Reinforcement 512

Reinforcement Strategies Paper
Learning Team B
February 2, 2015
AJS/512-Organizational Administration and Behavior
James McNamara
Online Main

Criminal Justice Integration Project Outline
Introduction
The human behavior can be complex because each person has a different outlook on how he or she interpret and perceive a problem. Managers set policy and procedures on how to work in a stress free work environment and understand the process of making the workplace profitable. Management encourages positive reinforcement by achieving goals, getting employees to be motivated, and being objective with employee’s feedback. Positive reinforcement is a good way to get employees to get motivated; because employees like to be rewarded and receive recognition for his or her work performance. Therefore, consistent is a key factor for employees and management to have a positive attitude to become successful within the workplace. There are two positive reinforcement principles; the first principles: if in a given situation a person’s behavior is followed close in time by a consequence (PM Network, 2012). The second principle is more likely to exhibit the same behavior when he or she is in a similar situation at a later time (PM Network, 2012). Consequences leads to an increase in the frequency of a behavior is called a “reinforce” with the concept of reward (PM Network, 2012). Negative behavior can cause a disruption in a workplace, however, it is best to question on why the problem occur! Employees would perform at a minimum, but meet the standard to avoid consequences. When a person has a bad attitude; attitude can defines as oneself that can take a positive situation and intern it to a negative towards manipulation. Manipulation is another form of a person having an attitude. Manipulating how often a person expresses his or her attitude can generally think to influence the accessibility of the attitude without changing other properties of the attitude (e.g. Powell & Fazio 1984).
For managers to recognize the shortcomings and strengths of positive or negative behaviors it is best to explore several alternative approaches such as job performance improvement. For example evaluating each person strengths and weakness can make the work environment to operate smoothly. Employees may complain that training at his or her workplace is not good, so the employee work performance is poor. The lack of work performance and with a negative attitude can make the workplace and other fellow workers to be unpleasant. It is best for a manager to narrow down the problem and ask questions. An employee frustration can be a shortcoming on how he or she may respond to upper management commands. By being observant to the employee strengths, it can help him or she to be open minded and as a manager, he or she can focus on what the employee needs by fixing the problem and lead those who work well with management team.
Rewards of Reinforcement
Rewards are used to ensure positive, desired behavior in the workplace is recognized either formally or informally by supervisors and are given to that individual who poses those desired traits (Geller, 2006). According to Salley (2009) one of the most basic needs for people is the ability to feel needed. By receiving a reward for positive behavior in the workplace, the employee’s basic impulse to be needed is fulfilled and helps raise employee morale. Rewards are often presented in formal and informal ways. Fitch (2011) argues that formal rewards from supervisors are important, but the more influential form of reward is informal and given by peers rather than supervisors.
In direct relation to law enforcement, Salley (2009) states that the most common reason for employees leaving field of corrections is the low levels of motivation from supervisors. According to Salley (2009) there are two forms of rewards that if used properly, would help keep law enforcement employees morale. First, extrinsic rewards or major awards offered to law enforcement. These rewards are remembered throughout the employee’s career and are recognized and respected by the employee’s peers. The second type of reward, intrinsic, is referred to by Salley (2009) to be a more self recognition reward, typically accomplished from making a positive difference within the work place or for helping another employee. According to Geller (2006) the delivery of the reward is almost as important as the rewards itself. An award should be given publically, in order to ensure that the reward is recognized and appreciated by peers in the workplace. Geller (2006) claims that this helps the employee receiving the rewards, and offers motivation for on looking employees.
According to Fitch (2011) rewards from other officers or peer groups while at work are more influential than most formal rewards offered through the department. Because of this, Fitch (2011) argues that actions recognized by the officer’s peer group, are more likely to be repeated. This is true of actions that are considered to be moral and actions that are illegal (Fitch, 2011). Positive Reinforcement
PR (positive reinforcement) is the administration of positive consequences that tend to increase the likelihood of repeating the desirable behavior in similar settings. (Organizational Behavior 11th Ed. Ch. 4—Perception, Attribution, and Learning-Positive Reinforcement Pp.99) I.e. a Sarah has put together the entire team presentation. In the future, the other team members would believe that Sarah would put together all team presentations. Positive reinforcement in the schools and businesses usually happens when individuals are compensated to inspire good deeds. Positive reinforcement is commending someone for a job well done. Positive reinforcement can also be handling out in a form of giving an employee or team member some time off. I.e. Sarah has put together the team presentation in the past, the rest of the team members explained to her that they will put it together. Managers and team leaders may dole out praise for successfully leading a team on a project, performing exceptionally well, handling customers well, go beyond when challenges come up, and or completing a project in a timely manner.
Positive Strength and shortcomings
Positive reinforcement builds confidence and helps team members and employees to have a more pleasurable experience at work or school while avoiding the negative side effects associated with punishment and/or negative reinforcement, like depression, frustration, and anxiety. Positive reinforcement can be mobilized through a process known as shaping. In which is the creation of a new behavior by the positive reinforcement of successive approximations to it. (Organizational Behavior 11th Ed. Ch. 4—Perception, Attribution, and Learning-Shaping Positive Reinforcement Pp.100); overly, sending positive reinforcement will cause an individual to become praise overload and fatigue, that will cause diminish results. Positive reinforcement that is administer haphazardly can also cause problems, as team members and workers receive the same signals no matter what she or he may do, which reduces the power of the signals. Negative Reinforcement Negative Strength and shortcomings

