You will be completing your final project during this module – creating a hypothetical case study Actions of a performance issue in an organization. The

You will be completing your final project during this module – creating a hypothetical case study

Actions of a performance issue in an organization. The final document should be 8-11 pages, 12 point font, single spaced, and you are encouraged to be creative in how to display the information as if this was a case study that you were going to share with your hypothetical company.

Here are the major sections that will be required for your case study:

Executive Summary – Provide a less-than-1-page summary of the (hypothetical) performance management project, as if an executive of the organization only has 2 minutes to read it. This should be written in plain language (no behavioral jargon). Include the purpose of the document, the major points, results, and recommendations. Writing this is best saved for last, but should be included as the stand alone first page of your case report. Feel free to look online for examples of executive summary documents for inspiration.
The Problem (1-2 pages, single spaced)
1. Describe the Organization – Include the hypothetical company name, location(s), industry, products/services provided, years in operation, and number of employees. How is the organization performing as a whole? Is there anything unique about it?
2. Pinpoint the Performance Issue – Select a hypothetical performance issue to assess. Pinpoint the behavior associated with the performance, and describe the outputs of that performance. Ensure any pinpoints are specific and pass the “dead person’s test”! Were leaders in the organization using any labels/generalities/states to describe the issue? How did you address that? How did the organization discover the issue?
3. Describe Why It Matters – Why does this performance matter? Describe potential impacts to the business, the staff, the clients/customers, and society as a whole.
4. Why is PM the Appropriate Solution – Describe to the team what Performance Management is (briefly) and describe why behavior science is the best choice for helping resolve this issue.
The Assessments (3-4 pages, single spaced, not including the PDC and ABC table)
1. Historical Assessment – Briefly describe the purpose and process of conducting a historical assessment. Describe the organizational documents you would review to influence your interventions. Are there past performance data available, and what does it look like? Are there industry or organizational standards/policies that need to be taken into consideration? Specify at least 3 sources of historical information you would seek out related to the performance.
2. Indirect Assessment 1 – Describe the process you would complete to conduct a Performance Diagnostic checklist, and what the purpose of the tool is. Who would you interview? How many people? Complete the PDC checklist for one hypothetical interview, and provide the completed checklist with your case report.
3. Indirect Assessment 2 – Describe the process of conducting a PICNIC™ analysis, and what the purpose of the analysis is. Who would you interview? Complete an analysis of the undesired performance and the desired performance, including at least 5 potential consequences for each and their PICNIC™ labels. Include the ABC table with your case study.
4. Direct Assessment – After completing your indirect assessments, what would direct observation of the performance issue look like? Describe how you would collect data on the behavior of interest. Are these fundamental, derived, or some other type of measure? How would you control for reactivity of staff? What MOs might be impacting staff? Refer back to your course readings.
5. Preference Assessment – Include an assessment of staff preferences for potential reinforcers in your process. How will you conduct the preference assessment for staff? How often? Include a brief example of the tool you will use to assess, and include at least 10 items/experiences in your array.
The Solutions (1-2 pages, single spaced)
1. Antecedent Interventions – Describe the current antecedents that you discovered during your assessment. Are they effective? How would you change the existing antecedents, and what antecedents would you add to the environment to help improve performance? Describe at least 3 antecedent intervention suggestions. Refer back to your assessments and readings to justify your selections.
2. Consequence Interventions – Describe the current consequences that you discovered during your assessment. Are they effective? How would you change the existing consequence systems, and what additional consequences would you add to encourage staff performance? Describe at least 3 consequence intervention suggestions. Refer back to your assessments and readings to justify your selections.
3. Selected Interventions – Choose one antecedent and one consequence intervention that you believe will be the most effective, given the results of the assessment. Describe the hypothesized cost and resources required for implementation.
The Results (1-2 pages (with graphs), single spaced)
1. Create a hypothetical graph of the performance of an employee, and add 2 phase change lines as if you had chosen to intervene with your antecedent and consequence. Do you think the interventions would work?
2. Create a hypothetical graph of a business result (revenue, productivity, expenses, staff/client satisfaction, etc.) related to the performance, and add the same phase changes. Would business result changes be apparent immediately after staff performance changed?
3. Briefly describe the result of your intervention. Did either of the interventions work? If no, why? If yes, how did the organization benefit from your intervention?
Summary (<1 page, single spaced)

Provide a short summary and description of what you learned of from your hypothetical project.

