Pinpoint a nuisance/undesired behavior that you’ve observed in your current or past workplace. Create two ABC tables, one for the nuisance behavior, an

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=worg20

Journal of Organizational Behavior Management

ISSN: 0160-8061 (Print) 1540-8604 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/worg20

Improving Closing Task Completion in a Drugstore

Rhiannon Fante , Ora L. Davis & Vivian Kempt

To cite this article: Rhiannon Fante , Ora L. Davis & Vivian Kempt (2013) Improving Closing Task Completion in a Drugstore, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 33:1, 77-83, DOI: 10.1080/01608061.2012.758020

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01608061.2012.758020

Published online: 27 Feb 2013.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 553

View related articles

Citing articles: 1 View citing articles

Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 33:77–83, 2013 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0160-8061 print/1540-8604 online DOI: 10.1080/01608061.2012.758020

Improving Closing Task Completion in a Drugstore

RHIANNON FANTE Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA

ORA L. DAVIS Mexia State Supported Living Center, Mexia, Texas, USA

VIVIAN KEMPT Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA

A within-subject ABAB reversal design was utilized to investigate the effects of graphic feedback and goal setting on employee closing task completion. Goal setting was contingent upon baseline perfor- mance and graphic feedback was posted weekly. It was found that goal setting and graphic feedback improved employee closing task completion.

KEYWORDS closing task completion, goal setting, graphic feed- back

Research in the field of organizational behavior management has shown the effectiveness of implementing feedback to improve performance (Komaki, Barwick, & Scott, 1978; Sulzer-Azaroff, 1978). For example, feedback has been used successfully with: a university hockey team (Anderson, Crowell, Doman, & Howard, 1988); an electric utility industry (Petty, Singleton, & Connell, 1992); bank tellers (Crowell, Anderson, Abel, & Sergio, 1988); a textile factory (Welsh, Luthans, & Sommer, 1993); hotel banquet staff (LaFleur & Hyten, 1995); and nursing home staff (Hawkins, Burgio, Lanford, & Engel, 1992).

Although there is a significant amount of literature on the topic of perfor- mance feedback, no singular definition exists. Common definitions include:

Rhiannon Fante is now affiliated with St. Clair County Community College. Work on this article was completed while Fante was at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Address correspondence to Dr. Rhiannon Fante, St. Clair County Community College, 200 North Building, 323 Erie St., Port Huron, MI 48061-5015, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

77

78 R. Fante et al.

(a) information that is given to a worker regarding the quantity or quality of their past performance (Prue & Fairbank, 1981), (b) information sent out back to the responder after a specific performance (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991), (c) information that tells performers what and how well they are doing on particular tasks or on the job overall (Rummler & Brache, 1995), and (d) descriptions about performance that allows an individual to adjust his or her performance (Daniels, 1994). It has also been shown that adding behav- ioral consequences and/or goal setting to feedback improves the overall behavioral effects and consistencies (Alvero, Bucklin, & Austin, 2001; Earley, Northcraft, Lee, & Lituchy, 1990; Loewy & Bailey, 2007).

Our purpose in this study was to assess the effects of goal setting and graphic feedback on closing task completion in a drugstore. Completing nightly closing tasks (i.e., cleaning, organizing, and stocking items) was deemed important to the overall sanitation and smooth operation of the establishment. We build upon the research of Austin, Weatherly, and Gravina (2005), and Lowey and Bailey (2007) by examining the effects of goal set- ting and graphic feedback on closing task completion. For the purpose of the current study, we defined performance feedback as graphic depic- tions of employee performance, thus serving a discriminative function (i.e., information regarding past performance.)

METHOD

Participants and Setting

This study was conducted in a drugstore and the participants were 10 part- time and 10 full-time employees. Employees varied in the length of time that each had been employed as well as their job titles and responsibilities. Work schedules were determined weekly by the managers and all employees that were scheduled to work the closing shift were responsible for completing specific closing tasks throughout the drugstore each night. Participation in this study in no way affected participants’ employment or promotional status.

Apparatus and Materials

NIGHTLY CHECKLIST DOCUMENT

All employees were individually given a nightly checklist form upon training and therefore, all employees were aware of the closing task responsibilities. The checklist consisted of 13 different tasks per department (i.e., straighten magazines and items in front of counter, fill mini cooler, take out trash, etc.). In addition to being given the nightly checklist upon hire, the checklist was also displayed on a board in the employee break room at all times.

