and vendors as required. In turn, information he receives from Collegis, vendors, and others is dispersed to the client.

The disseminator must keep abreast of current developments in the field in order to accurately represent the needs of the client. These roles are also closely related to the spokesperson role, which requires the manager to relay information to outsiders. He fills this role when portraying either Brookdale or Collegis to outside vendors and other institutions. He also fills this role when relaying information about Collegis to Brookdale.

The entrepreneur acts as the catalyst for change within the organization. Mr. LaGaipa assumes this role when he makes recommendations to Brookdale for improvements in the way business is conducted, network architecture, and hardware or software purchases. By staying abreast of current technology developments he is able to offer cutting edge solutions that will keep Brookdale ahead of the game.

The disturbance handler must keep on top of problems within the organization and take care of any sudden crisis situations. Mr. LaGaipa makes a point of keeping in touch with his subordinates so that he is aware of any situations that need rectifying.

The resource allocator is responsible for allocating all organizational resources (equipment, software, personnel, etc…). As part of his duties, Mr. LaGaipa checks to see where additional resources are necessary or where resource allocation is needed. The negotiator role allows the manager to negotiate where necessary. He performs this role on several levels.

He negotiates with vendors on behalf of Brookdale. He negotiates with Brookdale during contract negotiations and when necessary to add contract extensions and enhancements.

Positive Reinforcement

Basically, there are two types of rewards:

	Extrinsic rewards consist of pay raises, promotions, and other symbols of recognition.
	Intrinsic rewards are not given by someone in management, but relate to the job itself and the pleasure and sense of accomplishment that it gives the employee.

Rewards must be tied directly to behavior that the manager wants repeated. The employees must know rewards are available and know how to get them. Rewards should be administered as soon as desired behavior is present. And employees should be rewarded only for what they themselves have done. Positive reinforcement is similar to rewards. However, the definition of a positive reinforcement is more precise than that of reward:

	A consequence is presented dependent on a behavior.
	The behavior becomes more likely to occur
	The behavior becomes more likely to occur because and only because the consequence is presented dependent on the behavior.

Reinforcement is a more precise way of controlling employee behavior. And as shown in the examples below, there are several methods of controlling behavior.

Positive Reinforcement Examples

Listed below are six example/non-example pairs. In an example/non-example pair, an example of a concept is slightly altered to form a non-example. Read and discuss each example, non-example, and analysis.

Example #1

Positive reinforcement of greeting employees

Tom was the manager of a small manufacturing plant. The employees often waited until the last minute to clock in, consequently, they were often late because too many were trying to clock in at the same time. Tom made it a point to greet and meet with the employees who were on time. He would smile and make pleasant conversation with the employees while they were clocking in. As soon as the deadline for clocking in arrived, he would depart for his office. This procedure caused the employees to start clocking in earlier so that soon, everyone was clocking in on time.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of greeting employees

Tom was the manager of a small manufacturing plant. The employees often waited until the last minute to clock in, consequently, they were often late because too many were trying to clock in at once. Tom made it a point to greet and meet with the employees who were on time. He would smile and make pleasant conversation with the employees while they were clocking in. As soon as the deadline for clocking in arrived, he would depart for his office. A few of the employees were happy to meet him each morning.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement. First, a consequence was presented dependent upon the target behavior. The greetings were dependent on arriving on time because there was an if-then relationship: If early arrival occurred, a greeting was presented, but if they were late, no greeting was given. Secondly, there was an increase in the level of arriving on time. Third, the increase in the level of arriving on time was due to the dependency between early arrival and the greeting.

The second item is not an example of reinforcement because there is no mention of an increase in the level of the target behavior. There must be an increase in some measure of the behavior in order to say that reinforcement has occurred.

Example #2

Positive reinforcement of teamwork

Samantha worked in the distribution department at a large organization. She was known as a loner and seldom interacted with the other employees. The departmental leaders began praising and admiring Samantha when she engaged in cooperative work with the other employees. As a result of this procedure, Samantha's level of teamwork with the others increased.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of teamwork

Samantha worked in the distribution department at a large organization. She was known as a loner and seldom interacted with the other employees. The departmental leaders began praising and admiring Samantha more than they had before. As a result of this procedure, Samantha's level of teamwork with the others increased.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement. First the praise and admiration were presented dependent on teamwork because there was an if-then relationship between teamwork and praise and admiration. Secondly, the level of teamwork increased. Third, the increase in teamwork was due to the dependency between teamwork and praise.

The second item is not an example of positive reinforcement because the presentation of the consequences, praise and admiration, was not response-dependent. In order to say that an increase in behavior is due to reinforcement, the behavior must have a response-dependent consequence; there must be an if-then relationship between the behavior and the consequence. In this example, there is no mention of an if-then relationship between the teamwork and the presentation of praise and admiration, hence, it is said to be response-independent.

