Self-Solicited Feedback: Effects of Hourly Pay and Individual Monetary Incentive Pay

The frequency of feedback solicitation under hourly pay and individual monetary incentive pay conditions was examined. A between-subjects design was used with 30 college students in the two groups. Participants attended three experimental sessions and entered the cash value of simulated bank checks presented on a computer screen. Performance was higher for individuals who were paid incentives; however, participants who were paid incentives did not self-solicit feedback more than those who were paid hourly. Rather, participants in both groups solicited feedback quite frequently. Additionally, performance was not related to feedback solicitation. These results suggest that the incentives did not make feedback more reinforcing even though the incentives were functional rewards and the feedback was correlated with the amount of pay earned: the better the feedback, the more pay participants earned. The results also support the position that it may be necessary to pair objective feedback with an evaluative component to enhance performance.     

The Effects of Graphic Feedback,Goal Setting,and Manager Praise on Customer Service Behaviors

Abstract

The current study used a multiple baseline design to investigate the effects of graphic feedback, goal setting, and manager praise on customer service behaviors in a large retail setting. Direct observation of customer greeting, eye contact, and smiling was used to collect data. After baseline data were collected feedback graphs were posted twice each week in the employee break room. A second intervention phase included goal setting and manager praise. Goals were developed based on employees' prior performance and were posted on the graphs. Managers then delivered immediate, verbal praise to employees. Graphic feedback produced slight increases in the customer interaction variables in the front of stores 1 and 2. Another small increase in performance was seen in the back of store 1 and the front and back of store 2 with the implementation of the interventions.     

The Relative Effects of Global and Specific Feedback on Safety Behaviors

The purposes of this study were to examine the relative effects of global and specific feedback on safety performance and to compare the generalization effects of such feedback on nontarget safety items at a construction site. Participants were 21 construction workers. An ABCB within-group design was adopted and the following conditions were introduced in sequence: baseline (A), global feedback (B), specific feedback (C), and global feedback (B). The results revealed comparable safety performance levels in the global and specific feedback conditions. However, global feedback produced a higher level of generalization effects on nontarget items than specific feedback did.     

Relative Effects of Daily Feedback and Weekly Feedback on Customer Service Behavior at a Gas Station

The relative effects of daily and weekly feedback on customer service behavior at a gas station were assessed using an ABC within-subjects design. Four critical service behaviors were identified and measured daily. After baseline (A), weekly feedback (B) was introduced, and daily feedback (C) was introduced in the next phase. The results indicated that the service behaviors improved when the weekly feedback was introduced and improved further when the daily feedback was introduced.     

The Effects of Attendance-Contingent Feedback and Praise on Attendance and Work Efficiency

Absenteeism continues to be a major problem for large segments of business and industry. Operant procedures have been used successfully to correct this problem, but most programs have used various forms of monetary reinforces. Applied research also has yet to examine the relationship between attendance and employee productivity. The present research uses feedback and social reinforcement to improve attendance, and examines attendance levels as they relate to worker efficiency. The findings of this study suggest that although there might be a slight increase in individual efficiency when absenteeism decreases, the relation between attendance and worker efficiency is not simple.     

The Effects of Temporal Placement of Feedback on Performance With and Without Goals

ABSTRACT

This report from the field evaluated the effects of temporal placement of feedback, and presence or absence of stated goals, on employee skill acquisition in the context of an organization-wide training. Four conditions were examined: feedback before performance with goals, feedback before performance without goals, feedback after performance with goals, and feedback after performance without goals. The results of this study found no statistically significant difference in performance across the four conditions.     

Using Task Clarification and Feedback Training to Improve Staff Performance in an East African Nongovernmental Organization

The present study used a multiple-baseline design to illustrate the effectiveness of an intervention package consisting of a multipurpose job aid and feedback training in improving the performance of supervisors and animal trainers in a nongovernmental organization headquartered in East Africa. Prior to the intervention, the performance of three supervisors and three animal trainers was suboptimal. Performance improved when supervisors were taught to use the job aid and provide feedback, and reached a high and consistent level during a subsequent phase, in which supervisors used the job aid independently. Limited maintenance and generalization data suggest that the intervention package produced lasting and generalized effects, and social validity data suggest that supervisors viewed the intervention as acceptable. These findings appear to be the first experimentally controlled demonstration of the potential value of organizational behavior management in improving performance in nongovernmental organizations working in resource-poor areas.     

