Reinforcement Theory Behind Workplace Motivation - Research Proposal Example

Final Project: The Reinforcement Theory Employers and organizations across the globe have long been interested in determining way to improve levels of motivation amongst their employees. The prevailing thought process is that motivated employees lead to productive employees, and productive employees are more satisfied on the job and more likely to remain loyal to one particular company or organization. As a result of this, the reinforcement theory has become an often discussed area of interested throughout organizations in terms of its ability to help explain various ways that employers and managers can work to ensure the levels of motivation in the workplace remain high. It is important to study and analyze the various ways that this can best take place and to learn about methods of motivation that truly work to improve the bottom line. This study reveals the theory in its detail and helps support the thought process behind workplace motivation by revealing real world perceptions and insight from employees and their managers in regard to the ways that lead to long term retention and improved efficiency. Final Project: Reinforcement Theory Description of the Topic The reinforcement theory is designed to help analyze the behavior expressed by any one individual and determine how it is reflective of the consequences resulting from the behavior, be it positive or negative. The very nature of the reinforcement theory, then, is predicated on the notion of law and effect, whereby an individual that receives positive consequences after their behavior tends to repeat that same behavior, yet individuals you receive negative consequences work hard to not repeat that same behavior. A t the same time, there are certain limitations to the reinforcement theory that must be taken into consideration as well, such as the reality that the theory itself overlooks the internal state of the individual in question(Eriksson &Kovalainen, 2008). This includes the inner feelings and drives that individuals tend to have throughout their lives, yet these are overlooked by Skinners original theory and subsequent discussions. The theory itself is designed to focus upon what happens to a person when he or she undertakes a given action, so the external environment that exists should be designed in an effective and positive manner so that people are motivated to act. In today’s increasingly modern, global, and competitive atmosphere, this is most commonly reflected in an organizations ability to inspire and motive employees to excellence. As such, the reinforcement theory can certainly be seen to be an effective tool in terms of analyzing and controlling mechanisms that correspond to behaviors the individuals tend to exhibit in both their person and professional lives. The theory does stop short, however, of explaining the exact causes related to an individual’s behavior, so this should be a subject of discussion as well Theoretical and Conceptual Framework The primary theoretical framework for this study will rely on the supposition that the reinforcement theory revolves around the need for positive reinforcement in terms of influencing proper behavior within and throughout society. This premise, then, implies that the giving of a positive response to an individual that demonstrates positive behavior that is considered to be within societal or organizational norms is highly beneficial. A well discussed example relating to this theoretic framework rests in the idea of rewarding an employee who comes early to work. Such an employee made be rewarded in a positive manner with either verbal praise or some type of other reinforcement mechanism. Doing so will increase the likelihood that said behavior will continue again and again. In this way, it is demonstrated that rewards can be used as a positive reinforcer, even though this is not always the case. In reality, the idea of positive reinforcement supports the notion that a reward can only be viewed as a positive reinforcer if the particular reward can be specifically linked to an improvement in the behavior of the individual. In addition, the reinforcement theory can work to further stimulate the level of occurrence of a particular behavior, but it should be noted that the more spontaneous the actual distribution of the reward is, the more value will be attached to the actual reinforcement of the behavior. Empirical Review In examining studies related to the efficacy of the reinforcement theory, it is important to note that research has proven that behavior that is reinforced tend to be repeated, or strengthened. Looking at this issue from the opposite point of view, behavior that is not reinforced actually has been observed to be eliminated, extinguished, or weakened. Considering this, it becomes apparent that this theory does not work the same for all people, and many critics of Skinner’s work contends that it negates the process of the human mind and its capability to think for him or her self, one of the very concepts that Skinner work so hard to support. Some scholars would argue that the reinforcement theory negates any type of free thinking in terms of deciding how to act and in what way, as we truly become a product of our environment. Others contend hat this is a Marxist way of thinking whereby all of society thinks and acts in a certain way. In essence, the will of the state would win out as governments reward only the behavior that it sees to be beneficial to greater society, while working to stifle and dissenting behavior that might arise. Even given support to the contrary, there is little denying that many humans do have a propensity to respond positively to positive reinforcement, while working to stay away from behavior that results in negative reinforcement or punishment. Skinner coined the term operant conditioning in order to identify the way that an individual’s behavior tend to change upon the introduction of a reinforcement, eventually resulting in what the person perceives to be the desired behavior. Within this thought process lies neutral operants, which are responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated. In essence, this is behavior that results irrespective of the environmental conditions, or the motivation or influence of others. The reinforcement theory remains as one of the most plausible and often studies theories of work motivation because of its ability to delve into the human psyche and determine what environmental factors, if present, lead to an increase in overall job satisfaction and productivity. Implications for Future Research and Positive Social Change The result of this study could have a great impact on future, more involved, studies that are conducted in the are of theories of work motivation. This will, in turn, lead to positive social change as professionals in all walks of industry better understand the factors that need to be present to motivate their employees to excellence. This will be of a direct benefit to society as human civilization