Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study

Mikie Epps
Professor Christopher Haseer
Assignment 2
BUS 520
6 May 2012

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study
Introduction
This paper will discuss why Joe’s employees need to understand the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions. It will also evaluate which learning theory would be most appropriate for Joe to apply in his situation and explain why. A discussion on the way Joe could apply the learning theory that was previous selected to improve employees’ performance will also be included. Upon conclusion a determination will be made on how Joe could leverage an understanding of the value of self-efficacy to ensure he hires the most successful salespeople.
Forming perceptions and making attributions According to Dr. Bill Saleeby, perception is a process that creates meaning by interpreting and selecting. Our perceptions of others are based entirely on these concepts; on our own selection of friends and our interpretation of their characteristics. Since first impressions are usually made within the first 10 seconds, these perceptions are important because it allows us to evaluate any possible closed-mindedness or quick judgment. Dr. Bill Saleebey also states that most people base their perceptions of others on character rather than environment and surroundings. Periodical perceptions, which are used regularly by Joe’s employees, are those questioned regularly and in different environments or circumstances. This helps his employees combat quick judgments based on preconceptions and help avoid third- or fourth-party interference such as another customer or employee. Dr. Bill Saleebey also advises to always consider external circumstances -- things such as a person's environment, social situation, mood and professional position could have a temporary effect on his characteristics, thus affecting your perception. This importance plays a major role in his employees being successful because not considering these external circumstances could result in a non-sale. Joe employees should want their customers to form a positive perception based off of their current and past experiences, previous customer opinions, and the salesperson attitude. According to Gordon, attribution is a concept in social psychology referring to how individuals explain causes of behavior and events. When people try to make attributions about another's behavior, their information focuses on the individual. Their perception of that individual is lacking most of the external factors which might affect the individual. The gaps tend to be skipped over and the attribution is made based on the perception information most salient. The most salient perceptual information dominates a person's perception of the situation. Joe employees must always put their customer first when attempting a sale and in this process they must consider the possible behaviors and events within society and the salesroom. Their long term success as a salesperson such as Gary Gieb and Peggy Gordon within the company depends on them understanding the importance of how their customers form perceptions and make attributions without them forming a perception or making an attribution of their customer. Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a behavioral theory created by famed psychologist B.F. Skinner and as stated in Organizational Behavior, it is a process by which individuals learn voluntary behavior that is easily modified when it produces a negative consequence. “Voluntary behaviors are called operants because they operate, or have some influence, on the environment.” (Hellriegel, 134) Being employed is a voluntary option; however most need employment to sustain in society financially. This theory most crucial aspect is what happens as a consequence of the behavior. Since most of the behavior taking place in a business is usually learned rather than reflexive, operant conditioning can be applied to organizational management. Workers learn various kinds of behavior before and after joining a company, and they encounter a host of stimuli in a company setting that can cause them to behave in certain ways with certain consequences. These kinds of behaviors are rewarded and punished depending on their value to a company. The stimuli in the workplace include schedules, corporate structures, company policies, telephone calls, managers, and so on. The consequences of work-place behavior include approval or disapproval from managers and coworkers, promotions, demotions, pay increases, etc. When consequences are directly linked to certain kinds of behavior, they are contingent on these kinds of behavior. The consequence to a successful salesperson behavior with self motivation and self-starting selling intensity within Great Northern American is a hearty commission and bonus. The consequence to an unsuccessful salesperson within that company usually results in leaving the position within the first month. This learning theory is most appropriate for Joe to apply in his situation because employees must have motivation, but because the position is within a selling environment the employees must voluntary want to succeed and enjoy the reward of exceeding a customer’s expectation. Applying operant conditioning Applying the operant conditioning theory to improve Joe’s employees’ performance is simple. As stated previously, this theory is effective with voluntary employees that want to succeed and it shows through clients as to how financially successful a company is annually. Within Great Northern American, the employees are rewarded with positive reinforcement such as hefty commissions and bonuses. In order for the employee to receive the perks of rewards, they must obtain, establish and maintain a reoccurring relationship with their loyal customers. Good employee morale can be directly linked to increased productivity in the workplace, and operant conditioning can be useful in keeping both high. In the realm of customer service, reinforcement can be immediate, such as when a client purchases a product. According to the Reference for Business Encyclopedia, continuous reinforcement can be helpful when new employees are learning an organization's customer service protocol because it can facilitate the learning process and ensure that proper orders are taken at a more rapid pace. When using this theory, Joe should have some of his top sellers train some new employees so they may see hands on the motivation and attitude it takes to be successful within that company. This theory can also be useful when applied to the workplace as to how employees interact with one another. “The globalization of the workforce has resulted in a high level of ethnic and cultural diversity within most business organizations.” Managers who are not adept at communicating with a diverse group of employees risk offending their subordinates and possibly hampering business relations with overseas clients. (Malott, 57) Leadership training can help support the operant conditioning paradigm by helping to ensure that managers, such as Joe, avoid making even one mistake when communicating with a global audience and helping them to maintain positive and, therefore, productive relationships with all involved.
Understanding the value of self-efficacy Self-efficacy, as defined in Organizational Behavior , is the individual’s estimate of his or her own ability to perform a specific task in a particular situation. “The greater the employee’s perceived ability to perform the task, the higher the employee’s self efficacy. Employees with high self-efficacy believe that (1) they have the ability needed, (2) they are capable of the effort required, and (3) no outside events will keep them from performing at a high level.” The three ways self-efficacy has an impact on learning are influencing the activities and goals that individuals choose for theirselves, influencing the effort that individuals exert on the job, and affecting the persistence with which an individual stays with a complex task. (Hellriegel, 152) Joe can set high goals for his high self-efficacy employees and will they will be able to meet them, however when selecting employees for the company, he must be careful to only obtain those employees. In the sales job field, if you are not built with high self-efficacy, you will not be successful, or capable of sustaining a position in a fortune 500 company. Joe must continue to provide motivational devices in the salesroom, as well as friendly competition amongst a highly sales force team. By understanding how to help influence one to develop a positive mental assessment of their abilities, it is possible for us to design learning and work environments that provide the necessary feedback and support for individuals. This will allow more people to develop high levels of self-efficacy that will translate into increased productivity in their environments. Also, the stress of life can be at times intolerable, but those with high self-efficacy seem to be more able to live stress-free lives that are rewarding and happy. (Saleeby, 209)
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper discussed why Joe’s employees needed to understand the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions. It also evaluated which learning theory was most appropriate for Joe to apply in his situation and explained why. A discussion on the way Joe could apply the learning theory that was previous selected to improve employees’ performance was included. A determination was made on how Joe could leverage an understanding of the value of self-efficacy to ensure he hired the most successful salespeople.

References

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Gordon, L. M., & Graham, S. (2006). Attribution theory. "The encyclopedia of human development." Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1, 142–144.

Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, Jr., J. W. (2011). Organizational Behavior. Mason: Cengage Learning.

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Malott, R.W., Trojan, E.A. (2004). Principles of Behavior. (5th Ed.) Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
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Saleeby, PhD, W.M.. (2003). Perception of self vs. Perception of others. Dallas: Believe Publishing.

Skinner, B.F. (1974). About Behaviorism. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.