The Interaction Effects of Frequency and Specificity of Feedback on Work Performance

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the interaction effect between specificity (specific vs. global) and frequency of feedback (frequent vs. infrequent) on the quality of work performance. Eighty participants were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the four groups: specific and frequent feedback, global and frequent feedback, specific and infrequent feedback, and global and infrequent feedback. A 2 × 2 factorial design was adopted. Participants were asked to work on a simulated order-fulfilling task and attended 24 sessions. The dependent variable was the error rate of the completed tasks. The results showed that more frequent feedback was more effective and specific feedback was more effective than global feedback in improving the quality of performance. Furthermore, an interactive effect between feedback frequency and specificity was found. Specific feedback was more effective than global feedback when the feedback was infrequent, but global feedback was comparable to specific feedback when it was frequent.     

Computerized Immediate Feedback Increases Product Recall Efficiency Due to Interlocking Contingencies in Food Manufacturing

Food manufacturing companies are challenged with tracking their products so that the company will be able to remove that product from circulation quickly and effectively in the event of a product recall. The accuracy of a recall is dependent upon the accuracy of a product selected for order fulfillment, with the correct product going to the correct store. An integrated solution using wireless handheld computers was programmed to provide immediate visual and audio feedback to the order selectors, in order to prevent errors in order selection. For each case selected, vital information was archived to databases in real-time, which in turn, allowed the company’s safety manager to perform quick and accurate product recall tracking in mock recall drills and state inspections. Results were discussed in terms of the expanding the role of the Organizational Behavior Management professional who addresses operational and ethical issues associated with technologies for better consumer safety.     

Specificity of Performance Feedback in a Professional Service Delivery Setting

Although feedback is one of the most widely used intervention strategies, data on the specificity of effects has been sparse. The current study examined the effects of individualized public feedback on maintenance of client charts by therapists in a clinic setting. Four types of charting errors were tracked throughout the study. In Phase 1, feedback on two types of charting errors was provided and withdrawn in an ABA fashion. Phase II was a systematic replication of Phase I, using a second group of therapists, in which feedback was provided on the other two types of charting errors in an AB fashion. Results showed that feedback affected only those errors on which it was provided, thus supporting a specificity view of feedback effects. It is suggested that target behaviors be carefully selected and that generalization of feedback effects be assessed and not assumed.     

Graphic Feedback,Performance Feedback,and Goal Setting Increased Staff Compliance With a Data Collection Task at a Large Residential Facility

Because of budgetary constraints, human service organizations frequently expect consultants to recommend methods to enhance staff performance that require little or no additional funding. The current study utilized a multiple baseline across settings design to evaluate and compare the effects of a single intervention and a packaged intervention including graphic feedback and goal setting on approximately 200 direct care staff as a group, to improve the data collection procedure at a residential treatment facility. The single intervention showed some improvement, whereas the packaged intervention yielded substantial improvements and was maintained.     

Replacing Voice Input With Technology That Provided Immediate Visual and Audio Feedback to Reduce Employee Errors

In this report from the field at two auto parts distribution centers, order selectors picked auto accessories (e.g., fuses, oil caps, tool kits) into industrial plastic totes as part of store orders. Accurately identifying all store order totes via the license plate number was a prerequisite for the warehouse management system (WMS) to track each tote to the correct sorting lane, the correct shipping door, the correct route, the correct store, and to invoice the store. Using voice technology, the order selector uttered the license plate number; however, in the event the utterance did not match the license plate number affixed to the lid of the tote, the tote was routed to a “penalty” area of the sorting lanes as a misidentified tote. Each misidentified tote cost the company approximately $500 in lost labor and lost sales. Replacing the utterance of the order selector with a scanning stylus that provided both a “good read” light indicator and a “good read” auditory beep informed the selector that the license plate had been scanned and reliably decreased the number of misidentified totes. The role of the organizational behavior management (OBM) practitioner in industrial settings in designing interventions that increase accuracy and productivity was examined.     

The Impact of a Task Clarification and Feedback Intervention on Restaurant Service Quality

Customer service is a key aspect of restaurant success, as performance has shown a reliable positive relationship with customer retention. However, waitstaff performance may deteriorate, as income from gratuities is often unrelated to service quality. The present study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention consisting of task clarification and task-specific feedback on restaurant service tasks and observed the relationship between task completion and gratuities. Three adult women servers participated during their regular working shifts at a local dine-in restaurant. Initially customer service task completion was low (36% on average across participants). Performance increased immediately following the introduction of the intervention, and all participants maintained 87.5%–100% task completion. Correlational analyses found that gratuities were unrelated to performance and may thus pose a problem for performance maintenance. Implications relating to feedback and payment schedules are discussed.     

