Which of these represents the final step in a behavior modification program?

Read this article to learn about the meaning, steps, utilities, and criticism of organisational behaviour modification.

Meaning of Organisational Behaviour Modification:

Modern behaviorists lay great emphasis on operant conditioning for molding behaviour of individuals and motivating them. Behaviour modification, popularly known as OB MOD makes use of various reinforcements to influence the behaviour of individuals. OB Mod is derived and developed from the work of B.F. Skinner. This technique helps the managers in modifying or eliminating undesirable behaviour and replacing it with behaviour that is more compatible with goal attainment.

OB Mod in simple words can be defined as a technique for modifying the modifying or behaviour of the organisational members so that they are engaged in desirable undesirable behaviour and. replacing it with behaviour. It can be used for motivating the employees as well as for enhancing organisational effectiveness.

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According to Stephen P. Robbins:

“OB Mod is a programme where managers identify performance related employee behaviours and then implement an intervention strategy to strengthen desirable behaviour and weaken undesirable behaviours.”

According to Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn:

“OB Mod is the systematic reinforcement of desirable work behaviour and the non reinforcement or punishment of unwanted work behaviour. It includes four basic reinforcement strategies. Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction”

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A-B-C’s Of Behaviour Modification:

Behaviour modification as has been just explained helps the manager in eliminating or modifying undesirable behaviour and replacing it with behaviour that’s more compatible. It further helps us to understand how environmental contingencies influence behaviour.

There can be two contingencies of behaviour:

(i) The Antecedents. These are the events preceding the behaviour.

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(ii) The consequences i.e. the events that follow a particular behaviour.

Both these variables put together form the A-B-C model.

The main aim of this model is to change Behaviour by managing its antecedents and consequences as is shown in the following diagram:

Steps in OB Modification:

Fred Luthans and R. Kreitner developed and used OB Mod to represent a behavioural approach to the management of human resources for performance improvement.

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The steps given by them in applying the OB Mod are summarized in the following figure:

These steps are discussed as follows:

1. Identification:

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The first step in the OB Mod is identification of performance related behaviours. First of all the behaviour should be identified as desirable or undesirable from the point of view of the organisation. Then in the next stage, critical behaviours, that have significant impact on the employees’ performance, should be given due attention. The critical behaviours can be identified through discussions with the particular employee and his immediate superior as both are closely intimated with the job behaviours.

Some of the critical behaviours which affect job performance are absenteeism or attendance, tardiness or promptness, complaints or constructive criticism, listening to or not listening to the instructions, etc. If such behaviours are modified, good results could be expected. Due attention should be given to the critical behaviour because they get repeated again and again.

2. Measurement:

After the critical behaviours of the employees have been identified, the next step for the manager is to measure the frequency of the critical behaviour over time. The measurement can be done by observation and by extraction of information from records. If the frequency is within the acceptable limit, it will require no action, but if it exceeds the acceptable limit,
it will need immediate attention. The measurement of behaviour will also help the managers in determining the success in changing the employees’ behaviour.

3. Analysis:

At the next step, the managers will have to do a functional analysis of the behaviour that requires modification. This analysis will determine what circumstances lead to a particular type of behaviour, what are the consequences of such behaviour etc. Contingent consequences of behaviour should be identified because these consequences have impact on subsequent behaviour. Moreover, some contingent consequences appear to be affecting the critical behaviour on the surface only, the functional analysis should try to find out the competing contingencies for every behaviour also.

4. Intervention:

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Once the critical behaviours have been identified and the circumstances which cause such behaviours have been determined, the next step will be to develop an effective intervention strategy. There are several strategies that can be used at this stage. These include positive or negative reinforcement, extinction or punishment.

The use of a particular strategy will depend upon the type of situation faced. After developing and implementing a particular strategy, the frequency of resulting behaviour is measured. If a behaviour change has occurred in the right direction, the manager will select a reinforcement schedule that will maintain the desired behaviour.

5. Evaluation:

The last stage in OB Mod is the evaluation whether the intervention strategies are working properly or not. The basic purpose of OB Mod is to bring change in undesirable behaviours so as to improve performance. Evaluation will reveal whether the undesirable behaviours have been substituted by desirable behaviour or not. If there has been a change in behaviour, whether it is permanent or just temporary.

