Current Event

Discussion – M6 – Current Event

[Learning Objectives Assessed: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 4a, 4b, 4c,5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h]

Research in the field of Organizational Behavior can be very thought provoking – sometime to the point of changing your whole outlook on something. I would like you to see if there is an article in the following web site that provokes you into thinking differently about an area of organizational behavior. Go to the Wharton, University of Pennsylvania website, then find the drop down menu “Topics” and click on “Management”. From here, review the research articles within the past year, and choose one that discusses a topics we have covered so far in this course. For your first post, discuss the following questions. Be sure to cite to the article.

Directions:
First Post:

Word Count: 300 words.

Date of Current Event: Must be within the past year.

Topic: What is the topic of your current event as it relates to the reading in this course?

Content: In paragraph format discuss the article and how it relates to the material we have covered in this course. Make sure you use your own words. Discuss the following:
Give a brief description of the research conducted and the conclusion reached.
State how the issue in the current event applies to the material we have covered.
Discuss something you found surprising/thought provoking from the article.
Give an example of how this research can be used in an organization.

ANSWER

Organizational Behavior Management

The topic of the current event is the ethics of organizational behavior management. The article relates to the topics studied in the course as it covers the topic of organizational behavior and how to foster positive organizational behavior ethically. Positive organizational behavior focuses on positive human characteristics which can be measured, developed, and effectively managed to improve performance (Weatherly, 2021). Fostering positive organizational behavior, however, should be done ethically. Organizational behavior management focuses on organizational improvement and the performance of employees and leaders. The practitioners of OBM focus on behavior analysis to foster results through teamwork, collaboration, and professionalism. Unlike other business methods of getting results, organizational behavior management focuses on the most important asset in an organization, which is the people. The article generally focuses if managing organizational behavior and managing the people within the organization to foster positive OBM.

The article focuses on the ethical methods of fostering positive organizational behavior. It answers the question on what an organization should do if they want to improve productivity, but the only way they know how to increase productivity within the organization is unethical. Organizations mostly focus on getting the best out of the people by employing behavioral analysts’ services (Weatherly, 2021). It is, however, important to understand the ethical implications of behavioral analysis and the importance of using the services of behavioral analysts who have an ethical code when performing their job. Organizational behavior management applies to the material we have covered in that it is the application of behavior analysts to foster positive organizational behavior. The article focuses on upholding ethics in the process of teaching positive organizational behavior. It also focuses on the importance of behavior analysts in an organization as the people within the organization are the most important assets and should be therefore given the best treatment.

One of the most surprising things learned in the article is that ethical decision-making can be taught. That is not something one would have thought of as something that can be taught. Ethics are supposed to be something that one develops within themselves and follows because it is what they think is right. Ethical behavior, however, can be conditioned as it is an operant behavior (Weatherly, 2021). This provoked me to further think that if ethical behavior can be taught and practiced through taking notice of the environment, so can unethical behavior. That explains why some people change when they are exposed to certain environments. An organization can foster ethical behavior by tracking ethical behavior and ensuring that it receives constructive consequences.

This research can be used in an organization to foster positive organizational behavior and to ethical decision-making. This can be done by using the reward system to reward ethical behavior. Tracking and positively commending ethical behavior will condition the people within the organization to make ethical decisions. For example, if a person reports a manager for being corrupt, the person should not be punished. They should be rewarded for being ethical and reporting negative organizational behavior. This will encourage other employees to be ethical and report unethical behavior.

References

Weatherly, N. L. (2021). The ethics of organizational behavior management. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 41(3), 197-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/01608061.2021.1890664