On The Job Learning

By Renee Lessard

            Learning, particularly on the job learning, is an important aspect of any successful career. It is well known and well documented that learning from on the job experiences can be as valuable to an employee and an organization as conventional education. When employees learn from their experiences on the job, there can be fewer mistakes made on the job, fewer tasks left undone, and there can be a lack of new ideas from employees (Vanderkaay, 2004).

            Individuals learn through reinforcement, observation, and experience. Organization managers and leaders can harness the benefits of learning by using the method that works best for their organization and their employees. Many organizations use experience to help their employees continue learning by using work related experiences tailored to the particular organization and the particular skills the organization wants employees to learn. One example of this is using “Apply your Knowledge Activities”(Popow, 2011). These are activities designed to test employees knowledge using situational analysis and theoretical analysis to test their current knowledge, acquire new knowledge, and apply both of these directly to their job. Another example are “Knowledge to Action Activities”(Popow, 2011). These activities are designed to apply knowledge directly to case-based scenarios and provide employees the opportunity to act on their knowledge in a controlled environment.

            Reinforcement of leaning can be done through positive and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement can be found in the obvious area that most employees recognize: salary and benefits. Employees that continue to learn and grow on the job tend to receive consistent promotions and salary raises. Negative reinforcement can take many forms and can vary widely from organization to organization. Negative reinforcement can include a change in benefits received, change in salary, change in work schedule, and a narrowing of job scope and responsibility. In general, this type of reinforcement does not have as positive an effect as positive reinforcement.

            Many employees learn initially through observation. Generally, new employees of an organization are paired with an established employee and asked to observe this employees performance and model their initial performance after it. Observational learning can be beneficial in the initial stages of employee development within an organization but is generally lacking in reinforcement after the employee gains independence.

            New research suggests that team learning within the organization may be more beneficial to the organization. In a study by Ellis, et al, it was found that hiring employees by their ability to mesh within a team may produce a team learning capability that could exceed the individual’s capability. By building teams based on cognitive ability and conscientiousness, the scope of the team’s ability to focus and learn was maximized by each member and collectively greater as a whole.

            It seems obvious, then, that learning within an organization benefits both the organization and the employee. By acquiring applicable skills that are valuable to organizations employees can make themselves more valuable thereby allowing themselves the ability to demand better pay and better benefits. The benefits to the organizations can be invaluable. By encouraging continued learning by employees organizations can create environments that develop creative, new ideas and promote team work.

References

Ellis, A.P.J., et al. (2003). Team learning: Collectively connecting the dots. Journal of Applied

Psychology. 88(5) 821-835. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.821

Popow, D.J. (2011). A crash course in learning. Claims. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/docview/864490155?accountid=12924

Vanderkaay, S. (2004). On-job learning bolsters skills. The Globe and Mail. C8. Retrieved from

http://www.lexisnexis.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=303830&sr=HLEAD%28On-job+learning+bolsters+skills%29+and+date+is+February+18%2C+2004

How Learning Impacts Decision Making

Ashley Bayoff

     Learning and decision-making are two very important skills to have in an organization. Since the business world is always evolving, it is best to keep your knowledge up to date with the latest and newest ideas. We are never too old to learn new things and this is especially true in a business. Learning has a significant impact on decision-making. Decision-making involves the thought process of selecting the best choice from available options. This makes a lot of sense since employees in a business can make appropriate decisions if they have more knowledge and skills. Every company faces many obstacles. To have great decision makers, managers need to guide their employees to obtain more knowledge. Getting employees to be dedicated is a struggle they might face. It takes a lot of time and commitment from employees and it might be hard to get that cooperation. This makes it even more crucial for companies to encourage more learning. Employees with knowledge and good decision-making skills will help the organization as a whole. It will contribute to company expansion and help them remain competitive. Ultimately, good decision-making is the leading force to an organizations success.

     Since decision-making is vital to an organizations success, it is very important to gain as much knowledge as possible to help make the best decisions possible. Learning does not only impact decision-making skills, but it also has a positive effect on job performance. Employees will perform their jobs better if they have a lot of knowledge and expert skills. People who work in a business are always learning. Learning is significant for tasks to get done properly. If someone is not willing to learn, they wont be able to fulfill tasks and responsibilities.

     Some workers may be nervous and scared about learning new things in a business. They might be worried that they are not going to understand new tasks or catch on fast. A good organization will be ready to guide employees in the right direction and teach them through reinforcement and observing others. Gaining this new knowledge will keep employees ready to learn the latest techniques. The best way to teach employees things is through active participation and hands on activities.