Improving Closing Task Completion 79

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable was the number of closing tasks completed per night. Closing task completion was expressed as a percentage of tasks completed per night and was calculated by dividing the number of tasks completed divided by the total number of tasks and multiplying by 100.

A data sheet detailing each closing task for each department was cre- ated. The data sheet was the same as the nightly checklist that the employees first received during their initial training. Data were collected by recording completed and uncompleted tasks by viewing the finished products of each task and then checking the appropriate “yes” or “no” check box on the data sheet. Data collection was conducted by the researchers and managers each night.

Interobserver Agreement

A second observer independently collected data to assess interobserver agreement (IOA). Point-by-point IOA was calculated by dividing the number of agreements by the number of agreements plus disagreements and multi- plying by 100. IOA data were collected for 30% of all observation sessions across all phases and averaged 92%.

Experimental Design and Procedure

A within-subject ABAB reversal (where A was baseline and B was the goal setting and graphic feedback) design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on employee closing task completion.

BASELINE

During the baseline phase of this experiment, the researchers and closing store manager collected data on closing task completion. The purpose of this phase was to establish the level of the employees’ performance prior to the intervention and this phase thus served as the control condition.

GOAL SETTING AND GRAPHIC FEEDBACK

Following baseline, a task completion goal was set for all employees. The goal was determined by the managers and was based on the employ- ees’ baseline performance. During this phase the managers set a goal of a 15% increase from the employees’ average performance during baseline. In other words, employee performance during the first baseline phase aver- aged 65.8% and therefore, the goal was set at 80.8%. The store closing task completion goal and graphs depicting the employees’ performance were

80 R. Fante et al.

posted weekly on a sheet of paper next to the nightly task checklist in the employees’ break room. In order to ensure that no verbal feedback from the managers occurred, the researchers specifically told the managers not to discuss the employees’ performance or the graphs with the employees. The researchers also regularly asked the employees if the managers were dis- cussing their performance with them. Data collection procedures were the same as those described in baseline.

RETURN TO BASELINE

During this phase, the goal setting procedure and graphic feedback were withdrawn. Data collection was the same as described above.

GOAL SETTING AND GRAPHIC FEEDBACK

During this phase, the managers set a goal of a 20% increase based on the employees’ average performance during the return to baseline phase. In other words, employee performance averaged 64.1% during the return to baseline phase and therefore, the goal was set at 84.1%. The graphic feedback and data collection procedures were the same as described above.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 1 displays the total percentage closing task completion for all depart- ments (photo, front register, and cosmetics). Task completion averaged 65.8% during baseline (range: 56.4%–76.9%) and increased to an average of 82.6% (range: 76.9%–87.2%) during the goal setting and feedback phase. Task com- pletion dropped to an average of 64.1% (range: 61.5%–66.7%) during the return to baseline phase and task completion again increased to an aver- age of 92.3% (range: 89.7%–94.8%) when goal setting and feedback were implemented.

In this study graphic feedback and goal setting were effective in increas- ing closing task completion for the store. Previous research in the field of organizational behavior management has recommended that researchers attempt to identify sources of variability to determine factors that may con- tribute to unplanned behavior changes (Fante, Gravina, & Austin, 2007; Pampino, Wilder, & Binder, 2005; Therrien, Wilder, Rodriguez, & Wine, 2005). Therefore, it is important to note that during the first baseline phase, the district manager was conducting a store evaluation. The district manager’s presence during the first couple days of baseline might explain why the data in this phase appeared to be high, especially for the first observation day.

Improving Closing Task Completion 81

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

P e

r c e

n t a

g e

o f C

lo s in

g T

a s k

C o

m p

le t io

n

Observations

Baseline Baseline

Total

Feedback

Goal 1

Goal 2

Feedback

FIGURE 1 Percentage of closing task completion for all departments across each condition.

Furthermore, variability in the data could have been the result of the difference in the amount of experience the employees had on the job. Anecdotal data showed that the newer employees completed a lower percentage of closing tasks when compared to older more experienced employees. Other variables that might be responsible for the minor varia- tions in the data include the manager assigned to the closing shift during nights of observation. The researchers observed that the employees tended to complete a higher percentage of closing tasks when the manager helped the employees versus completing his own work in his office.