—

To be successful and ace the assignment, ensure that you review the project rubric

Actions and make sure your final product meets the following criteria:

Project contains less than 3 grammatical or spelling errors
Citations are in APA format, and
are used throughout the document to justify and support the case study.
No fewer than 10 citations/references from the course or other peer-reviewed journals are included.

Executive Summary:

Is less than 1 page,
written in plain language, and
contains a summary of purpose, major points, results, and recommendations.

Problem:

Includes the description of the organization,
behavior and output pinpoints that pass “the dead person’s test”,
why it matters, and
why PM is the appropriate solution.

Assessment:

Includes the purpose and process for all assessments.
3 sources of historical information are included for the historical assessment.

PICNIC:

ABC table is included and
includes both desired and undesired behavior for analysis, and
5 categorized consequences for each.

Performance Diagnostic Checklist:

Completed PDC checklist is provided.

Preference assessment:

Preference assessment is included,
10 items/experiences are in the array, and
describes the procedure for conducting the assessment.

Solutions:

Current antecedents and consequences are described based on the assessment.
3 interventions for each are selected.
2 final interventions are included, with the costs and resources required described.

Results:

Includes one behavior graph with phase change lines,
one business result graph, and
a brief description of the hypothetical result.

Bonus points are available as well!

+5 Bonus: Is formatted in a professional or creative manner AND includes a performance or permanent product checklist in the direct observation assessment section.

+3 Bonus: Is formatted in a professional or creative manner OR includes a performance or permanent product checklist in the direct observation assessment section.

PMCaseStudyExample1.pdf

Performance Management

Case Study Project

Created for

The Deli

By Monica Francis

Summary of purpose:

The purpose of this Performance Management Plan is to rejuvenate the menu at The Deli,

increase suggestive selling, provide risk free opportunities to try new items, attract new

customers, and encourage innovation from staff which will increase their buy in and ability

to sell new items. We will look at menu item cost, methods of risk-free sampling for new

items, customer service and suggestive selling, along with trends in community dining

preferences. Our end goal is to create a thriving small business that can sustain growth in a

changing environment through the use of effective customer service and quality food.

Major points:

The primary interventions chosen are:

• Training in suggestive selling practices including descriptive language, use of visuals,

and identification of the customer’s wants and needs

• Risk free appetizer samples

• Effective problem solving for customer issues to maintain customer satisfaction

• Consistent and quality food

Other areas of interest include finding where costs can be cut without compromising quality,

new ideas for menu items (from staff, customers, kids, etc.), effective training and feedback

so that staff reach levels of fluency in performance, and immediate attention to all customer

issues. Our priority is to problem solve and maintain customer satisfaction.

Results:

The results of the intervention show a positive trend in sales of new menu items while also

increasing the sale of old menu items from the original baseline numbers. The total amount

of sales show that there is an overall increase in sales. This is also reflected in the analysis of

business profits, increasing the total sales from about $250 to $500 (including profits from

both old and new menu items) which is an increase of 100%. This growth was established

through the following interventions: suggestive sales and customer service training,

antecedent job aids, and ongoing monitoring and feedback. Positive consequences were

increased and the risks of trying new items was diminished.

Recommendations:

The performance management plan will be continued, introducing new items based on the

community preferences. As continued growth is established, the appetizers may be

integrated into actual dishes with similar profiles, flavors, and/or origins. Desserts may also

be included in the plan.

Executive Summary

Description of the Organization:

The Deli is a small family-owned restaurant with less than 20 employees. The restaurant is

a small store front business in a busy, culturally diverse town with many other competing

eateries (fast food, pizza, bars, sit down restaurants, take out) that has been in operation for

20 years.

Pinpoint the Performance Issue:

The Deli is finding that they are not able to make the expected profit from sales made,

which may be due in part by the changes in the community and the availability of other

dining options. To increase the customer base, they are looking to diversify their menu and

establish a reputation for consistently great food at reasonable prices.

