Operant Conditioning Theory

According to operant conditioning theory, developed by psychologist B. F. Skinner,

people learn to perform behaviors that lead to desired consequences and learn not
to perform behaviors that lead to undesired consequences. Translated into
motivational terms, Skinners theory means people will be motivated to perform at
a high level and attain their working goals to the extent that high performance and
goal attainment allow them to obtain the goals they desire. Similarly, people avoid
performing behaviors that lead to outcomes they do not desire. By linking the
performance of specific behaviors to attainment of specific outcomes, managers
can motivate organizational members to perform in ways that help an organization
achieve its goals.
Operant conditioning theory provides four tools that managers can use to motivate
high performance and prevent workers from engaging in absenteeism and other
behaviors that detract from organizational effectiveness. These tools are positive
reinforcement, negative reinforcement, extinction, and punishment.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement gives people outcomes they desire when they perform
organizationally functional behaviors. These desired outcomes called positive
reinforcers, include any outcomes that a person desires, such as pay, praise, or
promotion. Organizationally functional behaviors are behaviors that contribute to
organizational effectiveness; they can include producing high-quality goods and
services, providing high-quality customer service, and meeting deadlines. By linking
positive reinforcers to the performance of functional behaviors, managers motivate
people to perform the desired behaviors.
Negative Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement also can encourage members of an organization to perform
desired or organization to perform desired or organizationally functional behaviors.
Managers using negative reinforcement actually eliminate or remove undesired
outcomes once the functional behavior is performed. These undesired outcomes,
called negative reinforcers , can range from a managers constant nagging or
criticisim to unpleasant assignments or the ever-present threat of losing ones job.
When negative reinforcement is used, people are motivated to perform behaviors
because they want to stop receiving or avoid undesired outcomes. Managers who
try to encourage salespeople to sell more by threatening them with being fired are
using negative reinforcement. In this case, the negative reinforce is the threat of job
loss, which is removed once the functional behavior is preformed.
Whenever possible, managers should try positive reinforcement. Negative
reinforcement can create a very unpleasant work environment and even a negative
culture in an organization. No one likes to be nagged, threatened, or exposed to

other kinds of negative outcomes. The use of negative reinforcement sometimes

causes subordinates to resent managers and try to get back at them.
Identifying the Right Behaviors for Reinforcement Even managers who use
positive reinforcement (and refrain from using negative reinforcement) can get into
trouble if they are not careful to identify the right behaviors to reinforce-behaviors
that are truly functional for the organization. Doing this is not always
straightforward as it might seem. First, it is crucial for managers to choose
behaviors over which subordinates have control; in other words, subordinates must
have the freedom and opportunity to perform the behaviors that are being
reinforced. Second, it is crucial that these behaviors contribute to organizational
effectiveness.
Extinction
Sometimes members of an organization are motivated to perform behaviors that
detract from organizational effectiveness. According to operant conditioning theory,
all behavior is controlled or determined by its consequences; one way for managers
to curtail the performance of dysfunctional behaviors is to eliminate whatever is
reinforcing the behaviors. This process is called extinction.
Suppose a manager has a subordinate who frequently stops by his office to chatsometimes about work-related matters but at other times about various topics
ranging from politics to last nights football game. The manager and the subordinate
share certain interests and views, so these conversations can get quite involved,
and both seem to enjoy them. The manager, however, realizes that these frequent
and sometimes lengthy conversations are causing him to stay at work later in the
evenings to make up for the time he loses during the day. The manager also realizes
that he is reinforcing his subordinates behavpr by acting interested in the topics
the subordinate brings up and responds in length to them. To extinguish this
behavior, the manager stops acting interested in thes non-work related
conversations and keeps his responses polite and friendly but brief. No longer being
reinforced with pleasurable conversation the subordinate eventually ceases to be
motivated to interrupt the manager during working hours to discuss non-workrelated issues.
Punishment
Sometimes managers cannot rely on extinction to eliminate dysfunctional behaviors
because they do not have control over whatever is reinforcing the behavior or
because they cannot afford the time needed for extinction to work. When
employees are performing dangerous behaviors or behaviors that are illegal or
unethical, the behavior needs to be eliminated immediately. Sexual harassment, for
example, is an organizationally dysfunctional behavior that cannot be tolerated. In
such cases managers often rely on punishment, which is administering an undesired
or negative consequence to subordinteswhen they perform dysfunctional behavior.

Punishments used by organizations range from verbal reprimands to pay cuts,

temporary suspensions, demotions and firings. Punishments, however, can have
some unintended side effects-resenment, loss of self-respect, a desire for
retaliation- and should be used only when necessary. To avoid the unintended side
effects of punishment, managers should keep in mind these guidelines:
Downplay the motional element involved in punishment. Make it clear that you are
punishing a persons performance of a dysfunctional behavior, not the person
himself or herself.
Try to punish dysfunctional behaviors as soon after they occur as possible, and
make sure the negative consequences is a source of punishment for the individuals
involved. Be certain that organizational members know exactly why they are being
punished.
Try to avoid punishing someone in front of others because this can hurt a persons
self-respect and lower esteem in the eyes of coworkers as well as make coworkers
feel uncomfortable. Even so, making organizational members aware that an
individual who has committed a serious infraction has been punished can
sometimes be effective in preventing future infractions and teaching all members of
the organization that certain behaviors are unacceptable. For example, when
organizational members are informed of a manager who has sexually harassed
subordinates has been punished, they learn or are reminded of the fact that sexual
harassment is not tolerated in the organization.
Managers and students alike often confuse negative reinforcement and punishment.
To avoid such confusion, keep in mind two major differences between them. First,
negative reinforcement is used to promote the performance of functional behaviors
in organizations; punishment is used to stop the performance of dysfunctional
behaviors. Second, negative reinforcement entails the removal of negative
consequences when functional behaviors are performed; punishment entails the
administration of negative consequences when dysfunctional behaviors are
performed.