Another possible variable that may have affected data collection might have been store activity. It was observed that during busy days (i.e., many customers and shift tasks) employees took longer to complete closing tasks and completed less. During slow days (i.e., few customers and shift tasks) employees took a shorter time to complete tasks and completed a higher percentage of them. Lastly, another factor that may have affected closing task completion might have been the presence of the researchers. The employees might have wanted to perform well, or improve on performance during the feedback and goal setting phase, not because of the feedback and goal setting, but simply because they knew a study was being conducted and they wanted to please the researchers.

Because a number of variables may have affected the dependent vari- able a detailed functional or descriptive analysis would have been useful

82 R. Fante et al.

in determining which variables might have been responsible for affecting performance. The information gained from the results of such analyses may have resulted in the development of an alternative intervention. However, graphic feedback and goal setting were delivered together and therefore it is not possible to determine which component, or if the combined delivery of the components, was responsible for the results. Regardless, the intervention was simple cost effective solution that improved the overall organization and cleanliness of the drugstore and management expressed satisfaction with the results.

REFERENCES

Alvero, A. M., Bucklin, B. R., & Austin, J. (2001). An objective review of effectiveness of characteristics of performance feedback in organizational settings. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 21(1), 3–29.

Anderson, D. C., Crowell, C. R., Doman, M., & Howard, G. S. (1988). Performance posting, goal setting, and activity-contingent praise as applied to a university hockey team. Journal of Applied Psychology, 73, 87.

Austin, J., Weatherly, N. L., & Gravina, N. E. (2005). Using task clarification, graphic feedback, and verbal feedback to increase closing task completion in a privately owned resturant. Journal of Applied Behavior Anaylsis, 38, 117–120.

Crowell, C. R., Anderson, D. C., Abel, D. M., & Sergio, J. P. (1988). Task clari- fication, performance feedback, and social praise: Procedures for improving the customer service of bank tellers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 21, 65–71.

Daniels, A. C. (1994). Bringing out the best in people. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Earley, P. C., Northcraft, G. B., Lee, C., & Lituchy, T. R. (1990). Impact of process and

outcome feedback on the relation of goal setting to task performance. Academy of Management Journal, 33, 87–105.

Fante, R., Gravina, N., & Austin, J. (2007). A brief pre-intervention analysis and demonstration of the effects of a behavioral safety package on postural behav- iors of pharmacy employees. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 27(2), 15–25.

Hawkins, A. M., Burgio, L. D., Lanford, A., & Engel, B. T. (1992). The effects of verbal and written supervisory feedback on staff compliance with assigned prompted voiding in a nursing home. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 13(1), 137–150.

Komaki, J., Barwick, D., & Scott, L. R. (1978). A behavioral approach to occupational safety: Pinpointing and reinforcing safe performance in a food manufacturing plant. Journal of Applied Psychology, 4, 434–445.

LaFleur, T., & Hyten, C. (1995). Improving the quality of hotel banquet staff perfor- mance. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 15(1/2), 69–93.

Loewy, S., & Bailey, J. (2007). The effects of graphic feedback, goal setting, and man- ager praise on customer service behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 27(3), 15–26.

Improving Closing Task Completion 83

Pampino, R. N., Jr., Wilder, D. A., & Binder, C. (2005). The use of functional assess- ment and frequency building procedures to increase product knowledge and data entry skills among foremen in a construction organization. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 25(2), 1–36.

Petty, M. M., Singleton, B., & Connell, D. W. (1992). An experimental evaluation of an organization incentive plan in the electric utility industry. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77 , 427–436.

Prue, D. M., & Fairbank, J. A. (1981). Performance feedback in organizational behav- ior management: A review. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 3(1), 1–16.

Rummler, G. A., & Brache, A. P. (1995). Improving performance: Managing the white space on the organizational chart. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Sulzer-Azaroff, B., & Mayer, G. R. (1991). Behavior analysis for lasting change. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College.

Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (1978). Behavioral ecology and accident prevention. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 2(1), 11–44.

Therrien, K., Wilder, D. A., Rodriguez, M., & Wine, B. (2005). Preintervention anal- ysis and improvement of customer greeting in a restaurant. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 411–415.

Welsh, D. H., Luthans, F., & Sommer, S. M. (1993). Organizational behavior modifi- cation goes to Russia: Replicating an experimental analysis across cultures and tasks. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 13(2), 15–35.