Meeting the Performance Challenge of Low Wage Workers Who Need to Perform at a High Wage Standard; Engineering Aggressive Learning Interventions into Work

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This research focuses on organizational change involving low wage, front-line workers in poorly performing organizations. The project examines the effect of learning interventions, such as simulations and feedback, to change the work effectiveness of low wage workers, even when the nature of the work itself does not change. In this field study, the workers are animal care technicians supporting biotech and medical research. Here, the regulatory environment has become more rigorous, while research on animals has become more complex. Theoretically, the proposal focuses on how workers think about and understand change and how this affects organizational performance. The research is based on theories of adult cognition and learning and change in organizations. The key hypothesis is that workers will use simulation and feedback data to improve individual and team performance. A second hypothesis is that different workers will use different forms of feedback to understand and improve performance. The broader impact is greater job security and satisfaction for workers who can contribute to high performance and understand their role in their organization's success. The study's results will also inform theories of organizational change on the respective roles of educational interventions and work environment changes, showing how they can be coordinated for maximum benefit.