Observations and Experiences
Rewards are given to employees for good behavior and hard work helps to push employees to do better on the job. Many individuals have had experiences at the workplace that may back this observation up. Rewards can be fun as well, this being learned from experience. Each year there is a survey in the local paper for the community to feel out, if they wish. This survey consists of several questions regarding the best places in the region (which is why it is entitle Best in the Region). In recent experiences, a company purchased over a thousand newspapers, to hand out to their customers to fill out to help ensure their spot as Best in the Region. The company set up rewards for their employees as well for their participation in distributing the newspapers to their customers. Majority of employees within the company had to fill out one and send it in to the newspaper company, and for 100% corporation of this the company provided lunch to all employees on a Friday afternoon, this would be reward number one. On top of this reward each day the employee would pass out this portions of the paper to customers provided was a self-addressed stamped envelope as well, and for every ten surveys distributed the employees name would be in a drawing for a chance to win a twenty dollar gift card per day as well. This would be reward number three, and an incentive to look forward to as well for the employee. Lastly reward number three comes and it is as follows: the employee with the most surveys distributed would receive a paid vacation day. The employees of this company worked as a team and pushed hard for great success, with three different rewards/incentives to look forward to. In experience the companies goals were meet and rewards were given to qualified employees. The outcome of this experience showed that rewards given to staff/employees is a motivation factor and greater results are likely on the companies behalf due to employees putting in their 100% efforts towards the project at hand. Experiment positive reinforcement was use to demonstrate the company employees put forth 100% effort to get to their given goal due to the help of the rewards, and in the future employees will continue to put forth 100% of their efforts with positive reinforcement at hand. The particular rewards given in this experience are rewards offered once a year and will not be a shortcoming to the positive reinforcement due to the fact that the employee can expect this annually and not weekly or monthly. “Think of negative reinforcement as taking something negative away in order to increase a response (Heffner, 2015).” In the experience given above employees, dreaded asking customers to participate in the survey, however the employees knew the faster they distributed the surveys the sooner the spill would be over, and the questions would no longer be needed to be asked. The employees looked forward to this and this acted as a negative reinforcement for them as well. The strength in this given negative reinforcement would be the fact that after all surveys where pushed out and onto customers; employees knew they would not have the worries until the following year around the same time. It also pushed the employees to get the surveys out and onto the customers. However the shortcoming of this may have been that the surveys were distributed by the employees at a faster pace and with less time and therefore proper instructions were not given to the customer and some of the surveys may be void after sent in due to this fact. Thus meaning the company had one less vote which builds up if multiply customers made the same mistake. This could possibly cause the company its opportunity to win the contest. Overall, the company had a goal and created a plan to go with their goal. The plan involve rewards that were beneficial for the company, however there was also a negative reinforcement at hand, which could cause issues at hand as well. In this case, the positive outweighed the negative and the company won Best of Region for year, with multiple previous years winning as well. The company at hand should be proud and took proper steps to get the outcome desired.

Conclusion To encourage employees to be motivated is showing him or her some positive reinforcement such as appreciation and recognition. At times managers or team leaders do not recognize that positive reinforcement can be effectively to get employees motivated. Employees or students characteristics can motive others with a powerful technique of incentives, communication, and rewarding on good behavior. However, negative reinforcement can result to consequences by discouraging employees that is not meeting his or her job requirement. Positive and negative reinforcement are often accomplish with consequences, it can result to disciplinary actions regardless what type of behavior the student or employee may perform. The two psychological principles are to work effectively with managers or leaders to understand what each concept is and how it applies to the situation. Reinforcement involves controlling a person behavior, appraise them with incentives, be observant with his or her work performance. It is important that reinforcement theory will be high probability of getting employees to be motivated and reinforce the company policy and procedure. It is not necessary that an employer has to give external rewards to employees, because it may, weakens the company productivity and performance.
Reference
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