Example #3

Positive reinforcement of performance

Susan was the supervisor of production in a specialty gift company. For the busy holiday season, she brought in extra temporary workers to help assemble gift packs. The rejection rate was very high for their first kit build, so she began praising the performance of those workers who built their kits correctly. As a result of this procedure, the workers' performance improved on the rest of the kit builds.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of performance

Susan was the supervisor of production in a specialty gift company. For the busy holiday season, she brought in extra temporary workers to help assemble gift packs. Over the years, Susan had given a lecture in which she emphasized two rules for success in her department: work hard and pay careful attention to your work. She would sometimes give the rules before the temporaries had done any work and would sometimes give it after they had built a few kits. No matter when she gave the lecture, it would always improve the accuracy of the kit builds.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement. Praise was presented dependent on correct kit builds, correct kit builds increased, and correct kit builds increased because of the dependent relationship of kit builds and consequences.

The second item is not an example of reinforcement. In this item, the increase in the target behavior is due to a rule or instruction to engage in a behavior, not to positive reinforcement. Giving a rule or an instruction to engage in a behavior can sometimes strengthen a behavior, but this strengthening is not due to the rules being response- dependent consequences. The fact that the strengthened behavior in the second item was not due to a response-dependent consequence is shown because Susan's rules improved the workers' performance even when they were presented before the target behavior had occurred. In general, do not classify items in which rules or instructions to engage in the behavior are used as examples of reinforcement.

Example #4

Positive reinforcement of on-feet behavior

Jack stocked shelves for a large department store. Although he was a hard worker, he could be very rude to the other employees and customers. The supervisors implemented a procedure in which Jack was not given any attention for rude behavior. Conversely, when he was considerate to others, the supervisors and workers gave him special attention and tried to make him feel liked and appreciated. This procedure resulted in Jack engaging in a much more thoughtful behavior.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of on-feet behavior

Jack stocked shelves for a large department store. Although he was a hard worker, he could be very rude to the other employees and customers. The supervisors implemented a procedure in which Jack was severely lectured for any sign of rude behavior. This procedure resulted in Jack engaging in a much more thoughtful behavior.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement because presentation of attention was dependent upon the target behavior of being considerate to others and this resulted in an increase in the level of the target behavior.

The second item is not an example of positive reinforcement because there was no stimulus presentation dependent upon the target behavior. Instead in the second item, the stimulus change was dependent upon behavior other than the target behavior (i.e., dependent on not engaging in the target behavior). To say positive reinforcement has occurred, a stimulus must be presented following and dependent upon the target behavior, not dependent on behavior other than the target behavior or dependent on the failure to engage in the target behavior.

Example #5

Positive reinforcement of foul language

A supervisor in a warehouse seemed aloof and distance to the workers. Many of the employees thought he was a stuck-up snob. He began disapproving of the worker's foul language when they occurred and this resulted in an increase in the level of the foul language.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of foul language

A supervisor in a warehouse seemed aloof and distance to the workers. Many of the employees thought he was a stuck-up snob. He began disapproving of the worker's foul language when they occurred and this resulted in a decrease in the level of the foul language.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement because the supervisor's disapproval was presented dependent on the foul language and this caused an increase in the level of the target behaviors. As illustrated in this item, stimuli and events that seem negative, undesirable, or even painful can act as positive reinforcers.

The second item is not an example of positive reinforcement because the procedure caused a decrease in the target behavior levels, not an increase.

Example #6

Positive reinforcement of safe behavior

A manufacturing facility was having trouble keeping a clean and safe working environment. In an attempt to solve the problem, the leaders began passing out coupons to workers who cleaned their area and operated in a safe manner. The coupons could be exchanged for gifts. As a result of this method, the facility later received glowing reviews from safety inspectors.

Non-example of positive reinforcement of safe behavior

A manufacturing facility was having trouble keeping a clean and safe working environment. In an attempt to solve the problem, the leaders gave disciplinary notices to all the workers on a regular basis. The notices were placed in the employee's records. When the leaders were satisfied that an employee's was keeping her area clean and performing safely, they stopped giving notices to that employee. As a result of this method, the facility later received glowing reviews from safety inspectors.

Analysis

The first item is an example of positive reinforcement because presentation of coupons was dependent on having a clean and safe working area and the procedure caused an increase in the safety of the facility.

The second item is not an example of positive reinforcement because the removal of a stimulus, the disciplinary notices, was dependent on the target behavior. Positive reinforcement involves the response-dependent presentation of a stimulus, not the response-dependent removal of a stimulus.

Practical Exercise For each behavioral problem listed below, write a positive reinforcement statement. You should assume that there are no other problems with the employee and that they are good workers. Also indicate what the expected change in behavior should be. An employee who leaves early from work. A group of employees who almost never smile at their customers. An employee who has a high number of mistakes. An employee who has no initiative. An employee who does not want to perform a task according to a new procedure. An employee who constantly talks back when given instructions.