The desired output is increased total sales dollars and new customers as well as sales counts

for new menu items. Customer satisfaction will also be monitored by management staff

with customer service being a top priority.

Why is this Important?

Now that the original owners are retiring and the children are taking the helm, they would

like to have a business plan that will enable them to diversify and expand their restaurant

without alienating their original customer base. They would like to create a greater revenue

from their sales, expand their market, and attract new customers. The new owners have

observed that that certain foods are exceedingly popular (Chinese, grilled chicken/barbecue,

Caribbean, seafood, Mexican) within the larger community. Many of the eateries have

established clients based on the quality and consistency of their niche markets. While these

eateries may be popular, they do not always meet the needs of a family with varying tastes.

This is where The Deli would like to establish their place in the dining community, offering

more of a fusion type cuisine with variety while also holding on to the tried and true menu

items. Other aspects of fast dining such as a drive through, delivery, or pick up option are

also on the agenda for the future once the preliminary performance management plan has

been established, interventions are firmly in place, and upward trends are maintained.

The Problem

According to Daniels and Bailey (2014), “The fundamental goal of Performance

Management is to bring out the best in people while generating the highest value for the

organization” (p. 1). Performance Management can provide results using the technology of

behavior analysis that can be maintained over time. If the interventions are not effective,

data can be used to problem solve and then address the issues at hand as well as new ones

that may occur as the business grows. Daniels and Bailey (2014) With the customer wants

and needs driving the inventory or menu, a creative staff can generate new and exciting

ideas, keeping the business current while also maintaining a consistent quality product.

The predominant reason Performance Management is the appropriate solution for The Deli

is because elements such as the structure of the business, antecedents, employee behavior,

and consequences are all critical for running an efficient and profitable small business. A

profit margin at a small business must be carefully monitored because without the backing

of a large corporation, they are much more vulnerable. All areas of expenditure must be

carefully examined to maximize profit margins, including food costs, utilities, labor, and

advertising. Lambert, A. (1993) When the costs become too high, the consumer will be

expected to pay more in order to sustain a profit. This will have an impact on one or more

of the of the following: quality, sales, and/or competitive pricing.

Another benefit is that Performance Management can be utilized to increase creative and

innovative thinking from existing employees. Daniels and Bailey (2014) This will enable to

business to identify new avenues in which to make money or attract new clientele. In many

service-oriented businesses, the desire for sameness and consistency of product is vital.

Conversely, in a restaurant-based business, innovation and serving a variety of excellent

foods is essential for remaining current and preventing satiation. Prajogo, D. (2006)

Utilizing Performance Management techniques such as establishing a trusting customer

base, providing consistent food products, tracking data, identifying trends in consumer

desires, and fostering the creativity of the staff through their investment in the new menu

items should not only increase the customer base but also aid with diversifying the menu.

The final and most pivotal reason that Performance Management is the best choice for The

Deli is that, after a strong market has been established, aggressively promoting the business

will not be necessary. Once the data has established a positive trend, The Deli will be able

to continue the growth without having to put additional costly efforts into advertising,

gimmicks, etc. The restaurant will basically sell itself! These same principles may be

utilized to make changes when or if the needed as the business grows and develops.

Lambert, A. (1993)

Why is Performance Management the Appropriate Solution?

The purpose of the historical assessments are to identify the dining preferences of the local

community, assess profit margin (time spent preparing, cost of ingredients vs. cost of menu

item), research product vendors to ensure that all materials are being purchased at the

lowest available cost without compromising quality, find innovative ways to allow diners to

try new items without the being disappointed if they don’t enjoy the food. The historical

assessments will also identify Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that will reveal what is

happening in the business currently, what is working, and where some interventions are

most needed. Marr (2012)

Historical Assessments:

• Dining trends in the community

• Employee Labor Hours compared to revenue generated and guests serviced

• Cost of food items

• Cost of paper products, etc.

• Profit margin for each menu item

• Sales frequency for each menu item

• Competitor information and data

• Guest counts, amount spent

The most important questions that need to be answered are in the areas of performance

relative to other restaurants in the area and how is The Deli meeting the needs of the

community? Or rather, is there a need that is not being met that The Deli could target?

