LEARNING

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Defining: LEARNING

A relatively permanent change in behavior (or

behavior tendency) that occurs as a result of a

person’s interaction with the environment.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Learning in Organizations

– Learning takes place as a result of practice

or through experience
– With learning comes change

– Change must be relatively permanent

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 TYPES OF LEARNING

– Operant Conditioning

– Behavior Modification

– Social Learning

– Learning on your own

– Learning by doing

– Continuous learning through creativity

– The learning organization

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB
 Classical Conditioning Theory
A type of conditioning in which an individual
responds to some stimulus that would not
ordinarily produce such a response.

Key
KeyConcepts
Concepts
••Unconditioned
Unconditionedstimulus
stimulus
••Unconditioned
Unconditionedresponse
response
••Conditioned
Conditionedstimulus
stimulus
••Conditioned
Conditionedresponse
response

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned
stimulus
(food)

Reflex
response
(salivation)
Conditioned
stimulus
(metronome)

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Emphasizes that people are motivated to perform or
avoid certain behaviors because of past outcomes that
have resulted from those behaviors.
– Positive reinforcement
– Negative Reinforcement
– Extinction
– Punishment

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • From a training perspective, it suggests that for
learners to acquire knowledge, change behavior, or
modify skills, the trainer needs to identify what
outcomes the learner finds most positive )and
negative).

• Trainers then need to link these outcomes to learners

acquiring knowledge, skills, or changing behaviors.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Types of Reinforcement
• Positive reinforcement
– Providing a reward for a desired behavior.
• Negative reinforcement
– Removing an unpleasant consequence when the desired
behavior occurs.
• Punishment
– Applying an undesirable condition to eliminate an
undesirable behavior.
• Extinction
– Withholding reinforcement of a behavior to cause its
cessation.
30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB
 Schedules of Reinforcement

Continuous Reinforcement
A desired behavior is reinforced
each time it is demonstrated.

Intermittent Reinforcement
A desired behavior is reinforced
often enough to make the
behavior worth repeating but not
every time it is demonstrated.
30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB
 Schedules of Reinforcement (cont’d)

Fixed-Interval Schedule
Rewards are spaced at
uniform time intervals.

Variable-Interval
Schedule
Rewards are initiated after a
fixed or constant number of
responses.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Emphasizes that people learn by observing other
persons (models) whom they believe are credible and
knowledgeable.

• Recognizes that behavior that is reinforced or rewarded

tends to be repeated.

• The models’ behavior or skill that is rewarded is

adopted by the observer.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Learning new skills or behavior comes from:
– directly experiencing the consequences of using
behavior or skills, or
– the process of of observing others and seeing the
consequences of their behavior

• Learning is also influenced by a person’s self-efficacy.

– Self-efficacy is a person’s judgment about whether
she can successfully learn knowledge and skills.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Motor Motivational Match
Attention Retention
Reproduction Processes Modeled
Performance

• Model • Coding • Physical •

Stimuli Capability Reinforcemen
• Organization t
• Trainee • Accuracy
Characteristic • Rehearsal
• Feedback
s

4 - 14
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 Five Dimensions of Social Learning Theory

Vicarious Learning
Symbolizing

Self-Efficacy
Forethought

Self-Control
30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB
 • Goal setting theory assumes behavior results from a
person’s conscious goals and intentions.

• Goals influence behavior by directing energy and

attention, sustaining effort over time, and motivating
the person to develop strategies for goal attainment.

• Research suggests that specific challenging goals have

been shown to lead to high performance only if people
are committed to the goal.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Goal setting theory is used in training program design.

• It suggests that learning can be facilitated by providing

trainees with specific challenging goals and objectives.

• The influence of goal setting theory can be seen in the

development of training lesson plans.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Need theories help explain the value that a person
places on certain outcomes.

• Need theories suggest that to motivate learning:

– trainers should identify trainees’ needs, and
– communicate how training program content relates
to fulfilling these needs

• If the basic needs of trainees are not met, they are

unlikely to be motivated to learn.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Expectancy theory suggests that a person’s behavior is
based on three factors:
– Expectancy
– Instrumentality
– Valance

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Expectancy theory suggests that learning is most likely
to occur when employees believe:
– They can learn the content of the program
(expectancy)
– Learning is linked to outcomes such as better job
performance, a salary increase, or peer recognition
(instrumentality)
– Employees value these outcomes

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Adult learning theory was developed out of a need for a specific
theory of how adults learn.

• It is based on several assumptions:

– Adults have the need to know why they are learning something.
– Adults have a need to be self-directed.
– Adults bring more work-related experiences into the learning
situation.
– Adults enter into a learning experience with a problem-centered
approach to learning.
– Adults are motivated to learn by both extrinsic and intrinsic
motivators.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • These theories give more emphasis to the internal
processes that occur when training content is learned and
retained.

• This information can come from another person or the

learner’s own observation of the results of his action.

• If the evaluation of the response is positive, this provides

reinforcement that the behavior is desirable to be stored
in long-term memory for use in similar situations.

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 Expectancy
Gratifying Perception

LEARNING Working
Generalizing
Storage

Semantic
Retrieval Encoding
Long –Term
Storage

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Diverger • Converger
– Concrete experience – Abstract
– Reflective observation conceptualization
– Active experimentation
• Assimilator
– Abstract • Accommodator
conceptualization – Concrete experience
– Reflective observation – Active experimentation

30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB

 • Employees need to know why they should learn.

• Employees need meaningful training content.

• Employees need opportunities to practice.

• Employees need to commit training content to

memory.

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 • Employees need feedback.

• Employees learn through:

– Observation
– Experience
– Interacting with others

• Employees need the training program to be properly

coordinated and arranged.
30.01.2010/ Reshmi Pillai/ OB