Behavioral Initiatives

Organizations that operate within the behavioral perspective often focus more on the technological impact within the workplace environment rather than employee roles. They have been accused treating people as if they are technology since the feelings and emotions of the individual are not valued. They fail to appreciate the intrinsic worth of the individual (Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973). Behaviorists are “interested only in what can be observed directly” (Martinez, 2010, p.6) and since the internal feelings and emotions of people cannot be directly observed, it often goes unacknowledged. It becomes a matter of controlling employee behavior as opposed to understanding their behavior. The purpose of the chapter is to: (1) review behavioral initiatives and how technology has impacted the workplace environment; (2) employee behavior within organizational culture; and (3) examine how organizations that use the behavioral perspective align their people initiatives with their technological initiatives and goals.