continue to advance and progress in a positive direction moving forward. Psychology is interested in the study of humans, the way they think, act, and react to different circumstances. A great part of this involves the manner in which a person choose to behave. We are a civilization that is predicated on the ability of the majority to conform to certain organizational and societal objectives, yet it is often difficult to determine how this has occurred. Skinner realized that all humans have the propensity to think for themselves, yet he also postulated that most individuals tend to behave as the group around them conditions them to do. This juxtaposition of human thought and action is what influenced the work of Skinner, and continues to provide much thought provoking discussion amongst scholars in the field of behavioral psychology. All of these areas, and more, are certainly worthy of future study and the implications are vast in terms of better understanding how to apply the reinforcement theory within the context of the modern, globally competitive, workplace. Methodology The problem to be examined in this study is that, in todays increasingly competitive and global workplace, organizations are struggling to find ways to keep employees properly motivated and satisfied in their jobs. The cost of recruiting and training new employees is not only continuing to increase, but the reality is that employee loyalty typically comes with longevity. As such, the reinforcement theory is seen as a plausible mechanism by which organizations can demonstrate to their employees that they are of worth and that they are valued. Only in so doing can organizations begin to attract employees into their fold that are intrinsically motivated to perform at this highest levels. In order to gain expert insight and perspective into the problem, and to be able to form reliable and valid conclusions to the research questions forming the foundation for the project, a qualitative design will be utilized in order to provide the opportunity for select participants to take part in an in-depth personal interview (Flick, 2006). Context of the Study The concept of utilizing In-depth interviews is to provide the researcher with the opportunity to probe qualified participants with questions that elicit insight and perspectives unique to the phenomenon being studied. As opposed to a quantitative survey that only allows participants to quantify their response in one of several categories, interviews allow individuals to elaborate on the thought process that goes behind their response in general. In addition, the process affords the researcher the latitude necessary to asking follow-up questions to gain even more information based upon the data that was just collected from the interviewee. It also enables the researcher to ask any necessary follow-up questions that arise from responses that need clarification, in addition to enabling them to clarify the intent of any question that might be unclear to the person being questioned. There are three mains types of interview utilized is qualitative research today, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses associated with them. The three techniques most commonly utilized are face-to-face, telephonic, or online (Daily & Phillips, 2010). The focus of this comparison is on the telephonic interview. It is true that telephonic interviews do not permit the researcher to observe the facial and body expressions of the person being interviewed, but it does serve a purpose of transcending time and space, which makes it a popular choice amongst both the researcher and participant. Telephone interviews can be conducted with nearly any qualified participant around the globe, at a time that is convenient to the participant him or her self. This increases the likelihood that individuals selected to participate in a given research study will actually commit to do their part The interviews themselves must be designed in a semi-structured manner, and be in-depth in scope. Both in-person and telephonic interviews will be considered as viable options within the context of this study. This makes maximum use of the technique and enables the researcher to gain as much data as possible within a short amount of time (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). As interviews are designed to be a focused discussion between two or more people, it must also be noted that the researcher must be able to direct the conversation in the right direction. The interview itself must be focused only on the topic at hand in order to elicit helpful information that can be directly applied to the formulation of conclusion related to the research questions. Measures and Materials An in-depth interview consisting of eight open-ended questions will be used for this study. In addition, an email invitation letter will be sent to all participants at the outset of the project, as will a letter of informed consent be email to all individuals who agree to take part. A digital recorder will be used to record the interviews so that the researcher can focus on the conversation taking place. The goal is to minimize the time burden on each participant by avoiding costly note taking during each interview session. Procedure and Protocol After an initial email letter is sent to all selected individuals to take part in the study, a follow up email or phone call will be sent to inquire about the interest level of each person in the sample. Those choosing to participate will be scheduled for an interview at a time and location that is convenient to them. For those that cannot accommodate an in-person interview, a telephone interview will be presented as an option. Before any interview takes place, each participant must give their express informed consent to take part in the project study. Ethical Procedures It is important to inform the participants of any research study what the benefits and risks to taking part may be. It is an ethical obligation on the part of the researcher to guard the responses given by each participant, respect the integrity of what has been said, accurately report the findings, and maintain the confidentiality of each participant. For this study, all digital recordings and transcriptions of the interviews will be maintained by the researcher alone. No names will be associated with any of the responses, nor will organizational names be used in the written report. After a suitable time has passed, the notes and recordings will be destroyed. These procedures are generally accepted ethical guidelines for research studies of this nature and are put into place to protect the participants. References Daily, F. M. and Phillips, Jr. (2010). Phenomena and methodology of studying social structures in the classroom. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Eriksson, P. and Kovalainen, A. (2008) Qualitative Methods in Business Research, London: Sage. Flick, U. (2006) An Introduction to Qualitative Research, 3rd edition, London: Sage. Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Read More