• Watch the Unit 5 Lecture. (transcripts)
• Read the following scenario

Scenario:

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Reinforcement

You have now been called into Buying World, a large retail store that would like some help improving their reward system. They are currently using an employee of the month system that was implemented last quarter and there has been no improvement in staff performance or staff morale. For your discussion, you will provide some feedback on the current system and suggestions for improvement:

1. Discuss the current reward system, employee of the month. Include a discussion of the reasons it is not an effective reward system.
2. Identify and describe alternative methods for rewarding behavior in a group that management at Buying World could consider. Describe why these would be more effective than the current system.
3. Include a discussion of how goal setting and shaping could also be utilized to increase performance in the organization.
4. Create one SMART goal as an example of effective goal setting that could be utilized for the staff at Buying World.

Peer Responses:

Review two of your classmates’ posts to assess the following:

• Critique your peers’ descriptions of the effectiveness of employee of the month. Were there any other considerations that should be included?
• Include any additional methods for rewarding behavior that your classmate did not describe.

Reading and Resources

Your reading this week will provide a basic overview of the schedules of reinforcement. You will also read about the use and effectiveness of various schedules of reinforcement as they apply to organizations. Past research in this area is also covered. In the textbook read:

Chapter 14: “Goal Setting to Shape Behavior”

Chapter 15: “The Four R’s of Effective Management”

Chapter 16: “Compensation and Performance Appraisal”

Your library resource will provide an overview of the visual analysis of data. You will read about the characteristics of graph data as well as strategies for accurate analysis. In the Purdue Global Library, please read the following articles:

Srivastava, A. K. (2015). Do smart goals lead to better performance? Human Capital, 19(2), 30–33.

TEXTBOOKS

Daniels, A. Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement.