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Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:57:47 +0100
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URL of content (now removed):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/england/F2770282?Thread=4653901&post=54093182

Subject:
The use of Negative Reinforcement as a Management-method at the Arvato Microsoft Scandinavian Product Activation in Liverpool.

Posting:
When I was working at the Arvato Microsoft Scandinavian Product Activation in Liverpool, I had a meeting with one of the team-leaders on the campaign.

I was wondering why we, (I was working as a regular Contact Centre Representative there), and I was wondering why we got lines like 'NN, you're on wrap-up', shouted at us across the tables, from the team-leaders.

Then I got to hear that this was something that the team-leaders had been thought during team-leader training.

The team-leader I was in the meeting with, told me, that they had been trained using '[negative] reinforcement', during the team-leader training.

She explained to me, that she wouldn't stop with the shouting/complaining/'giving stick', the way she did, because this was the way they had been trained to lead the campaign.

Here is a quote from the summary from this meeting:

'I also brought up the situation with the wrap-up meeting we had some weeks earlier, where
we agreed on that I would work on gradually bettering the wrap-up time, but that she then
forgot this agreement, and the next day acted like this meeting hadnt been taking place
at all, and continued to shout 'You're on wrap-up' if the wrap-up time exceeded 5 seconds.

Vivian explained that this was call reinforcement, and that the team-leaders were trained
to use reinforcement as a way of solving problems, like the problem with agents being
to long time on wrap-up between the calls. So she wouldnt stop doing this, because she
had been trained to do her job this way.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

I hadnt heard about reinforcement on the management/organisation modules I had studied on
upper secondary and university-level, and neighter had I heard about it on the management-
courses I had participated on while I was working as a manager in Norway.

So when I got home on the day we had the meeting, I searched for 'reinforcement' on the
internet. I found from how Vivian described it in the meeting, that this way of sorting
problems was called 'negative reinforcement'.

I couldnt find very much on how this was being used in management, but from what I found
it seemed like it was more used as a way of training dogs, and that it was known to make
the dogs nervous.

Line says that they were told to do it this way, because if they did it this way, then the agents
would do the job the way the team-leaders wanted.'.

Link: http://johncons-mirror.blogspot.com/2007/10/enclosure-7.html

My issue, regarding this, was that when I was searching on the term 'negative reinforcement', on the internet, then it mostly appeared links that had to do with the training of animals, like dogs and horses. (And not so much with management-theory):

Link: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=negative+reinforcement&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

And, the fact that the team-leaders are screaming things like 'You're on wrap-up', to the CCR representatives.

I think this is a bit impolite, because the places were people are seated, are up to the region of 5-10 meters from were the team-leader is sitting shouting.

So I remember I myself thought this practice was a bit inpolite towards the representatives.

And also, I thought it was interfering in the work.

That is, if one are sitting, and writing some notes, or if one are loging the latest call.

The latest call from when someone has called in to activate Windows or Office etc.

Then one had five seconds to log the call and to prepare for the next call.

So sometimes one ran out of time, and sometimes, one also wanted to have a zip of water inbetween the calls, so sometimes five seconds could be maybe a bit to little time.

But the point is, that when the call wasn't a regular call. That is, if the call lasted for longer than about five minutes, then one had to log the call on a form as well as on the screen.

And if it was a company-call, a Microsoft customer, then it could be that one had to write some notes down, since these calls sometimes were a bit more complex than the regular calls.

And also since there was a lot of types of agreements, like Select-agreement, Open-agreement, etc.

There were meny combinations of different agreements and products, so sometimes, one happened to write down some notes, and also send e-mails to the line-managers about the activation.

So if one were busy doing things like this, then I think the shouting was sometimes interfering a bit with the other work.

Because, often, it wouldn't be possible to do work-tasks like this, while one were answering the next call simultaniously.

Because one needed to consentrate on the loging and the writing og notes and e-mails.

So then it interfered a bit when someone shouted at me: 'Erik, you're on wrap-up'. At least I remember that I thought this personally.

Because then I lost my concentration, and my awarenes of what I was doing. And I sometimes got a bit stressed, and I maybe started thinking about things regarding the organisation of the campaign instead.

And I also think that this practice is a bit condescend.

That is, from the team-leader to the representative. It seems to me, that one are shouting like this, then it means that one thinks that the representative isn't using his time in a meaningful way. That is, it means that the representative is doing something wrong.

I tried telling them, that we knew from before, that the wrap-up time was five seconds, and that they didn't really need to shout that out, because we already knew this from before.

And when one used more time than five seconds, it was because it was needed to finish the work-tasks.

But when they were shouting, then I think it means that they didn't belive the representative would be able to manage the time for the work-tasks themselves, in a reasonble way.

So then I guess it means that the representatives was looked at as to be thoughtless and without the ability to act reasonable.

I thought this meant that the representatives, were looked down upon, in regards to the issue of being able to manage their own work-time in a meaningful way.

So I myself, remember, that I was thinking that this practice was a bit condescend.

I used to work as a store-manager in Norway, and in conection with that, I had a few courses in practical management etc.

And I also had some modules in management and organisation, from upper secondary school level, and also from university level.

But I can't remember, that we were taught were much about 'negative reinforcement' in those modules and couses.

So I was wondering if someone maybe had some knowledge, regarding where negative reinforcement fits in, in relation to the management-theory field.

I think that management is an interesting field, so I think it would be very fine if someone have the time to contribute a bit to the thread on this.

I myself, think that this management-method, can maybe sometimes seem a bit harassing, but I think it would be very interesting to also hear what other people think about this.

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