     As I have mentioned before, new knowledge leads to great decision-making skills. Decision-making is an essential part of an organization. Employees make several decisions each and every day, so it is important for them to be ready at any time to make speedy and effective decisions. There are many types of business decisions and they include programmed decisions, non-programmed decisions, strategic decisions, tactical decisions, and operational decisions. Programmed decisions are decisions that are automatic and are based on the employee’s intuition (Griffin). This type of decision could have bad results since decisions are based on instincts and not well thought out.

     Many problems can arise if decisions are poorly made. Relying on gut instincts can be very risky and lead to bad results. This is detrimental to an organization and problems like this can ruin everything. In order to prevent problems from arising, companies can be proactive and make necessary changes.

     There are many ways that organizations can improve the decision making process of their employees. Training and development are two concepts that are very popular. Training teaches employees to do specific job tasks through either classroom development or on-the-job experience. On-the-job training allows workers to learn by actually performing the tasks of the job, while classroom training uses lectures, videotapes, and Web-based training. Development is training that improves the skills and knowledge of managers and professionals. Training and development are also used to improve the skills of the employees in their present positions and prepares them for increased responsibility and job promotions. Companies are engaging in more training exercises to help their employees be even better at the many tasks that they already do. Today, technology has been a very popular training tool. Another way to train employees is through advice and knowledge from older and more experienced workers. This type of training is more personal and can really help the colleagues connect and relate to each other. For instance, if a new employee spends the day learning how to perform certain tasks, they are getting a more personal and hands-on type of training. Active participation seems to be a more effective training technique used in businesses. All of the knowledge acquired through training will be important when it’s time to make important decisions. Every decision made will eventually affect the company and hopefully it does so in a positive way. Can you imagine how your company's bottom line would improve if all its managers' decisions improved by as little as 20%? One out of five costly mistakes or missed opportunities--in developing new products, in making acquisitions, in strategy formulation--would be replaced by better choices with greater value to the organization. The impact could be enormous (Harvard Management Update).

References

Griffin, Dana. “Decision Making Strategies in Business.” Chron. Web. 2 April 2013.

  

     <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/decision-making-strategies-business-2677.html>.

Harvard Management Update. “Make Better Decisions.” Harvard Business. Web. 2 April

     2013. <http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2008/02/make-better-decisions.html>.

Stress affects learning and decision making

Miranda Pickering

            Have you ever heard any one tell you, “you learn something knew everyday”, or “you’ll never stop learning”? Well that’s the truth! This applies not only to our everyday personal life but also to our jobs too. Decision making and learning are very important aspects in any business. To learn is to obtain knowledge or skills through practice or study. The more you try and learn about something such as in your work place the greater affect it will have on your decision making in certain situations. Decision making is the cognitive process of reaching a specific decision. This can be extremely crucial in some aspects of the job. There are two types of knowledge; you have explicit where knowledge is communicated to everyone and tacit where it’s learning via experience. Ask discussed in class there are different methods of learning; reinforcement, observation, and goal orientation. The most common type of reinforcement is positive. When an employee does a task well, you reward them with a bonus or some sort of incentive. The employee will learn that when they do the desired task they are rewarded, this would also be considered tacit knowledge.

            As students in college we are learning the skills and gaining the knowledge to better direct our future. By gaining the experience and knowledge the College has to offer us, it helps guide us in the decision making about our future. The more we know about the jobs we look forward to having after we graduate the more prepared we will be. The same thing applies to having a job. In particular for me everyday on my job is a new learning experience. There are going to be certain situations at work you will come across that have never happened before, take that information in and learn from it. The actions and outcomes will help guide your decisions in the future when coming across the same situation.

            In and interesting article from Time Magazine, it says that acute stress can have a great affect on the decision making process. In the article is stated that when placed under stressful situations more people were able to retain the information when rewarded rather than punished. Stress also affects the decision making process in men and women differently. The study done by Time Magazine stated that under stressful situations men were more likely over women to make risky decisions and push the envelope. Women take there time with making decision when they are in stressful situations. (Szalavitz, 2012) When making decisions it is important to remember that the situation that you are in can have a great affect in the decisions that you make. I’ve seen a lot people right out of High School under pressure to determine their future right away, go to College and just pick a random degree because they know they need to go to College but they have no idea what they want to do with their future. They spend four years getting a degree they could care less about, all because they were in a situation where they were pressured into making a decision.

            Research has shown that as we grow and mature that aids in helping us make decisions. As we grow up we find different needs we need to meet, which in turn changes the decisions we make in order to reach those goals. For example while most students as freshman and sophomores in College are mainly focused just on the classes and maybe their job if they have one. While the juniors and seniors are focused on internships, graduation, and the decisions on jobs after college. Decision making also depends on the point of our life or level of our career we are in. The learning process and decision making process can also be a little bias because we want to learn and make decisions that we can benefit from, or that our company can benefit from (Tugend, 2013).

