Job Design and Reinforcement Perspectives
job design: division of an organization’s work among its employees
the application of motivational theories to jobs to increase satisfaction and performance
two techniques:
fitting people to jobs
traditional way
fitting jobs to people
modern way
enlargement: increasing the number of tasks in a job to increase variety
enrichment: building motivating factors into a job
reinforcement theory: suggests that behavior with positive consequences tends to be repeated, whereas behavior with negative consequences tends to not be repeated
pioneered by B.F. Skinner (operant conditioning) and Edward Thorndike (law of effect)
use of reinforcement theory to change human behavior is called behavior modification
positive reinforcement: use of positive consequences to strengthen a particular behavior
negative reinforcement: strengthening a behavior by withdrawing something negative
extinction: weakening behavior by ignoring it or making sure it’s not reinforced
punishment: weakening behavior by presenting something negative or withdrawing something positive
positive reinforcement:
reward only desirable behavior
give rewards as soon as possible
be clear about what behavior is desired
have different rewards and recognize individual differences
punishment:
punish only undesirable behavior
give reprimands or disciplinary actions as soon as possible
be clear about what behavior is desirable
administer punishment in private
combine punishment and positive reinforcement
compensation: monetary rewards
non-monetary incentives:
work-life balance
ability to expand skills
positive work environment
finding meaning in work
job design: division of an organization’s work among its employees
the application of motivational theories to jobs to increase satisfaction and performance
two techniques:
fitting people to jobs
traditional way
fitting jobs to people
modern way
enlargement: increasing the number of tasks in a job to increase variety
enrichment: building motivating factors into a job
reinforcement theory: suggests that behavior with positive consequences tends to be repeated, whereas behavior with negative consequences tends to not be repeated
pioneered by B.F. Skinner (operant conditioning) and Edward Thorndike (law of effect)
use of reinforcement theory to change human behavior is called behavior modification
positive reinforcement: use of positive consequences to strengthen a particular behavior
negative reinforcement: strengthening a behavior by withdrawing something negative
extinction: weakening behavior by ignoring it or making sure it’s not reinforced
punishment: weakening behavior by presenting something negative or withdrawing something positive
positive reinforcement:
reward only desirable behavior
give rewards as soon as possible
be clear about what behavior is desired
have different rewards and recognize individual differences
punishment:
punish only undesirable behavior
give reprimands or disciplinary actions as soon as possible
be clear about what behavior is desirable
administer punishment in private
combine punishment and positive reinforcement
compensation: monetary rewards
non-monetary incentives:
work-life balance
ability to expand skills
positive work environment
finding meaning in work