Social Learning Theory and Organizational Applications

Written By: Matt T Argano

Original Publication: November 1, 2009

Organizations which fail to provide a direct correlation between an employee’s individual efforts and contributions to the Company’s overall success often find themselves challenged with remaining competitive and relevant. While goals serve as road signs along a Company’s “roadmap” for success, organizational values serve as the “guiding principles” for which employees should be measured against and encouraged to demonstrate. Does the employee collaborate effectively with others? Does he/she treat others with respect and dignity? Does the employee operate with high levels of integrity?

Establishing clearly defined goals and non-negotiable Company values define a Company’s DNA. Implementing employee Goal Setting programs creates a “shareholder mentality” and encourages employees to maximize their performance and outputs to the organization. Organizations must establish the connection between their employees’ willingness to demonstrate these core values and with rewards and recognition methodologies.

Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory provides myriad learning and development applications. While Social Cognitive Theory is rooted in many of the basic principles and concepts of Traditional Learning Theory, Bandura theorized that individuals learn through observing behavior, attitudes, and results and consequences of these behaviors        

Through their lives, individuals continually engage in the exercise of goal setting and compare and contrast that goal to personal success and accomplishment. Ultimately, an individual’s standards can motivate them to work quicker, more diligently, and/or more efficiently. Individuals modify their behavior in an attempt to achieve both short and long term goals.

Bandura believed that self-regulation mediated external influences and provided a basis for action, empowering individuals to assume responsibility and control for their actions and motivators. Self-regulation is an integral component of Bandura’s theory, as it allows for the gradual substitution of an individual’s internal control to an external control of attitudes and behaviors.

Bandura stated that “motivation can occur externally, such as a promised reward or internally, such as when an individual feels self pride when a standard is reached. Bandura further believed that three factors determined the degree of motivation which occurs in individuals.

Firstly, an individual’s self-efficacy greatly impacts their self-motivation for performing a specific behavior or action. If the individual believes that they are capable of achieving an individual or organizational goal, they are more likely to work hard and achieve the goal. Bandura describes the second factor of determining the degree of motivation as effective feedback. Through feedback, individuals are able to adjust or control their efforts toward achieving a goal, making the goal more realistic and attainable. Finally, Bandura describes the "anticipated time to goal" as the third factor in motivation.

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is one of the most versatile theories discussed and offers vast possibilities for the betterment of society and organizations. Goal setting and modeling of a company’s core values offers a unique glimpse into Bandura’s belief that individuals learn through observing behavior, attitudes, and the results and consequences of these behaviors. A collaborative approach with employees to goal setting is preferable because it tends to strengthen manager – employee relationships and often produces more meaningful, higher quality goals

Goal setting, in an organizational context, will encourage employees to achieve higher levels of performance, will demonstrate how individual accomplishments impact the success of the organization, and moves the organization forward to achieve its vision and mission.