Work Productivity as a Function of the Percentage of Monetary Incentives to Base Pay

In many individual monetary incentive systems workers receive an hourly base pay and can earn incentives when productivity exceeds a specified standard. The total amount that can be earned in incentives is often expressed as a percentage of base pay. This study examined the effects of different percentages of incentive pay to base pay on work productivity. Seventy-five college students were randomly assigned to one of five incentivebase pay conditions: 0% (no incentives), l0%, 30%. 60% or 100%. Subjects participated in 15 forty-five minute sessions during which they assem: bled parts made from bolts, nuts and washers. Subjects received a base pay amount for assembling a minimum of 50 quality parts per session and a per piece incentive for parts over 50. If subjects assernbled 120 quality parts, the production maximum, the total amount they could earn in incentives equaled 0%, l0%, 30%, 60% or 100% of their base pay. Results indicated that the productivity of subjects in the l0%, 30%, 60% and 100% groups was significantly greater than that of subjects in the 0% incentive group; however, the productivity of subjects in the l0%, 30%, 60% and 100% incentive groups did not differ.     

Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback Sequence on Work Performance and Emotional Responses

Performance feedback has been broadly used within Organizational Behavior Management. However, the specifics regarding the most effective type of feedback still merits careful investigation, including the use of positive and negative sequences of feedback. The current study randomly assigned participants to receive one of the following sequences: (a) positive-positive feedback, (b) positive-negative feedback, (c) negative-positive feedback, and (d) negative-negative feedback. Uniform feedback delivery resulted in higher performance, although inconsistent feedback resulted in lessened negative emotional responses. Recommendations on whether to deliver positive or negative feedback in isolation or combination may depend upon the outcomes currently being prioritized by the organization.     

The Effects of Social Comparison and Objective Feedback on Work Performance Across Different Performance Levels

This study investigated the interaction effects of feedback content type (social comparison feedback vs. objective feedback) and two different performance levels (high vs. low) on work performance. One hundred fifty participants were recruited and asked to perform a simulated work task in a preliminary session. Based on their performance, the upper 40% (high performance) and lower 40% (low performance) groups were selected for the main experiment. Participants in each group were randomly assigned to the two different experimental conditions: objective feedback and social comparison feedback. For the participants in the objective feedback condition, information on the number of correctly completed work tasks was provided. For the participants in the social comparison feedback condition, rank information on their performance was provided. The results indicated that social comparison feedback was more effective than objective feedback for the high performers, but was less effective for the low performers.     

积极心理学运动对组织行为学及人力资源管理的影响

积极心理学是21世纪心理学研究的一个新方向,而积极心理学运动(PPM)则在全社会掀起了一场积极运动,其影响是广泛而深远的。文章着重探讨PPM对组织行为学及人力资源管理的影响,研究结论是:PPM促进了积极组织行为学(POB)的形成与发展,推动了积极组织学术(POS)的兴起,同时也改变了人力资源管理实践中关于招聘与选拔、培训与考核的内容和方式。     

The Impact of Authority Relations and Feedback Delivery Method on Performance

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of technology has been changing feedback delivery methods in organizations. However, the effectiveness of feedback delivery methods can vary depending on social dynamics (e.g., authority relations) in the organization. The current study was designed to examine the impact of authority relations and feedback delivery methods on performance. A total of 120 participants were recruited to work on a simulated cell-phone assembly task and were exposed to one of the four feedback conditions: (a) authority figure with face-to-face feedback, (b) authority figure with e-mail feedback, (c) non-authority figure with face-to-face feedback, and (d) non-authority figure with e-mail feedback. Results showed that while both feedback delivery methods resulted in high performance with the presence of an authority figure, only face-to-face feedback resulted in high performance with a non-authority figure. Practical considerations for effective feedback delivery methods in relation to authority figures are also discussed.     

The Impact of Skinner's Verbal Behavior on Organizational Behavior Management

In the book Verbal Behavior, Skinner provided a comprehensive, behavioral account of language. While the impact of Skinner's analysis on empirical research has been examined broadly, this review of the literature focused on studies relevant to organizational behavior management (OBM). Both empirical and nonempirical journal articles in OBM were analyzed, along with several influential books in the field. The results of this review indicate that the conceptual framework provided in Verbal Behavior has had virtually no impact on empirical research in OBM and very limited impact on conceptual work. Potential reasons for this lack of influence are discussed, and further research on verbal behavior in organizations is encouraged.     

Effects of Accurate and Inaccurate Feedback on Work Performance: The Role of the Awareness of Inaccuracy

ABSTRACT

This study compared the effects of accurate (i.e., contingent) and inaccurate (i.e., non-contingent) feedback on work performance under two different work conditions. Under one work condition, participants could clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., visible condition). Under the other condition, they could not clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., non-visible condition). One hundred and twenty participants were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (i.e., accurate/visible, inaccurate/visible, accurate/non-visible, and inaccurate/non-visible) and asked to perform a simulated work task. The results indicated that inaccurate feedback was as effective as accurate feedback under the non-visible condition, but inaccurate feedback was less effective than accurate feedback under the visible condition.