PSY 4600 U4: Gerontology and Staff Management

1. Schedule Thursday, 10/03 and Tuesday, 10/08: Lecture Thursday, 10/10: Exam Wednesday, 10/09: Assistance, 6:00-8:00 pm PSY 4600 U4: Gerontology andStaff Management (these are two rapidly growing areas, and while the topics don’t seem to be related, they are. Studies have been done in long term care facilities – nursing homes and facilities for those with dementia; but right now most staff mgt is being done in group homes/residential homes for developmentally disabled adults, schools/programs for autistic children)

2. Head’s up! Make-up Exam 1 • ME1: Tuesday, 10/22 after fall break • Units 1-4 • ME1 study objectives, Tuesday, 10/15 • Instructional assistance: Monday, 10/14, 6-8 pm

3. About ME1 • If you have missed an exam – you need to take ME1 or your missing exam score will turn into a zero • If you have taken all the exams to date – and want to replace the lowest score you got on exams 1 – 4, you should take ME1 • If you have taken all the exams to date – and are satisfied with your scores, you get the day off! ME1 can only help your grade, it cannot hurt it

4. SO18: The Importance of Staff Management • No matter how well designed a training or behavior management program is, unless it is implemented correctly by staff, the consumers will not benefit • Training: Staff must be trained so that they have the knowledge and skills to implement the program • Performance management: Staff must be managed by supervisors when they are on the job so that they implement skills they know how to do • Prompts and reminders • Frequent feedback • Rewards/recognition for good performance (two components to staff mgt: training and PM need both) 4

5. Intro to Staff Management • Staff management, while similar to OBM interventions in business and industry, offers some unique challenges • One is that few professionals in human services are trained in either how to train staff or in staff management; rather they are trained to develop effective training and behavior management programs for their consumers • There has been increasing recognition over the past 10 years that both training and staff management skills are essential for professionals in human services • Most individuals who obtain graduate degrees to work in human services, end up as supervisors or managers – they do not implement the programs with the consumers themselves, rather they supervise those that do (i.e., registered behavior technicians, direct care staff, paraprofessionals) 5

6. Staff Management • Furthermore, many professionals manage several different units or programs within human service agencies and some have started their own human service organizations, but again they have no or little training in staff training, staff management or organizational systems analysis • In business and industry, it’s a given that staff/employees need to acquire new skills and supervisors/managers need to know how to train and supervise their employees but in most HSS, individuals are hired/promoted based solely on their clinical skills • We know in business and industry there is little correlation between technical skills and supervisory/management skills: they are different skill sets! • In a recent survey of ~385 of certified behavior analysts, 65% of the 75% of respondents who supervised staff said that they did not receive any training on effective supervisory practices. (At WMU, over the years, no idea how many of our graduates in human services have told me that they wished they had taken all of our OBM courses while in graduate school here) 6

7. SO19: Major point #1 Most human service supervisors and managers are simply not trained in how to train or supervise their staff effectively. 7

8. Intro to Staff Management • Most business organizations hire experts in training, performance management, and organizational systems analysis, usually in the human resources department, but human service agencies have not done that • Human service supervisors and managers, therefore, have little or no training in staff training, staff management, and organizational systems analysis and yet, there aren’t experts in the organization to help them, again unlike in business and industry 8

9. SO19: Major Point #2 Most human service organizations do not hire experts in staff management in their human resources departments and thus supervisors and managers don’t have individuals in the organization who can help them. 9

10. NFE: An Important Contributing Factor to the Problem 50% of current BCBAs received their BCBAs within the past 5 years! Thus, we have many inexperienced BCBAs working with at-risk populations who are not getting the supervisory/managerial support they need and have no one in the organization who has expertise in training and performance management who can help their supervisors/managers do that well. 10

11. NFE: Why haven’t individuals been trained in OBM? • Failure to recognize the importance of OBM • Lack of availability of courses in OBM at the undergraduate and graduate level • Very few graduate training programs in OBM • OBM courses that are offered typically focus on business and industry and are marketed that way, thus students pursuing a career in human services don’t recognize the relevance of these courses • How many of you who are interested in human services (working with autistic children, developmentally disabled, brain injured, seniors with dementia) have considered taking PSY 3440, Organizational Psychology? 11

12. SO20: What three OBM courses should human services staff take**? • Performance management • PSY 2440, Organizational psychology, undergrad • PSY 3444, Advanced OBM, undergrad • PSY 6450, Psychology of Work • Personnel Training* • PSY 6440, Training • Organizational systems analysis • PSY 6510, Behavioral Systems Analysis *Note the spelling: personal training means something very different **Note: you do not have to learn the WMU courses/numbers (Personnel selection might also be good, but not as necessary) 12

