Reflection

PM – Consequences Biagi

Performance Management With Shannon Biagi, MS, BCBA (she/her)

PM – Consequences Biagi

Consequences in Performance Management

PM – Consequences Biagi

Objectives

The goals of this lesson are to: • Differentiate between direct and indirect-acting contingencies in

the workplace

• Determine the impacts of utilizing negative reinforcement to drive behavior in business settings

• Determine the impacts of utilizing positive reinforcement to drive behavior in business settings

• Given a study on employee of the month, describe the changes in employee behavior observed in the study

• Differentiate between punishers and penalties

• Determine the best practice guidelines for utilizing punishment at work

• Identify common instances of extinction in the workplace

PM – Consequences Biagi

An Introduction to Consequences

In Brief

PM – Consequences Biagi

The Three-Term Contingency in PM

B CA ?Out-Put

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

PM – Consequences Biagi

The Power of Consequences In many businesses, attempts to influence behavior are often heavily _____________-focused; however, consequences are by far the most powerful tool to create behavior change at work.

Consequences come in endless forms, and make behavior more, or less, likely to occur under similar circumstances in the future.

____________ MUST understand which types of consequences they are using to be most effective!

PM – Consequences BiagiAdapted from Daniels and Bailey (2014)

C Consequence

Get S omething You W

ant

Avo id

Som eth

ing You

Don ’t W

an t

Get Something You Don’t Want

Lose Something You Have and Want Positi

ve Reinforce ment (R

+)

Negativ e Reinforce

ment (R -)

Negative Punishment (P-)

Positive Punishment (P+) Behavior Decreases

Behavior Increases

PM – Consequences Biagi

Reinforcers Consequences that Increase Behavior at Work

PM – Consequences BiagiAdapted from Daniels and Bailey (2014)

C Consequence

Get S omething You W

ant

Avo id

Som eth

ing You

Don ’t W

an t

Get Something You Don’t Want

Lose Something You Have and Want Positi

ve Reinforce ment (R

+)

Negativ e Reinforce

ment (R -)

Negative Punishment (P-)

Positive Punishment (P+) Behavior Decreases

Behavior Increases

PM – Consequences Biagi

Reinforcers, By Definition A reinforcer is a consequence that, when delivered immediately after a behavior, will make

responding more likely to occur in the future (Catania, 2013).

Most of the things we consider “reinforcers” in the workplace are not actually reinforcers, by definition, but are _______-acting, ________-mediated, ___________ analogs to reinforcement.

What does that mean??

PM – Consequences Biagi Reinforcement Requires:

Reinforcement must occur close in time (within seconds) to the behavior it is supposed to reinforce.

________________ Reinforcement must be specific to an individual behavior or behavior class, and occur when that behavior or behavior class is observed.

_________________ Reinforcement MUST, by definition, result in the increased occurrence of the behavior for which it is delivered.

__________________

PM – Consequences Biagi

• Example: Letters appearing when you press a key on your keyboard

• Letters appear on the screen immediately • Contingent upon pressing the keys on your

keyboard • Behavior continues for as long as letters

appearing on the screen is required

• ______________________

Is it Reinforcement?

PM – Consequences Biagi

• Example: Targeted positive feedback delivered in the moment

• Immediately delivered • Contingent upon a specific behavior • The specific behavior would need to be

monitored after feedback delivery ensure an increase is observed

• ______________________________

Sigurdsson, Ring, & Warman (2018)

Is it Reinforcement?

PM – Consequences Biagi

• Example: A recognition plaque • Requires months of effort • Not usually contingent upon any specific

behavior • Too temporally distant from behavior to have

a reinforcing effect • Behavior is not monitored for trends in data

following receipt

• __________________________

Sigurdsson, Ring, & Warman (2018)

Is it Reinforcement?

PM – Consequences Biagi

• Example: A monthly monetary bonus • Requires less time to achieve • May be response-specific • Still too temporally distant from behavior to

have a direct-reinforcing effect • Frequent discussions and reminders about

how to earn (a _____) continue to maintain behavior

• The bonus isn’t the reinforcer… a verbal rule is acting as a “stand-in” (analog) for reinforcement

• _____________________________

Sigurdsson, Ring, & Warman (2018)

Is it Reinforcement?