            Learning and decision making are very important aspects when it comes to the work place. One day some of us will become entrepreneurs, managers, or business owners. In these roles the decisions we make are not only affecting us but our company and the employees. “Being a leader in business is somewhat like being a commander on a battlefield—things are happening quickly, and many of them are outside your control (Feuer, 2011)”, you will learn from theses situations and from that draw better decisions. Everything you come across in life and the work place you learn from. In the work place employees that achieve more knowledge have higher levels of task performance compared to the employees that have no knowledge. Whether the outcome affects you in a positive or negative way, it will lead you to the decisions you make in the future.

Feuer, M. (2011, September 12). Sustainability: Decision making. Retrieved from http://www.bus-ex.com/article/sustainability-decision-making

Szalavitz, M. (2012, March 5). Decision-making under stress: The brain remembers rewards, forgets punishment. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/05/decision-making-under-stress-the-brain-remembers-rewards-forgets-punishments/

TUGEND, A. (2013, Jan. 25). When you don’t do what you meant to, and don’t know why. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/your-money/tips-for-making-decisions-and-sticking-to-them.html

Trust is the Glue to an Organization

Written by: Marissa Kautz

In any relationship, social or business, trust is an important variable. If there is an absence of trust you are not likely to associate yourself with that person/ business and vice versa. This is also very true in a job setting, it’s important to trust your employer and have them trust you. According to Colquitt, Lepine, and Wesson, trust can be defined as the “willingness to be vulnerable to a trustee based on positive expectations about the trustee’s actions and intentions”.

According to the Wall Street Journal, there are five steps you can follow to ensure that there is trust in the workplace. The first is show that you have the same interests (Hurley, 2011). If it’s plain that the only thing you care about is profit, or how well they perform the employee will not want to work for you. Make it clear that their goals are the same and you want to help them succeed. Secondly, leaders must show that they care about their employees (Hurley, 2011). This can include standing up for an employee’s rights, or just showing them that you’re on their side. Another one is, actually doing what you say you will (Hurley, 2011). Creating commitments and following through with them is a huge factor to trustworthiness. This isn’t just talk it is showing you are, in fact, someone to trust.  If you don’t come through the first time there is no guarantee you’ll get a second chance to prove yourself. Admitting a mistake also gains trust (Hurley, 2011). We are all human and taking responsibility for your actions makes people believe you are a trustworthy person. Finally, clear communication is a crucial part of trust (Hurley, 2011). Sharing exactly what you expect, any issues, etc. ensures there are no surprises and creates trust. This advice from the Journal is a great thing to be introduced to businesses!

When it comes to trusting a business, many people have a hard time with it because we all know that companies are out for profit. What most don’t think about though is that companies also benefit a lot from trust. Less time is wasted on finding new employees or customers because they are able to keep people loyal to them and they will want to work there! When people want to work for a company everything seems to run more smoothly. For example at Continental airlines, instead of having people get laid off, the employees got together and proposed that everyone work part time so that no employee had to lose a job (Lyman, 2003). This kind of collaboration only comes from a tremendous amount of trust in each other and the company itself.

Another example is in a hospital called Griffin Hospital which uses communication as the primary trait in their business. The CEO shared top secret information from the FBI about an outbreak of anthrax caused deaths with his staff against the FBI’s wishes (Lyman, 2003). He trusted his staff enough to tell them about this because in a hospital setting information such as this could be life or death. Also, sharing this information helps to empower this staff so that they feel important and part of the organization.

This article goes on to explain the three factors of trust as shown in our book. First, people have to be able to believe that will do what they say and look out for the interests of everyone, or as our book says, disposition-based trust (Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson, 2011). If you have an attitude that no one is trustworthy, then no matter how much someone tries they won’t gain the trust needed to work together efficiently (Lyman, 2003). Next, is trusting someone based on respect that is actually shown and received or any authority that they have (Lyman, 2003). This is referred to as cognition-based trust (Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson, 2011). Finally, affect-based trust is felt when people are treated fairly and you feel a sense of fondness towards the person in charge (Colquitt, Lepine, & Wesson, 2011).

Overall, trust is an important thing to have in the workplace! A great motto not only for your job, but general life is “Trust comes from delivering every day on what you promise” (Hurley, 2011). Great leaders gain trust from their peers and workers and create a community to work in instead of something that feels more like a prison. Basically treating people with respect and caring about them leads to a feeling of trust and when this happens the people within a business collaborate better and amazing things can be the result. 

References

 

Colquitt, J., Lepine, J., & Wesson, M. (2011). Organizational Behavior . New York City: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Hurley, R. (2011, October 24). How to Inspire Trust. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204138204576603031565507232.html

Lyman, A. (2003). Building Trust in the Workplace. In Stragetic HR Review. Melcrum Publishing.