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> When you train a dog, you have to give a reward very soon after the desired behavior, otherwise the dog won't associate the reward with the behavior. Likewise
by catlifeonmars 9mo ago
> When you train a dog, you have to give a reward very soon after the desired behavior, otherwise the dog won't associate the reward with the behavior. Likewise, a manager is not going to associate a slight towards an employee with an increase in absenteeism or lower productivity that happens days and weeks later.
Note that GP is comparing the _managers_ motivation to a dog’s motivation, not the worker. It’s about a delayed feedback loop to the manager, who won’t connect the punishment (lower productivity) with the bad behavior (slighting the employee).
- tarkin2 9mo agoThe point is that /anyone/ is being compared to a dog, that the whole relationship is being compared as such. It's demeaning and is pretty much a slight, ironically enough (albeit directed towards the manager in this occasion)
- catlifeonmars 9mo agoYou don’t find Pavlov’s manager the least bit humorous?
- some_furry 9mo agoDo you reckon Pavlov associated a ringing bell with feeding his dog? (Also as a furry this whole thread is funny.)
- fuzzfactor 9mo agoWell, when the situation requires working like a dog, some people can do it and some cant :)
- csallen 9mo agoThe entire point of comparison is to be able to point out similarities between two different things. If you ignore the specific similarities being pointed out (learning and training work similar in different mammals), and you instead focus on the most offensive differences you can think of (dogs are lesser intelligent creatures than man), then of course you can find a way to be offended. But doing so is optional, FYI. And counterproductive to an interesting conversation as well.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 9mo ago>It’s about a delayed feedback loop to the manager, who won’t connect the punishment (lower productivity) with the bad behavior (slighting the employee). It's delayed because the employee fears further retribution still. You need some distance between yourself and the bloodthirsty dog before you can even hope to reduce your productivity, or you'll be mauled quite enthusiastically. By delaying it for days or weeks, by being out of sight when it happens, there is plausible deniability that can let them survive the attacks. Managers do this to themselves, they punish people who would give them the quick feedback loop.
- fuzzfactor 9mo agoSo it's the manager who is in need of further training more so than the nominally-producing worker, if the overall productivity is to increase most directly.
- catlifeonmars 9mo agoMaybe maxing productivity should not always be the goal