Ch. 9 - Learning & Training Flashcards
Learning
Relatively permanent changes in an employee’s knowledge or skill that result from experience
Decision Making
The process of generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem
Expertise
Knowledge & skills that distinguish experts from novices
What are the 2 types of knowledge that employees learn?
Tacit Knowledge
Explicit Knowledge
Tacit Knowledge
Knowledge that employees can only learn through experience
Explicit Knowledge
Knowledge that is easy to communicate and available to everyone
According to research, what is responsible for the differences between experts and novices?
Learning (not intelligence or innate differences like many people believe)
90% of knowledge contained in organizations occurs in _____ form
tacit
Reinforcement (operant conditioning)
Peoples’ tendency to repeat a behaviour if they are rewarded for doing so
Contingencies of Learning
Four specific consequences used by organizations to modify employee behaviour:
-Positive Reinforcement
-Negative Reinforcement
-Punishment
-Extinction
Positive Reinforcement
Reinforcement contingency in which a positive outcome follows a desired behaviour
Negative Reinforcement
Reinforcement contingency in which an unwanted outcome is removed following a desired behaviour
Punishment
An unwanted outcome that follows an unwanted behaviour
Extinction
The removal of a positive outcome following an unwanted behaviour
An employee must eat lunch under supervision because they have been taking long lunch breaks. Which contingency of reinforcement applies here?
Punishment
What are the two most commonly used forms of reinforcement by managers?
Positive Reinforcement
Extinction
Why are positive reinforcement and extinction the preferred forms of reinforcement in the workplace?
Both positive reinforcement and extinction deliver their intended results without creating feelings of hostility and conflict
Schedule of reinforcement
The timing of when contingencies are applied or removed
What are the schedules of reinforcement used to modify behaviour?
Continuous Reinforcement
Fixed-interval schedule
Variable-interval schedule
Fixed-ratio schedule
Variable-ratio schedule
Continuous Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which a specific consequence follows each and every occurrence of a certain behaviour. Allows for the most rapid learning.
Why might continuous reinforcement not be effective?
It is difficult to maintain. To maintain continuous reinforcement, managers need to reward employees every time the desired occurs (impractical).
Fixed-interval schedule
A schedule in which reinforcement occurs at fixed time periods (eg. every month). The most common reinforcement schedule.
Variable-interval schedule
A schedule in which reinforcement occurs at random periods of time. Employees become more likely to exhibit the desired behaviour at all times rather than just at fixed times.
Fixed-ratio schedule
A schedule in which reinforcement occurs following a fixed number of desired behaviours.
Variable-ratio schedule
A schedule in which behaviours are reinforced after a varying number of occurrences
Which schedule of reinforcement tends to lead to the highest levels of performance?
Variable-ratio schedules
Social learning theory
Theory that argues that people in organizations learn by observing others
Behavioural Modelling
Employees observing other peoples’ actions, learning from what they observe, and then repeating the observed behaviour
What is the best way to acquire tacit knowledge?
Behavioural modelling