Performance Assessments

Indirect Assessment #1: Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC)

The purpose of this tool is to gain insight and data from performers in the following

categories: antecedents and information, equipment and processes, knowledge and skills,

and consequences. This tool will be used to collect data regarding the selling and

presentation of new menu items. Assessments such as PDC’s assist with the identification

of variables that can be manipulated to impact employee performance. Pampino et al

(2004)

Here is an example of a completed PDC for performer A:

Antecedents and Information Yes No

Is there a description of new menu items with key words readily available to

aid with sales?

Were you trained on verbal description of the new items? x

Were you trained on plating and presentation for the new items? x

Are there Checklists and Job Aids available with visuals for product? x

Are they visible when plating the food? x

Are all necessary tools and materials available? x

Are there tools for precise measurement of needed food items? x

Do you feel knowledgeable regarding the new products? x

Is a supervisor or other knowledgeable staff available for problem solving? x

Do you feel comfortable with the new food items and their presentation? x

Equipment and Processes Yes No

Are all necessary tools present (flatware, plates, measuring tools, etc.)? x

Are all necessary tools in working order? x

Are the tools organized in an efficient manner for task completion? x

Are all needed ingredients, garnishes, and condiments prepped and stocked? x

Is there a logical order for plating the dish? x

Is this process efficient? x

What obstacles prevent or slow down the plating of the dish?

*** When other employees use supplies and do not restock immediately

In the event the customer is not satisfied with the item, what is the process for

addressing the issue?

*** Follow the problem resolution process

Is there a job aid depicting the process? x

Knowledge and Skills Yes No

Do you know how to plate the dish and present to the customer? x

Have you mastered the task? x

Are you fluent? x

If not, what is preventing you from being fluent? ***Still require additional practice until process becomes natural.

Are there other obstacles outside of the environmental set up preventing

fluency?

Are you comfortable with addressing customer needs in the event they are not

happy with the item?

Are you fluent in the steps for successful customer service? x

Consequences Yes No

Are there immediate consequences delivered? x

Frequency? x

Immediacy? Yes, at the time of complaint but not the initial issue x

Reliability? x

Positive or Negative? both

Do the employees see the effects of performance? x

Is there performance monitoring? x

If so, how is this tracked? Memory, not data

Are there other behaviors competing with the desired performance? x

Additional Notes:

______________________________________________________________________________

Findings: Overall, the most important areas that need to be addressed are the availability of

support for problem solving successfully, making sure the equipment and materials are

readily available in times of need, teaching and practicing tasks to fluency, and support with

successful problem solving in the area of customer service.

A performance monitoring system should also be implemented with data collection to track

progress, provide feedback, and assess whether the intervention is working.

An additional PDC may also be designed to assess the community’s preference for

restaurants, as noted in Liu, P., & Tse, E. C. (2018). This can be used as a secondary

indirect assessment to guide menu choices.

Indirect Assessment #2- PIC/NIC ™, Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Desired Behavior

Antecedent Behavior Consequences P/N I/F C/U

diner comes in hungry

Sell new, featured menu

item

tries and loves the dish P I U

presented with menu happy, tips well P I U

briefed on new menu

items with visuals

tries and is not happy N I U

Offered new items was disappointed with

presentation N I U

complains, doesn’t tip N F U

Undesired Behavior

Antecedent Behavior Consequences P/N I/F C/U

diner comes in hungry

Sell familiar menu item

‘the usual’

likes dish P I U

presented with menu happy, tips well P I U

briefed on new menu

items with visuals

becomes satiated with

menu choice N F U

Offered new items explores new restaurants

for new food choices N F U

loss of customer N F U

Evaluation of Findings:

As Daniels and Bailey (2014) state on p. 108, “…consequences do not simply influence

what someone does; they control it to a large extent. To understand why people do what

they do, we need to think about the MO’s for their behavior…” In the food service

industry, servers work for happy customers and generous tips. To change the consequences

for the desired behaviors, customer service will be a top priority to make customer

satisfaction (which correlates with larger tips) a much more certain consequence. PIC’s and

NIC’s are the most powerful consequences for changing behaviors. Luckily, in our desired

behavior table, we have a two PIU’s and two NIU’s where antecedent and consequence

interventions can be used to alter the strength of the consequences and increase the desired

behaviors. Daniels and Bailey (2014) A detailed plan to address customer satisfaction

when trying new items will be implemented. A cost effective method to promote dishes

through sampling as an appetizer without the risk of cost will also be implemented.