13. NFE: Challenges for the direct care staff • Pay is typically low • Staff sometimes staff get “kicked, bitten, and scratched” • Staff often have little or no professional training before being hired • High school degrees • Job responsibilities are often not well defined after hire • Staff are often excellent at daily care of consumers and scheduled activities (dressing, showering, meal preparation and meals, outings, etc.) • Often not given much guidance about what to do when there is “free time” for consumers Staff need training and support that management is often not trained to give them 13

14. SO30A: The Results of Inadequate Supervisor Skills in Training and Staff Management Research has consistently shown: • Developmentally disabled individuals who live in residential facilities or group homes spend ~65% of their time off-task • That is, not doing any meaningful activities or leisure activities • Direct care staff who work in such facilities spend ~45% of their time off-task • That is, not doing any work-related activities (I just want to mention the data on this before moving on…this is SO31A, I haven’t made a mistake on the slide) 14

15. SOs 21-31: Reid et al. Article in Course Pack, Summary • Supervisors in human service settings use the least effective staff training and management procedures • Verbal training methods (lectures and written material) rather than performance-based training methods (modeling and practice) • Antecedent interventions (training alone, memos, instructions) rather than ongoing feedback and rewards • Punishment instead of feedback and rewards (Reid et al. make all of the points I have made about the lack of training for supervisors in their article – it is a terrific article. SOs are pretty straightforward and most on your own. ) 15

16. SOs 21-31: Reid et al. Article in Course Pack, Summary, cont. • Why do supervisors use the least effective staff training and management procedures? • Lack of training • They don’t know how to do these things • Sustained time and effort required by the effective procedures • Performance-based training (modeling, having staff practice skills until they are competent) takes more time and effort than memos and verbal instructions • Performance management is ongoing – you can’t stop! Remember your reversal designs! If you stop the intervention, behavior reverts to baseline levels!! (two reasons, always the same, all are important!) 16

17. SO22: Major point about training as a way to enhance staff job performance Staff training is often necessary for enhancing staff performance, but it is rarely sufficient • There are two important points contained in this sentence: • Yes, staff often do need to be trained in order to improve their performance • But, after training, performance management contingencies are also almost always necessary in order to improve performance; that is, training alone won’t do it (I want to go over 2 study objectives, primarily because students have often missed these in the past and I think that is because some may not understand or miss their relevance/importance; SO22 - the SO does ask you to learn both parts of the sentence, but students often miss it – but this second point is why HSS need to be trained in PM; you can’t just train.) 17

18. SO30B: Multifaceted Programs Multifaceted programs have been very effective with regards to increasing staff performance (decreasing the amount of time staff spend not working). What reasonable assumption can be drawn from these data? The time staff spent in nonwork activities was due to the lack of supervisor contingencies related to that behavior – or, conversely, the lack of contingencies for more desired performance. In other words, it is not that staff are lazy, but just like other individuals, the problem lies in the contingencies (no reinforcers for desired performance; competing reinforcers for nonwork activities); again, emphasizing the importance for supervisors to be trained in staff management. (Onto Green et al., which is an example of a multi-faceted program) 18

19. Green, Reid, Perkins, & Gardner (1991):Increasing Staff On-task Performance • Participants • 8 direct care staff • 14 consumers who were profoundly mentally retarded, non-ambulatory, and had multiple physical disabilities • Setting: State residential facility • Goal: Increase staff on-task performance • Interactions with consumers • Training with consumers 19 Example of a multifaceted program to increase staff on-task performance)

20. SO31: Green et al. (1991):Increasing Staff On-task Performance • First step: Determination of when DCS had time to implement interactions and training that would not interfere with basic care of consumers • Observed the DCS throughout the day • Lowest level of basic care and highest levels of nonwork: 10:30-11:00 AM and 2:00-2:30 PM • Scheduled interactions and training with consumers during those times 20

21. SOs 32A&B: Green et al. (1991):Multifaceted Staff Mgt. Program • Assigned each DCS to a specific consumer to increase accountability • Individualized performance training for DCS based on their assigned consumers • Daily observations and vocal feedback to DCS re their interactions/training with consumers • Weekly written feedback summarizing daily feedback (6 basic components, cont. on next slide, state three) 21

22. SOs 32A&B: Green et al. (1991):Multifaceted Staff Mgt. Program • Self-recording: DCS initialed a chart posted in the living area when they completed assigned interactions/training • Monthly reward drawing for DCS who completed at least 80% of their interaction/training sessions, one winner • Free lunch • 30 extra minutes for lunch • Leave 30 minutes early one shift • Reserved, private parking place • Written commendation letter placed in personnel file (choose a prize, similar to the ones listed, results next; illustrates how much effort and time is required by supervisors for this type of program.) 22

23. SO33: Green et al. Results Nonwork: Decreased ~30 and 85 percentage points Not for exam, but also note: Interactions/Training: Increased ~80 and 90 percentage points (only bold faced material required for exam; last slide)

24. Instructional Assistance Hours • Wednesday, 10/09 • 6:00-8:00 pm • Mosh will have the reins 24