Question: Managing the Learning Process
Objective: Your objective is to gain experience in applying learning principles and theories and understanding the challenges involved in managing the learning process.
Procedure: The class divides into groups of three to five people, and each group appoints one member as spokesperson to present the group's findings to the whole class. Here is the scenario. You are members of a group of supervisors responsible for teaching production workers how to operate a new, computerized production process. The new process requires employees to work in small teams, and each team member's performance influences the performance of the team as a whole. Prior to this major change, employees did not work in teams but performed simple, repetitive tasks that required few skills. To operate the new production process, employees are required to learn new skills to perform their now more complicated jobs, and they are currently receiving formal training in a classroom setting and on-the-job instruction in their teams. Some employees are responding well to the changes, are doing well in training and instruction, and are performing up to expectations in their teams. Other employees are finding it difficult to adapt to their changed jobs and to teamwork and have been slow to acquire the necessary new skills. In addition, there have been reports of high levels of conflict among members of some teams. As a result, the overall performance of the teams is suffering and below expectations. As the group of supervisors responsible for ensuring a smooth transition to the new production process and high performance in the production teams, do the following:
1. Develop a plan of action based on the principles of operant conditioning to facilitate learning and high team performance. Be specific about how operant conditioning techniques (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction) could be used to promote team members' learning of desired behaviors, working well together, and performing at a high level.
2. Develop a plan of action based on the principles of social cognitive theory (vicarious learning, self-control, and self-efficacy) to facilitate learning and high team performance. Be specific about how social cognitive theory could be used to promote team members' learning of desired behaviors, working well together, and performing at a high level.
3. Decide whether the two plans of action that you developed should be combined for the most effective learning to take place. Explain why or why not.