Consistency and presentation of dishes will be addressed through antecedent interventions

such as job aids, visuals, practicing to fluency, and feedback. Once the antecedents are in

place, knowledgeable support and monitoring will be provided to maintain the behavior

change.

Direct Assessment:

Performance Checklist for Introduction of New Appetizer Items

Behavior Y N

1. Greet customer within 1 minute

2. Suggest new appetizer to sample, show picture

3. Highlight new items that are popular

4. Get drink order

5. Bring drink order with sample

6. Survey for input on item

7. Get food order, offer full size version of sample

8. Problem-solve if the customer declines (offer different item,

something less spicy, etc.)

Another assessment could be a checklist for plating or menu item presentation:

Plating Checklist- Thai Seared Salmon

1. 1 cup of quinoa salad

2. 2 cups of mixed greens

3. 6 slices of seared salmon

4. 3 hot pepper rings

5. 1 tbsp cilantro

6. 4 basil leaves

7. Light sprinkle of sesame seeds

8. Fork and knife

9. Side of dressing

Preference Assessment:

Present the preference assessment to staff on a frequent basis (every 2 weeks or every month

depending on the data). This can be completed in a quick, electronic survey that will make

the data easily accessible and available.

The performer will rate the reinforcers from 1-15, 1 being most preferred and 15 being least

preferred.

Reinforcer

Feedback

Social Praise

Designing new menu items

Designing presentation of menu items

Competition (highest customer satisfaction)

Competition (most sold)

Choose schedule

Choose job area

Choose additional duties

Decline a closing task

Bring friends/family for a meal

Free meal

Recognition in restaurant

Thank you note

Special badge or pin

While preference assessment such as the one above is useful for management, an additional

preference assessment would also assist in finding out more about what the employees value

in terms of reinforcement from their job. Social reinforcement from customers and other

employees is very powerful as well. This combined with tangible reinforcement such as tips,

can increase overall job satisfaction. While the certainty of these reinforcers cannot be

guaranteed, they are still powerful consequences that should be utilized to increase

performance. Daniels and Bailey (2014).

Some examples may include:

1. Customer happiness

2. Compliments on a survey

3. Ratings

4. Tips

5. Social praise written on a bulletin board

Antecedent Interventions

The following antecedent interventions were chosen to prompt new behaviors in the areas of

customer service, suggestive selling, and dish presentation:

• Training in suggestive selling, descriptive language, customer service.

• Visuals and Job Aids for plating and presentation of new dishes.

• Checklists and flow charts for effective problem-solving regarding customer

satisfaction.

• Checklists and flow charts for selling and describing of new menu items.

• Training to fluency for all new tasks and procedures.

• Sample appetizers featuring new menu items to increase sales.

Consequence Interventions

The following consequence interventions were chosen to reinforce and maintain new

behaviors in the areas of customer service, suggestive selling, and dish presentation.

• Feedback

• Support

• Removal of risk for the customers trying new items through the use of offered

samples as appetizers to encourage sales.

• Use of preference assessment to identify individual reinforcers for performance

(selling new items, consistent presentation, and problem solving in the area of

customer service).

• Monitoring of dish presentation, selling behaviors, and customer satisfaction.

Selected Interventions:

The selected antecedent intervention included: training in suggestive selling, descriptive

language, customer service. The selected consequence intervention included: removal of

risk for the customers trying new items through the use of offered samples as appetizers to

encourage sales. Once data was collected after baseline, feedback was provided from the

data collected. The final phase of data collected included more intensive and frequent

feedback and support. This was utilized as an additional consequence to maximize the

positive effect of the intervention. Overall, the cost was relatively low for the intervention

package, utilizing the staff on hand and maximizing on their own unique skill sets through

shaping of behavior. Daniels and Bailey (2014)

The Solutions

Graph depicting sales by performer A:

Business Profits:

Visual analysis of the graphs show that the interventions have had a positive effect on both

sales of new items and profits for The Deli.

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