John, a manager, strongly believes that rewarding an employee can cause motivation and at the same time, the employee's thoughts and beliefs about the work and the organization also influence the employees learning and motivation. Which learning theory supports John's understanding of motivation?

Social learning theory.

Explanation:

The social learning theory believes that learning is more effective in groups, where the learners can interact with each other and also where the teacher applies rewards and punishments to enhance learning speed. Therefore John's believe that rewards help motivate employees on the job, is an example of social learning theory.

social learning

Explanation:

Social learning theory focuses on learning through example and imitation. This theory applies to everyone, from small children at kindergarten to employees at work. This is why managers must set the example, since good behavior is imitated after a while, but bad behavior is copied right away.  

To support this learning process, rewards and punishments may be used. But what is really important here, is to have coherence between what is said and required from employees, and what management actually does.

E.g. when management punishes an employee for using a company's car for personal needs, that punishment will be useful as long as management also follows the same rules. The social leader is the role model that will be followed.