The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 1• The old practice of dunce caps as a

Slide 2The lesson of don’t
blame the rat

Slide 3symbol for trait-based dismissal ofindividuals (just put the dimwits in thecorner and ignore them); not much todo but keep yelling at them
• Skinner’s alternative approach:
Blame the environmentalcontingencies• One of the simplest but mostimportant lessons of our field:
The rat is always right• The extension of this lesson toeducation• If the child didn’t learn, then theteacher didn’t teach

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• However, this doesn’t mean weSlide 4should scapegoat the teacher• Sometimes there is a failure to extend
the lesson even further out to theteacher and others involved in theeducational system• Let’s examine the behavior ofteachers and other types of
employees in the educational systems
using an OBM approach• Teacher’s behavior, like any other

Slide 5

employee’s, is a product of learning
history (prerequisite knowledge) andworkplace contingencies(measurement and incentives)

Slide 6

OBM would suggest
at least three key
variables toconsider:measurement,consequences, andprerequisiteknowledge

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/• OBM would note at least three basic
problems: Measurement,
consequences, and prerequisiteknowledge• We don’t often do functional
assessments in OBM, but often theproblems can be traced to common
issues• For more on assessments in OBM,
see recent article:
Johnson, D. A., Casella, S. E.,
McGee, H., & Lee, S. C. (2014). The
use and validation of pre-intervention
diagnostic tools in Organizational
Behavior Management. Journal ofOrganizational Behavior
Management, 34, 104-121.
doi:10.1080/01608061.2014.914009

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• Issues with measurement• Assessment of performance• Annual or quarterly performance

Slide 7

reviews are typical and insufficient• These reviews tend to be vague andtherefore non-directive in any
practical sense• Exception: Measures related to theperformance of children on
standardized tests (typicallyinfrequent)• Measurement and feedback: Should

Slide 8be frequent, objective, and evaluative

Feedback needs to befrequent, objective,and evaluative

Slide 9950

• Data from:Number Completed (p = .05)
Objective alone

900

Mean Performance

850
Evaluative alone

800
750

Combined Evaluative& Objective

700
No feedback

650
600
1st

2nd
Experimental Session

3rd

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

Johnson, D. A. (2013). A component
analysis of the impact of evaluativeand objective feedback onperformance. Journal of
Organizational Behavior
Management, 33, 89-103.
doi:10.1080/01608061.2013.785879

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 10• Employees often are unclear on what
they specifically need to do, otherthan just “be good”• Vague goals are always met(“educate for the whole child,”“educate for justice”), yet no progress
is made• In education this vagueness isembraced by constructivism anddiscovery learning• No one quite knows what they’resupposed to do beyond vague
guidelines of be nurturing orsupportive

Slide 11• Only one specific measure: Pass thestandardized test

• Behaviors needed to support thisoutcome are only vaguely explained• Therefore we have pinpointed norelevant behaviors and only one result• “Teaching to the test” is often decried
as a horrible thing, but it should beexpected given the contingencies
established by our measurement
system• Even if we fixed measurement
system, we still need to attend toincentives
Slide 12

• Although reinforcer preference
assessments exist, I would argue thatfinding a good incentive is fairly easy
• It is the delivery of that incentive thatis complicated and more important• The same incentive delivered two
different ways can have very different
effects• Money has often motivated anddemotivated performance depending
on delivery (e.g., “here’s a bonus forterrific performance” vs. “here’s yourbribe because apparently you can’t
just do your basic job without it”)

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• To illustrate a poor delivery system,

Slide 13

let’s look at Employee of the Month

What are some popularincentive approaches?

• The once-per-year design of mostSlide 14EOM programs

What would
happen to yourfuture
performance if
you won?

