Ethics and Behavior Analysis in Management

Ethics and Behavior Analysis in Management

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Institution

Ethics and Behavior Analysis in Management

Introduction

The performance of an organization depends on the adopted policies, systems, and frameworks that govern the operations within and outside the firm. These systems influence the establishment of a particular culture in the workplace, which ultimately has a resounding influence on the behaviour of the workforce. Since the set goals and objectives determine the expected performance levels of the employees, it is very essential for the top management in an organization to install programs and framework instrumental in shaping the behaviour of the employees. These programs find application in numerous organizations and especially in those firms that offer human services to the clients, e.g., healthcare facilities. Guidelines and code of ethics exist that direct the behaviour and conduct of employees in these institutions. Strict adherence to these guidelines promotes both client safety and satisfaction. The paper sets out to develop a program effective in addressing the issues that the Stars ABA has with the staff.

Problem Identification

The performance of any organization depends on the culture within an organization. Most of the high performing organizations have systems centred on the satisfaction of the customers as well as the employees. Such organizations believe that a happy workforce is able to work and perform at levels that enable the alignment of the needs with the vision of an organization. Studies show that an organization that has happy workers has a high chance of attaining the set targets. Some of the things that result in a happy workforce include the availability of a career path, open communication and trust, a celebration of success, established conflict resolution tool, and offering benefits that are beyond and above the expected.

An assessment of the Stars ABA revealed that the policies and structures adopted in the organization do not allow for collaborative integration among the employees. The firm does not have a well-defined career path and as such, most employees are in the darkness of what they might become in future while under this organization (Kraven, n. d.). The lack of open communication and trust between the junior staff and management at the Stars ABA does not provide the space for the junior staff to have a say in decision-making. The fact that some of the decisions made at the organization do not incorporate the ideas from the junior staff prevents employees from imbibing them thus preventing the employees from performing at expected levels. Furthermore, the lack of effective benefit scheme has a demoralizing influence on the employees hence the high turnover rate at the organization.

Some of the important data essential in reviewing the status of the employees at the Stars will cover the issues of salaries and wages, working hours, benefits offered at the organization, communication and leadership style adopted in the organization, and opinion of the employees on possible initiatives for improvement (Kraven, n. d.). The need for the workforce to change their behaviour and perform at the expected levels is the core problem that requires intervention in this organization. Even so, the assessment revealed that the failure of the management to adopt effective systems and policies is the principal cause of this problem.

Program Question and Research Design

The creation of an effective plan for an interventional program at the Stars ABA organization would require formulation of a relevant program question. In this case, the program question serves the role of a research question. The question to help provide the required data and guide the research would be, “What are the effective measures that the management of the Stars ABA would adopt to improve employee and customer satisfaction?” Development of a highly effective plan demands to choose the right research method for the collection of accurate data (Creswell, 2014). The research method employed in a study has a resounding influence on the findings obtained. Skills and knowledge of the researcher along with the kind of available data determine the type of method used. The research method is one of the components of the research design employed by the researcher to enable effective analysis of the research problem (Creswell, 2014). A research design is the blueprint of the study and constitutes the methods of data collection, measurement, and analysis of the obtained data.

The qualitative-mixed research design is relevant for this research based on the conceptual framework and the primary program question in this intervention. The social constructivism perspective characterized in this case study makes this design the best choice in addressing the established program question. This study focuses on the social concept, which describes the general understanding of the sociological events thus, forms the assumptions perceived on the topic (Creswell, 2014). In addition, the fact that the research problem became the program question based on the studies done by other researchers on the topic form a strong rationale for the use of the quantitative-mixed approach. The sample size might not be too large given that the number of employees at the Stars ABA is not many, i.e., the information in the case study notes that there are only thirteen employees. Questionnaires, observations, and interviews are the main data collection methods employed in the study. Most studies that cover social concepts rely on the application of the quantitative-mixed research design. In this approach, the quantitative data from the employees are the core of the study (Creswell, 2014). However, the collection of the quantities of the variables that impede the performance of the employees also enables for the exhaustive validation of the intervention. Therefore, this design finds application in this study not only because of the conceptual framework designed in the study but also because of the application of the similar design on studies covering social concepts.

