Behavior Management in a Factory Setting

Abstract

A multiple-baseline design in which two intervention components of feedback and feedback-plus-praise was applied across 7 departments of a medium-sized furniture manufacturing plant. Daily average worker efficiency was collected for at least 8 weeks in each target department prior to introduction of the first component. This was introuduced in a temporally-staggered fashion across departments, entailed verbal repoll of daily efficiencies to each operative worker, and the visual individual display of this information on chart that were conspicuously posted in the work area. This condition, designated feedback-only, lasted from 8-35 wk. The second component continued with feedback and, in addition, supervisors were coached to contact and praise employees whose efficiencies exceeded predetermined levels or that improved in that direction. This feedback-plus-praise condition was introduced in a temporally-staggered sequence in four departments and lasted from 27 to over 100 weeks. Manipulation checks for graphing and praise were included and a benefits-analysis was conducted. Results were that of 7 relatively independent tests of feedback-only, fully 5 of these resulted in marked and reliable work increases and, of the other 2, one approached significance. Two of 4 tests of the praise component proved reliable and the other two reflected increases in the same direction. Manipulation checks yielded support that feedback was "registered" by all, that praise was given, but not whether the latter was dispensed differentially across project phases. Benefits analyses showed a program-related increase in productivity equivalent to 800-1050 man hours.