Page 32 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

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The Workplace “Carrot-on-a-Stick”

probability of the behavior occurring again. If the consequence
does not increase or decrease the likelihood of the behavior, then
it does not meet the criteria as reinforcement or punishment.
This distinction is important because it suggests that whether
a consequence is reinforcing or punishing depends on the indi-
vidual and may differ further depending on the situation and
source of the consequence (i.e., the person delivering it). For
example, if your boss yells at you for being late to work and you
start coming in on time, then the boss’s yelling served as a form
of punishment because it impacted your behavior. In contrast, if
your wife yells at you for coming home late from work and your
behavior does not change, then her yelling is not punishment—
it is nagging.
It would be highly inaccurate and irresponsible of me to
suggest that the principles of operant conditioning are inef-
fective. Thousands of empirical studies have demonstrated the
power of operant conditioning to motivate animals, children,
and adults to engage in specific behaviors in an effort to attain
rewards. While in graduate school, I spent several years learn-
ing, researching, applying, and teaching these principles to help
change the behavior of children diagnosed with conduct disor-
der. In fact, whether you realize it or not, we all use reinforce-
ment and punishment every day in our personal lives. Whether
you are feeding your cat because she is meowing for food, thank-
ing your child for making his bed, or withholding affection from
your significant other because he forgot your anniversary, you
are using the techniques of operant conditioning to shape the
behavior of those around you—as your behavior is being shaped
in kind. I have always been frustrated by parents and supervi-
sors who resist learning about the principles of behavior modifi-
cation because they do not want to “manipulate” their children