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  • Goal Setting: Work motivation and Task performance

    In the last byte, we looked at aspects of setting up SMART goals the role these goals play in the context of an organization. In today’s byte, we look at how to improve work motivation and task performance using goal setting.

    In setting up the goals we mentioned that challenging goals achieve a better performance corresponding to the effort put in by the people. If we look at this aspect closely, in the context of organizations 3 important behavioral aspects are necessary to enhance performance these are:

    1. Employee Participation
    2. Supervisory Commitment
    3. Performance feedback
    Employee participation in the goal setting process enhances their commitment towards the goal to be accomplished. Goal acceptance is the beginning of this commitment process and finally leads to goal accomplishment.

    Supervisory commitment is the reflection of the organization’s commitment too. It is only in ensuring that the commitment of the organization and the supervisors that would drive towards ensuring the success of any program.

    The other important role that the supervisor plays is that of providing the employee performance feedback on the progress towards goals. These sessions of performance feedback are found to be most useful when the goals are specific.

  • Goal: Characteristics

    In the last byte, we looked at how goal setting could help enhance motivation, and what would be the requisites from a goal in order to be effective. In today’s byte, we look the requisite characteristics of a goal – SMART in more detail.

    Specific and Challenging goals helps an individual focus his/her attention on what is to be accomplished and to arouse the person to peak performance. It has been observed in many occupations that people with specific and rather challenging goals outperform people who have easy or unspecific goals.

    Goals must be measurable – these could be either qualitative or quantitative, and act as a basis for feedback about goal progress. Time-bound goals enhance the ability to make these goals measurable – the implicit time limit makes it more targeted and removes unspecificity.

    Prioritization of goals allows for effective decision making and also allows better allocation of the resources. Individuals can direct their effort and behavior in case of resource conflicts – time, effort etc.

    Goal setting essentially plays three functions at the minimum:

    1. Increases work motivation and task performance
    2. Reduces role stress in case of conflicting/confusing expectations
    3. Improves accuracy and validity of performance evaluation

  • Goal Setting

    In the last byte, we looked at how personality differences influence the way individuals learn. This discussion was part of understanding how individuals learn. In many ways, learning is also influences by motivation and we have discussed about it prior to starting our discussion on learning. One way to motivate individuals is also by setting up goals. Over this byte and the next few, we shall look at understanding the process of goal setting its various dimensions.

    Goal setting could be described as a process of establishing desired results that guide and direct behavior. Goals not just give direction but also help crystallize the sense of purpose and mission that is essential to succeed at work. This goal setting process helps get priorities and purpose aligned with the goals and there by act as important sources of motivation for people at work – this leads to collective achievement even in difficult times.

    Let us begin with understanding how a goal is to be designed.

    The way one defines the goal plays a very important role in the influence it creates on the team members trying to achieve the goal. A lousy, unclear goal could be least expected and in many cases also gets the team to lose its motivation with its shifting nature. Goals are best when they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound. These could be remembered by their acronym – SMART.

    We shall continue the discussion of these characteristics of the Goal in the next byte.

  • Learning: Personality Differences

    In the last byte, we looked at how a manager could develop self-efficacy and encourage a particular behavior at work. In today’s byte, we look at how individual personality differences can affect learning.

    If we were to reflect to see if there exists any relation exists between the personality types – extroverts and introverts we begin to see some observations that are important. Introverts prefer quite time to study, concentrate and reflect on what they learn. Their ability to think is best when they are alone. Extroverts on the other hand tend to derive their energy from the surrounding – they think best in groups and while they are talking. They need to interact with other people, and generally learn through the process of expressing and exchanging ideas with others.

    If we also look at other ways to classify people, we could classify them as: Intuitors and Sensors based on the way they prefer to gather information or as Thinkers and Feelers based on the way they prefer to make decisions. We find that people who are Intuitors prefer theoretical frameworks, and look for meaning in material; their constant attempt is to understand the grander scheme of things and is constantly on the outlook for possibilities and interrelations. Sensors prefer specific and empirical data. They look for practical applications of what they learn and attempt to master the details of a subject, they are constantly on the lookout for what is realistic and doable. Thinkers prefer to analyze data and information, work to fair-minded and even headed; they seek logical and just conclusions and don’t like to be too personally involved. The feelers are found to prefer interpersonal involvement, are seen to be tenderhearted and harmonious, they seek subjective, merciful results and generally don’t like factual or objective analysis.

    It is important to understand form the above that each person has preferred mode gathering information and a preferred mode of evaluating and making decisions about that information! The functions of thinking and feeling determine how the individual evaluates and makes decisions about newly acquired information.

  • Learning: Self-Efficacy

    In the last byte, we looked at social learning and the role of self-efficacy in the same. In today’s byte, we look at how self-efficacy can be developed and used by a manager.

