Registration Number: Name: Garima Srivastava Paper no: 1 Response Sheet No: 2 Question No: 1

ISTD DIPLOMA IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PAPER: 1 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR RESPONSE SHEET NO: 2

SUBMITTED BY: GARIMA SRIVASTAVA REGISTRATION NUMBER: JULY 2010 Batch

Registration Number: Name: Garima Srivastava Paper no: 1 Response Sheet No: 2 Question No: 1

Question No 1: Define learning. Compare and contrast conditioned and instrumental learning. Give an example of how a particular behavior is learned and modified in organization. Answer No 1: Definition of Learning: Learning could be defined as A relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of prior experience.--------------E.R.HILGARD Learning has taken place if an individual behaves, reacts & responds as a result of experience in a manner different from the way he formerly behaved.-------W.McGEHEE Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour potentially that results from reinforced practice or experience---------STEERS AND PORTER Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Comparison & contrast between Conditioned & instrumental learning: Conditioned Learning: Classical conditioning grew out of experiments to teach dogs to salivate in response to the ringing of a bell, conducted in the early 1900s by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Conditioned Learning involves building up an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. When the stimuli, one compelling and the other neutral, are paired, the neutral one becomes a conditioned stimulus and, hence, takes on the properties of the unconditioned stimulus. Classical conditioning can be used to explain why Christmas carols often bring back pleasant memories of childhood; the songs are associated with the festive Christmas spirit and evoke fond memories and feelings of euphoria. Classical conditioning is passive. Something happens and we react in a specific way. It is elicited in response to a specific, identifiable event. As such, it can explain simple reflexive behaviors. But most behaviors, particularly the complex behavior of individuals in organizations is emitted rather than elicited. That is, its voluntary rather than reflexive. Instrumental Learning: The second type of learning technique is instrumental learning, or conditioning, also called operant conditioning. In this type of conditioning a response is followed by some consequence which then changes the future probability of that response. For example, instrumental conditioning appears to be one way in which aggressive motivation can be changed. If an aggressive response by one child toward another child is followed by some positive event such as the aggressor getting to play

Registration Number: Name: Garima Srivastava Paper no: 1 Response Sheet No: 2 Question No: 1

with a desired toy, then the motivation to behave aggressively can be expected to increase in the future. Illustration of how a particular behavior is learned and modified in organization through an Example: According to reinforcement theory, desirable behaviors can be increased by associating them with positive consequences, while undesirable behaviors can be increased by associating them with punishments. In organizational behavior modification, a manager identifies desired and undesired behaviors, measures the existing performance level of individual staff members and identifies current consequences of behaviors. The manager then develops a strategy to make highlydesirable behaviors more rewarding for an employee. To assess whether or not his strategy is effective after implementation, the manager must again measure the performance level of staff members, to see whether they have increased their frequencies of desired behavior. If they haven't, the manager must try a different form of positive reinforcement. Once the manager perceives a positive change in staff behavior, he must maintain the positive behavior. To do this, he must continue to reward his staff for desirable behavior on a continuous, intermittent schedule. For example, if an employee who used to come to work late is given a raise for changing his behavior and coming to work on time, he should be given another reward later if he continues to be punctual. If the raise is only a one-time reward, the employee might start coming to work late again, seeing no benefit in coming to work on time. The below mentioned case study illustrates how a particular behavior can be learned & modified in an organization using Reward, Motivation & Punishment. Overcoming Absenteeism at Unique Schweppes Ltd : Unique Schweppes Ltd was multinational Public limited Company with its head office at London. Its Agra unit was situated near Mathura with a manpower capacity of 450 employees. Inspite of good facilities provided to the workers absenteeism was very high thus creating problems in the production. In July 1995, HR executive, Alok Gupta received a complaint from line supervisor, Prakash Sharma that production was suffering due to absenteeism in his department. Alok Gupta was perplexed. The reason being that with 52 weekly off, 9 casual leaves and 22 earned leaves provided to the workers in line with Factory Act 1948 under Section 52, the absenteeism rate was still 18 %. In January 1996, a meeting was called by Alok Gupta and in consultation with Prakash Sharma, it was decided that warning should be given to cronic cases and the workers who had started remaining absent should be counseled. Inspite of doing this no change

was observed until April 1996. Alok Gupta reported to Priya Kumar, Human resources manager about increasing complaints related to absenteeism. The management

Registration Number: Name: Garima Srivastava Paper no: 1 Response Sheet No: 2 Question No: 1

offered the employees the scheme of doubling the amount of annual interest free loans from Rs 5000 to Rs 10 000 to those who were regular at their work. A plan chalked out for this: (a) Employee who had worked for more than 280 days out of 365 days would get Rs 10,000 interest free loan. Employees who were present for more than 230 working days, amount of free loan would be Rs 5000. For less than 230 there would be no loan facilities. (b) In a period of 4 months, if an employee availed no leave then he would be entitled for additional payment of Rs 500. If a half-day leave, it would be Rs 350 and for one day leave it would be Rs 250. Similarly, some workers who had not shown any improvement in their attendance, it was decided that charge- sheet would be issued. However, when the charge sheet was issued to such cases the union members resisted. It was observed in the beginning of 1999, that the rate of absenteeism had decreased from 18% to 16 %. But it was not satisfactory and hence management decided to put in more efforts in the form of new incentives schemes which were best on social recognition like; tea party, attendance awards, recognition by senior executives at work place and celebrating family day on 17 September i.e., on Vishwakarma Jayanti. By the end of 1999, they had introduced all monetary as well as social benefits schemes yet three employees among the nine employees who had been issued the charge sheet in September, 1998 had not shown any improvement and remained absent for more than 200 days out of 280 working days. Therefore, the management finally decided to terminate them, and termination letters were issued to them. In the year 2000, a remarkable decline was found in the rate of absenteeism. It had reduced from 16% to 12%. The above case study clearly indicates how a behavior can be learned and modified by using motivation, reward, recognition & punishment.