Practitioners’ Views on Essential Coursework, Skills, and Fieldwork in Organizational Behavior Management Graduate Training Programs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although content recommendations for a course in organizational behavior management (OBM) have been recently proposed, no formal suggestions for graduate training programs in OBM exist. Toward this end, we distributed a survey to solicit OBM practitioners’ opinions on the most necessary coursework in OBM, the essential skills of OBM graduates, and the importance of fieldwork in OBM. Forty-three respondents completed the survey. Most respondents noted that OBM coursework should include classes in performance management, behavioral systems analysis, and behavior change procedures. Survey respondents also reported that essential skills in OBM include verbal and written communication, critical thinking and problem solving, and time management skills. All survey respondents suggested that fieldwork should be a component of OBM training. We discuss the results in terms of their implications for OBM graduate training programs.