    It is clear from the last byte that self-efficacy is an extremely sought after behavior. Managers who want to develop self-efficacy in their teams would need to work on their available people resources – give them challenging jobs then support them with time investing in coaching, counseling to ensure that the performance improves and finally reward the employee’s achievement. It would be very important in this attempt that the employees are empowered, power shared with them – these help increase the employee’s self-esteem and self-efficacy.

    At this point it would be important to highlight that social reinforcement in combination with self-efficacy can have a very strong influence on the behavior and performance of employees at work. It was also recognized by Bandura that financial and material rewards often occur following or in conjunction with the approval of others and also, undesirable experiences often follow social disapproval.

    The actual challenge in real life for a manager lies in selecting and developing employees to achieve higher self-efficacy at work! The remaining would pretty much follow…

  • Social Learning Theory

    In the last byte, we looked at extinction and understand how it could be used to drive a desired behavior. In today’s byte, we look at how people pick up things from others in their environment (this is part of the discussion we initiate today on social learning).

    The Social Learning Theory was proposed by Albert Bandura; the underlying belief is that learning occurs through the observation of other people and the modeling of their behavior. An individual could learn from their surroundings, by looking at their parents, relatives, supervisors etc.

    If we are to question, how this could be effective at all; we would quickly realize that it relies more on the confidence an individual has on his/her ability to perform a task. In this case, when the individual’s beliefs and expectancies about his or her ability to perform a specific task, also called task-specific self-efficacy is the central underlying idea.

    Self-efficacy has four sources:

    1. Prior Experience
    2. Behavior Models (witnessing the success of others)
    3. Persuasion from other people
    Assessment of Current physical and emotional capabilities

    Success is only possible when one believes in one’s own capability to get something done!

    Look at experiences around you or even within you to look out for examples of self efficacy… there definitely are many

  • Learning – Extinction

    In the last byte, we looked at punishment and how it could be used to drive a desired behavior. In today’s byte, we look at using extinction to weaken a behavior.

    Extinction is a means of weakening a behavior by not attaching any consequences to the action. It is a bit unclear until we take an example to understand this better.

    Assume you have a colleague who is generally passing around sarcastic comments – one approach that as a listener you could take is not reacting to it. This would definitely weaken the enthusiasm and the spirit of the colleague to continue using sarcasm. To reinforce the desirable behavior further, it would be extremely good if you could combine the use of extinction by using positive reinforcement. In this case, you could complement the colleague for constructive comments (positive reinforcement) and ignore the sarcastic comments (extinction)

    The rationale for using extinction is that a behavior not followed by any consequence is weakened. One would require patience and time to see it really work.

    If one is to decide between extinction and punishment as a thumb rule, one could check what the behavior is likely to be. If the behavior is dangerous, then punishment is preferred to deliver a quick and clear lesson.

  • Learning – Punishment

    In the last byte, we looked at reinforcement schedule. In today’s byte, we look at Punishment in detail.

    Punishment could be understood as the attempt to eliminate or weaken undesirable behavior! A manager could punish in 2 possible ways

    1. By applying negative consequences
    2. By withholding positive consequences
    Of the employee’s actions.

    Example of the first case could be a match ban introduced by the match referee on the player who violated the moral code of conduct in a particular game. Example of the second case could be considered in sales setting where, a sales associate who makes a few visits to companies and whose sales are well below the quota would receive a very small commission at the end of the month.

    There is however one problem with punishment – it may have unintended results. Since there are discomforting experiences, it could lead to negative psychological, emotional, performance of behavioral consequences! It is also to be noted that, it is not just the punishment that raises fear – a threat of punishment may also elicit fear!

  • Learning – Reinforcement Schedule

    In the last byte, we looked at reinforcement closely, in today’s byte we look at the schedules of reinforcement and the effect it attempts to achieve.

    The following diagram summarized the impact of different schedules of reinforcement. These diagrams are adapted from the Table  in the book Organizational Behavior Modifications by Fred Luthans and Robert Kreitner (Copyright 1985) page 58 by Scott Foresman and Company and the authors of our reference book. 



  • Learning – Reinforcement

    In the last byte, we looked at graphical representation of the Reinforcement and Punishment Strategies. In today’s byte, we attempt understanding the reinforcement better.

    Reinforcement essentially implies the attempt to develop or strengthen desirable behavior by either bestowing positive consequences or withholding negative consequences. If the manager chooses to apply positive consequences to any desired action of his/her employees, then it results in positive reinforcement. These reinforcement take different forms in different organization – they could be bonus, awards, recognition, promotion etc.

    Negative reinforcement is to be understood a bit closely – it results from a manager withholding negative consequence when a desirable behavior occurs. Example: A manager could choose not to exercise the choice of reducing pay for his employee who usually report late if the employee reaches office on time!

    In addition to just these consequences, the schedules of reinforcement also play a very influencing role. These could be continuous, fixed, intermittent. Understanding the influence of these schedules for reinforcement would definitely be interesting, we shall make it the subject matter of the next discussion byte.