1. Discuss why Joe’s employees need to understand the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions.
Understanding the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions will help Joe’s employees in building and maintaining trusted, culturally competent relationships with clients. Ensuring employees understand the cultural differences and perceptions of others will reduce the likelihood of employees mistakenly offending customers. What we know, as a simple wave of our hand to say hello or goodbye can be interpreted differently to someone from Japan or India. A simple curl of our index finger indicating come here; can be perceived to someone in Indonesia and Australia as solicitation for prostitution.
Most people are unaware of the verbal and non-verbal cultural differences across cultures. If Joe educates his employees on the factors that contribute to an individual’s perception, employees will have additional skills to build solid relationships. It will also help employees understand how people form perceptions and make attributions about others. Some of the internal factors involved include examples listed above (hand movements). Those particular examples are related to the perceiver. External factors include intensity, motion, size and contrast. An Example of intensity used in Joe’s situation is the blue lights that flashed as indicators of a buy one get one free sale on pens. Employees knew that when the lights flashed blue the sale was on. Once the blue lights went off and a snowball is drawn on the board, the sale was off. Joe can do an assessment of the company allowing employees to share their perceptions of the company which will help them look through the lenses of the customers.
In addressing the importance of how people form perceptions and make attributions with employees, Joe should have a staff meeting convened to discuss perceptions with employees.

The meeting should allow time for rich discussion in a variety of ways. A staff meeting may not be the best place to discuss the employees’ personal perceptions of the company. Perhaps, before the meeting takes place, a confidential survey is distributed to all employees. The survey should ask questions around the employees’ personal perception of the company. During the meeting the data collected from the surveys should be presented and discussed as a group. At the close of the meeting an evaluation form should be filled out by each employee to assess the outcome of information provided. 2. Evaluate which learning theory (either operant conditioning, social learning theory, or the learning theory you researched in Week 3) would be most appropriate for Joe to apply in this situation and explain why.
The learning theory most applicable to Joe’s situation is operant conditioning. Operant conditioning refers to a process by which individuals learn voluntary behavior. In operant conditioning a response is learned because it leads to a consequence and is strengthen as it is reinforced. In Joe’s situation that will prove extremely helpful since employees earn commission and boast about well paid employees. Unlike social learning theory, operant conditioning does not focus on feeling or thoughts, but addresses major factors that influence learning. Operant conditioning is distinguished from classical conditioning because operant conditioning deals with the modification of "voluntary behavior" or operant behavior. Operant behavior operates on the environment and is maintained by its consequences. Operant conditioning provides opportunities to encourage employees. Employees are excited and proud to come to work based on their own accomplishments. It allows the employer to control the frequency of an employee’s behavior by outlining the consequences to specific behaviors.

3. Discuss ways that Joe could apply the learning theory you selected to improve employees’ performance.
There are many creative ways Joe can apply operant conditioning to help improve employees’ performance. For instance, Joes know that a sales person usually needs a year to build up a good account base. Unfortunately many employees can’t handle it and usually leave within the first month. To increase the likelihood of employees making it through the tough phase, Joe can create a bonus system for new employees. For example, cash bonuses after two, four, six months and eight months of employment. That will create a safe space for new employees to get comfortable, learn new and advanced techniques and allot enough time for employees to build a solid account base and good relationships with customers. Another opportunity for Joe would be to address the fact that customers rarely show gratitude, employees are left patting their own backs. Special receptions in honor of top sellers can be held to recognize their outstanding accomplishments. Employees who exhibit outstanding customer service or leadership skills should also be acknowledged. Joe can also consider conducting customer survey’s and allow them the opportunity to express their level of satisfaction with the company and salesperson and share the collected information with employees.
A contingency of reinforcement is the relationship between the behavior and the proceedings and following environmental that influence that behavior. A prime example of using a contingency of reinforcement in Joe’s situation can be goal setting. The company can set group, individual or team sales goals. The employees will perform task that will help them achieve the goal. Once the goal is reached the team leader praises those that helped to achieve it. It the goal is not achieved nothing is said and no one is reprimanded. In order for this method to be effective behavior must be reinforced. Reinforcement always increases the frequency of behavior. 4. Determine how Joe could leverage an understanding of the value of self-efficacy to ensure he hires the most successful salespeople.
Joe can leverage an understanding of self-efficacy to ensure he hires the most successful employees by looking at the history of his company. Great Northern Americana has been around for over 35 years. Years ago, telemarketing was huge. With all the technology and internet marketing, Great Northern American has a solid company with employees earning decent salaries and commission. Joe should explain the challenges and joys current and past employees experienced to new hires. New employees should understand that it may take a year for them to build a solid account base and be comfortable with that reality. It should also be explained to new hires that the year it takes to build client base is expected and several bonuses will be awarded throughout the first year of employment. New hires should be asked several questions to assess their level of understanding as it relates to self-efficacy such as; Am I a good salesperson? Is it difficult to establish new relationships? Am I good at finding out what customers want? Questions such as those listed above can gauge where people are and how they assess themselves. If Joe wants new hires that know there strengths and limitations he will need to conduct some form of assessment to determine if potential employees possess the skills and traits he is looking for. Joe is specific in indicating the desire to hire employees with excellent communication skills, respectful, upbeat and highly self-motivated; these points should be covered in the assessment process.