Slide 15

Number of checks

01200
1000
80060040020001200
1000
800
600
400200012001000
80060040020001200
1000
800600400200012001000800600
400200012001000
80060040020012Pre-CPW

34567
Post-CPW

8910Johnson, D. A., & Dickinson, A. M.
(2010). Employee-of-the-monthprograms: Do they really work?
Journal of Organizational Behavior
Management, 30, 308-324.
doi:10.1080/01608061.2010.520144

Bob

Carla

Frances

Greg

Deb

Helen

001• Data from:

23456Session

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

78910

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• Even if fixed the frequency issue andSlide 16

vagueness issue, still have the basic
problem of winner-take-all• Good, but not quite the best,
performance will be neglected

Slide 17

Number of checks

0
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
2000
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0

123Baseline

456789Enhanced CPW101112“I was trying to compete withother team members for the$50 bonus”

Barb“I wasn’t trying to compete atall”
Andrea“I was trying to compete withmyself to beat my own
performance”

Erin

I wasn’t trying to compete atall”

Gina

0

Chuck

“I was trying to compete withother team members for the$50 bonus”

Dawn

I was trying to compete withmyself to beat my own
performance”

12

3

4

5

6

7

8

910

11

• Data from:Johnson, D. A., & Dickinson, A. M.
(2010). Employee-of-the-monthprograms: Do they really work?
Journal of Organizational Behavior
Management, 30, 308-324.
doi:10.1080/01608061.2010.520144

12SessionSlide 18

• In education and workplace ingeneral, there is much to be done inregards to measurement andincentives

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• Cannot fix measurement andSlide 19

incentives for just the individualemployee if lasting change is desired• Align consequences throughout

Slide 20•••••

systemBehavioral systems analysis andmanagement/administration
To change the child’s behavior, youmust change the teacher’s behavior
To change the teacher’s behavior,
you must change the principal’sbehavior
To change the principal’s
behavior…and so on
Analogous to trying to correct a child’s
behavior while neglecting parent
training• Perfect incentives are useless if theSlide 21

organism doesn’t have the repertoire
to perform the desired behavior

Perfect incentives areuseless if the organism
does not possess therelevant repertoire

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 22

Is it a lack of motivation• Gun test (not literal, of course)or skills?

• Often they genuinely don’t know how

Slide 23to best teach• Typical employee training (3 standard
approaches that are flawed) andColleges of Education (liberal artssampler platter)• Training / instructional design• Can be used to decide how to best

Slide 24

train teachers and teach students• Knowledge or education or training:
Lofty but often vague as hell; need tooperationalize-Knowledge?
-Education?
-Training?

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 25

• Trivial and unhelpful distinctions• Commonality across terms: Trying toestablish new behaviors underappropriate stimulus control

Slide 26

• Markle’s 10 boxes of relations toestablish: Behavior types and stimuli
types

Slide 27

• For simplicity, focus on three broadstimulus control classes

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• Good instructional design• Just writing clear objectives or

Slide 28

constructing a syllabus does notmake one an instructional designer• Behavior-based instructional design is
NOT simply telling definitions and/or
using multiple exemplar training; inregard to extended relations, it is asystematic approach to critical andvariable features

Slide 29

A variety of examples
may not be enough• Concept formation done
systematically• Multiple exemplar training can lead usastray• Need to be systematic to prevent

Slide 30

undergeneralization

We need broadvariation to prevent
undergeneralization

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com

Slide 31

To prevent overgeneralization, we
need to show what the concept is not

Slide 32

• Need to be systematic to prevent
overgeneralization• Examples and non-examples should
not be randomly selected• Some stimuli are better than othersfor teaching• Greater efficiency and accuracy whenusing behavior-based instructional
designSlide 33

• We don’t want just rote learning (toonarrow stimulus control)• In regards to instruction, we want
generic (all critical attributes) andmaybe metaphorical (some, but notall, critical), but not metonymical (nocritical, but some variable) extensions• In other words, same, similar but notquite the same, and superficiallysimilar

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• Our one clear result (pass test) was

Slide 34

wrong

• In the absence of knowledge on

Slide 35

instructional design, they tend toalternate between too narrow stimulus
control and no stimulus control(discovery learning)

Slide 36

Constructivism
is notcompletelywrong

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/• The stated goals of constructivism /discovery learning are worth attendingto• The problem is their ineffective
methodology

The Application of Organizational Behavior Management and Behavior-Based Instructional Design to theWorkplace and Educational Settings
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Western Michigan University
June 13th, 2014
Israeli Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, Tel Aviv, Israel
Correspondence: djohnson@operant-tech.com• By using behavior-based instructional

Slide 37

design, we can systematicallyengineer discovery and creativity• There is much to be done, but weSlide 38

More can be done

beyondstandardorganizational andeducational practices

Slide 39

http://www.johnsonresearchlab.com/

have many tools to help us get there