Further, the evaluation will also show whether there is improvement in the performance or not. If there is a positive change, it suggests that the interventions are successful. However, if the change is not significant, it may call for adoption of alternate and more appropriate strategies.

Utilities of OB Modification:

OB Mod has been applied successfully in many organisations, service as well as manufacturing, to improve organisational effectiveness and understand human behaviour in organisations. It is an important technique of human resource management.

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The major strengths and utilities of OB Mod are as follows:

1. Can be Put to Testing:

OB Mod concentrates on a person’s external behaviour and this allows a manager to realistically observe and deal with outward manifestations of behaviour. Since it deals with observed behaviour it can be put to testing.

2. Development of Employees:

OB Mod presents a set of tools by which people can learn new behaviours and skills and thereby replacing undesirable behaviours. Positive reinforcement could be used to encourage desirable behaviour by the employees. Social learning theory can be of great use in the effective implementation of any training programme for the employees. Thus, OB Mod is a great technique of developing the employees.

3. Control and Regulation of the Employees’ Behaviour:

OB Mod provides various tools to the managers for effectively controlling and influencing the behaviour of employees in the organisation. Most behaviour in the organisation are learned, controlled and changed by the consequences. The managers can use operant conditioning to control and regulate the behaviour of subordinates by manipulating the reward system.

The behavioural consequences that are rewarding increase the probability of desired behaviour whereas aversive consequences decrease the probability of desired response.

4. Easy to Understand and Use:

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The understanding of OB Mod techniques is comparatively easy. Managers can use these without many problems. OB Mod has received great attention from several organisations in the recent years. It is widely applied in large organisations in the areas of human resource management, executive development, motivation, introduction of change and organisational development.

Criticism of OB Modification:

OB Mod has been applied in many organisations and has actually benefitted organisations also. Still some people criticise it on the grounds that it is unethical and manipulative in character and so it should not be used by the managers to regulate the behaviour of others.

The main objections raised against OB Mod are as follows:

1. The basic criticism against OB Mod is that Skinner’s operant conditioning principles were developed after a series of experiments with white rats. The critics suggest that this technique is an applied rat morphism and tends to equate human beings with rats, but organisations are more complex than Skinner’s boxes.

2. Operant conditioning techniques ignore the individuality of person and constitute a threat to the concept of personal autonomy. These techniques are employed by managers to manipulate and control the human beings into another person’s concept of ideal person.

3. OB Mod techniques restrict freedom of choice of behaviour. This works against the basic concept of creativity and innovation; which are required for successful working of the organisations.

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4. OB Mod is based on the assumption that individual behaviour is a function or is controlled by his environment and that forces internal to the individual have little effect on operant behaviour. However, empirical evidence suggests that operant behaviour is also a function of certain cognitive and affective variables residing in the individual. It does not take care of people’s perception, beliefs, needs and expectations.

5. OB Mod is an exercise in over simplification. It cannot be considered as an innovative and new technique of management. It is just a new name given to the old concepts. In past, many techniques of behaviour modification have been in practice.

6. The idea of changing employees’ behaviour through reinforcement under OB Mod is in conformity with the traditional thinking that people need to be directed to get the work done. In the modern world, where the people are enlightened, and self motivated, this view cannot be accepted.

7. External awards under OB Mod amounts to bribery as some rewards are presented when the person shows the behaviour according to the wishes of the changing agent. OB Mod ignores the internal causes of behaviour. It ignores the fact that intrinsic pleasure of job is more important to some employees.

8. OB Mod is also criticized on the ground that managers are forced to psychoanalyse the workers and tie performance to rewards continuously. Quite often, it is too difficult to measure the complex behaviour most employees engage in. It may be more difficult to teach reinforcement principles to lower level managers and design reward system that help creativity and are not manipulative.

9. Behaviour modifications have been applied primarily with groups such as younger students in schools, delinquents in institutions, patients with behavioural disorders etc. However, organisational settings are different than laboratory settings and therefore, behaviour modifications cannot be applied in organisational settings, as applicable to laboratories.

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In-spite of the criticisms levied against OB Mod, it has been increasingly used in business organisations. It is being utilized as a practical tool for shaping, improving and motivating behaviour of organisational members. OB Mod should not be treated as a technique to be applied indiscriminately as panacea for all organisational behavioural problems. Rather the management should keep in mind its shortcomings and to apply it within the context of its limitations and shortcomings.

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Which of the following represents the final step in the decision