Selection and Description of the Intervention

The adoption of an intervention suitable for this organization would result in positive outcomes. Nonetheless, the intervention will demand the collaborated efforts from both the management and the employees. The management has to adopt new systems and policies that allow for open communication and trust along with introducing frameworks that motivate employees to perform at their level best. Adoption of the Competency-Based Staff Training intervention has a high chance of changing the behaviour of the employees (Reid, 2017). Behaviour analysts and other practitioners often adopt this intervention in training staff within the human service organizations. However, behaviour practitioners should have the required competency to ensure that the implemented intervention would have the expected outcomes. Today, numerous applied behaviour studies exist, which provide evidence-based frameworks for training the staff. The implementation of the Competency-Based Staff Training would occur after data collection and analysis. The intervention would target to fill the gaps and loops that jeopardize the performance of the staff. The first step in the implementation of the strategy would involve evaluation of the productivity of each employee. The positive impact of technology in teaching and learning makes the application of the technology in the implementation of the strategy almost inevitable (Reid, 2017). Furthermore, the intervention will shift the focus from the trainer to the trainee. Finally, the intervention has to align the competencies with assessments. The top management in the Stars ABA would be responsible for the implementation of the intervention.

Studies in behavioural change recommend the application of the competency- and performance-based protocol, i.e., behaviour skills training (BST). The protocol provides the essential steps that prevent time wastage during the application of the framework. Both quantitative and qualitative data would find application in the formulation of the most effective intervention. Some of the data would cover the variation and levels of wages and salaries, working times, benefits offered to the employees, and recommendations for any possible improvement (Reid, 2017). Percent correct, frequency, and duration are some of the essential behaviour analytic measure employed in the program. For instance, development of the effective intervention would require the knowledge of the duration taken to perform the allocated tasks, the frequency of complaints from the clients on the services offered at the facility, etc. Interviews, questionnaires, and observation are the three principal tools to use for data collection in this organization. Questionnaires would have a list of structured questions that enable the collection of specific yet relevant data. Furthermore, the absence of the need to identify themselves in the issuance of the questionnaires would offer employees the required freedom to express themselves confidently. Graphing of the obtained data would help in the easy drawing of conclusions. The intervention would target to promote the required culture in the employees within six months.

Program Evaluation

Evaluation of the results is important in validating the effectiveness of the intervention on employees. Data collection would occur before and after the implementation of the intervention thus enabling an effective evaluation of the impact of the intervention on the employees. Observation of the behaviour of the employees should occur two months before the implementation of the intervention. In addition, the observation should occur at least twice a week. The same frequency of observation would occur for at least six months after the implementation of the intervention. The application of the visual analysis of the behaviour would put in consideration the variations in the behaviours that arise from the differences in the individual personalities. The difference in the behaviour before and after the implementation of the intervention along with the changes in the performance of the Stars ABA would determine the effectiveness of the intervention.

Conclusion

The adopted intervention has to incorporate both the junior employees and the management. Change in managerial structure has a high chance of influencing positively the behaviour of the employees. The top management has to restructure the hierarchical design of the organization with the aim of establishing rapport with the junior employees. The attainment of the need for the workforce to feel valued would occur once the organization establishes open communication, trust, and encourage a creative workplace. The collaborative integration between the junior and senior employees is likely to enable the alignment of the needs with the vision of the organization.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. Sage publications.

Kraven, C. (n. d.). Competency-based staff development creating a Competency-Based Staff Development System. Retrieved on May 22, 2018, from http://thenadd.org/modal/bulletins/v9n4a1~.htm

Reid, D.(2017). Competency-Based Staff Training. Retrieved on May 22, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128111222000024