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| Issues in OBM Service Delivery |
| Saturday, May 28, 2005 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Joliet (3rd floor) |
| Area: OBM |
| Chair: Charles R. Crowell (University of Notre Dame) |
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| Do Companies Really Know Who Their High Performers Are? |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| CHARLES R. CROWELL (University of Notre Dame) |
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| Abstract: A project will be described in which we asked independent subsidiaries of a multinational company to select samples of both “high” and “average” sales performers using traditional criteria related to manager evaluations and percentages of sales goals achieved. Trained observers accompanied the selected sales people into the field for the purpose of recording target behaviors and outcomes occurring in their interactions with customers. Key behaviors of both sales people and customers were targeted. Throughout this process, observers were blind to the subsidiary’s classifications of the sales people with whom they worked. After the process was completed, observers were asked to classify each sales person with whom they worked in terms of whether that person exhibited predominately a “product-oriented” or “customer-oriented” behavioral profile in their interactions with customers. Specific criteria and examples were provided so that observers were able to make these classifications with a high degree of reported confidence. Results indicated that customer-oriented sales people elicited more positive customer behaviors and outcomes during sales interactions than did those who were product-oriented. Contrary to what might be expected, however, there was low agreement between the respective classifications of sales people as “high” or “average” and as customer- or product-oriented. Repeating this process across several subsidiaries, the same general pattern of findings was obtained, with classification agreement scores ranging from 30% to 50%. These findings indicated that significant numbers of those who adopted a highly successful behavioral profile in sales interactions were not being recognized by their organization as high performers, and vice versa. |
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| Getting Results in Today's Business |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| JUDY JOHNSON (Continuous Learning Group) |
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| Abstract: As we apply behavior analysis to the business world, we are constantly challenged to translate the laws of behavior into easy, quick, interesting fixes for day-to-day business problems. Through all of our efforts, behavior has become a common word in business- espoused by all the major consulting firms. Organizations are becoming more familiar with technical terms such as antecedents, consequences, shaping and reinforcement. The challenge that remains ahead of us is helping clients demonstrate hard results. In a recent initiatives applying behavior analysis to three different organizations, business leaders demonstrated significant correlations between changes in critical path behaviors and the associated business results. The methodology, as well as the results will be discussed. |
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| Inside the IRS:It's Not Just the Tax Code; It's the Missing Instructional Design |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| MARILYN B. GILBERT (Performance Engineering Group) |
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| Abstract: This paper will describe the current training given to tax collectors, and show how a skillful performance analyst could save the government $ millions by developing four products:
1. A Table of Contents for the 40,000 pages of reference materials, based on standards of usability and performance analysis.
2. A set of procedures for handling prototype incoming telephone calls.
3. Simulated prototype calls for training and practice.
4. A set of job aids to reference such details as addresses of service centers and limits for POAs, lawyers, and other tax preparers. The purpose of this paper is to encourage skilled performance analysts to apply their talents to government agencies. |
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