Learning
January 14, 2025
10:17 PM
Learning occurs when practice or experience leads to a relatively potential permanent change in behavioural
potential.
It occurs in a environment that gives feedback concerning the consequences of behaviour
1. What do employees learn?
• Practical skills : includes job specific skills, knowledge technical competence
• Intrapersonal skills: includes problem solving, critical thinking, risk taking, learning about alternative work
processes.
• Interpersonal skills includes communication, team work, conflict resolution
• Cultural awareness learning about social norms , understanding the organizations goals, business operations and
company's expectations and priorities
Operant Learning: refers to learning by which subject learns to operate on the environment to achieve certain
consequences.
It can be used to increase the probability of desired behaviours and reduce or eliminate the probability of
undesirable behaviours.
Reinforcement the process by which stimuli strengthen behaviours
A reinforcer is a stimulus that follows some behaviour and increases or maintains the probability of that
behaviour
Positive reinforcement : increase or maintains the probability of some behaviour by addition or application of
stimulus to a situation
Negative reinforcement : increases or maintains the probability of some behaviour by elimination or removal
Errors involving reinforcement
• Confusing rewards with reinforcers
• Neglecting diversity in preferences for reinforcers
• Neglecting important source of development , performance feed back and social recognition
Reinforcement Strategies
• Fast acquisition of some response- continuous and immediate reinforcement should be used. It facilitates fast
learning
• Persistent - partial and delayed reinforcement facilitates persistent learning
How to Reduce the probability of behaviour
Extinction: terminating the reinforcement that is maintaining some unwanted behaviour
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Extinction: terminating the reinforcement that is maintaining some unwanted behaviour
It works best when coupled with a desired substitute behaviour.
Punishment: following a behaviour with an unpleasant aversive stimulus
Stimulus is applied decreasing the probability of behaviour
Using punishment effectively
Replacement or substitute punished response
It indicates what is not appropriate
• Provide an acceptable alternative for punished response
• Control emotions before punishing as it can lead to strong emotional reaction
• Make sure the punishment is truly aversive
• punish immediately
• Do not reward unwanted behaviours before or after punishment
• Do not indirectly punish desirable behaviour
Social Cognitive Theory Albert Bandura
Emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in regulating peoples behaviour
people learn by observing others
manage their behaviour by thinking of the consequences of their action, setting performance goals , monitoring ,
comparing and rewarding themselves
It can be best explained through a system of triadic reciprocal causation, in which personal and environmental
factors work together and interact to influence peoples behaviour
Observational learning
The process of observing and imitating the behaviours of others
Self reinforcement occurs
It helps if the model is vivid and memorable, less boring
Self Efficacy beliefs
Beliefs about ones ability to perform a specific task
Task specific trait
It can be changed and modified
Differs among individuals
Determinants of self efficacy beliefs
Performance mastery
Observation
Verbal persuasion and social influence
Physiological or emotional state
Self regulation: using learning principles to manage ones behaviour, making external control less necessary
Process of self regulation
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Process of self regulation
Observation ( self observation)
Comparing with standard
Rewarding if behaviour meets standard
Discrepancy reduction is modification of behaviour in pursuit of goal attainment
Discrepancy production is setting higher more challenging goals after attaining a goal
Self regulation techniques
Collect self observation data
Observe models
Set goals
Rehearse
Reinforce oneself
Organizational Behaviour Modification
It involves systematic use of learning principles to influence organizational behaviour.
Employee Recognition programs : formal organizational programs that publicly recognize and reward employees for
specific behaviours.
For theses program to be effective
The program must specify
How the person will be recognized
Manner of public acknowledgment
A token of the event for the recipient
Peer recognition programs where employees can publicly acknowledge and reward co-workers
Training and development programs
Training is planned organizational activities to facilitate knowledge and skills required to change behaviour and
improve performance for the job and Development focusses on the future job responsibilities
Behaviour modelling training, a training method that requires trainees to observe a model performing task followed
by opportunities to practise observed behaviours
It is based on the observational learning of sct
Describe set of skills to be learned
Provide observational model
Provide opportunities to practise
Provide feedback and social reinforcement
Take steps to maximize transfer of behaviours to job
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