PM – Consequences Biagi

Sigurdsson, Ring, & Warman (2018)

Considerations for using Indirect-Acting Contingencies • To increase the likelihood that these

rules act as an analog to reinforcement, they must:

• Be clear and consistent • Promise ”_____________________”

reinforcers (Malott, 1993) • Be from a ______, _________ source

(Rao & Mawhinney, 1991)

PM – Consequences Biagi

For the sake of this course, we will include rule-governed, indirect-acting

contingencies in our reinforcer discussions moving forward.

PM – Consequences Biagi

When a cashier scans an item at the supermarket, the machine beeps to

confirm it was scanned correctly, and the cashier continues scanning. This is an

example of:

Checking in:

A. Direct positive reinforcement

B. Direct negative reinforcement

C. An indirect-acting contingency

D. Neither

PM – Consequences Biagi

An employee works hard on a report to earn the opportunity to attend a local

conference funded by the company. This is an example of:

Checking in:

A. Direct positive reinforcement

B. Direct negative reinforcement

C. An indirect-acting contingency

D. Neither

PM – Consequences Biagi

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Negative Reinforcement • When leaders do not know the difference

between positive and negative reinforcement, most performance improvement hinges on _________ reinforcement, or _____________ of an undesired consequence

• “You better show up to work on time, or you’re going to be demoted.”

• “This project better be up-to-snuff, or else you might not get that promotion.”

• “The boss is coming; look busy!”

• This is _______-based management

PM – Consequences Biagi

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Coercion • Fear leads to compliance, or ____________

performance to avoid the undesired consequence

• Often, employees whose behavior is governed this way escape the threats by ___________

• Other times, they may engage in unethical behavior (lying, cheating, stealing) to avoid the consequence

• Negative reinforcement has its place • _______________________________ • Gaining compliance when it is _______________

• It also requires a LOT more of management’s ___________ to maintain

PM – Consequences Biagi

Positive Reinforcement An organization that leans on positive reinforcement, or the addition of words, events, objects, etc. that

increase behavior in the future, creates a very different culture than the one that utilizes threats to increase performance.

Positive reinforcers pair leaders and coworkers with good things and turns work that is perceived as a “________ to do” into a “_________ to do”.

PM – Consequences Biagi The Value of Positive Reinforcement (Daniels and Bailey, 2014)

2. Resolves motivational problems.

1. Has positive side effects, like _____________ _____________.

5. Demonstrates a _______ of

how your organization treats people.

4. Creates positive

_____________ and less change

resistance.

3. People seek positive

reinforcers beyond

____________.

5. PM makes workplaces

more enjoyable.

PM – Consequences Biagi

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Social Reinforcers • Socially mediated consequences • Can be verbal – praise, feedback,

acknowledgement, listening to them talk about a favorite topic • Can be ________ – thank you card,

trophies, plaques • Only have value to the recipient, so

no __________ value

• Material goods, items, objects • Could potentially be valuable to

someone else, if ______ for example • Company swag, gift cards, toasters,

food

• _____________ is best practice, and MUST contain some kind of _______ reinforcement to be most effective

Tangible Reinforcers

PM – Consequences Biagi

Johnson and Dickinson (2010)

Employee of the Month • Is this a reinforcer? • How to earn is unclear and non-specific • Award is ________ from performance • “_________________” – even if there are small differences in

performance • Creates unhealthy ___________, sabotage • Can they win more than one month in a row?

• Yes? Others give up trying to earn • No? Revolving gimmick

• Tested empirically by Johnson and Dickinson in a lab, with students processing checks earning “Check Processor of the Week”

PM – Consequences Biagi

Relying on threats to improve performance in the workplace can result

in:

Checking in:

A. Increased turnover

B. Bare-minimum performance

C. Unethical behavior

D. Increased workload on management

E. All of these

PM – Consequences Biagi

Creating a company that drives behavior change through positive

reinforcement results in:

Checking in:

A. Staff who are open to change

B. Better relationships between management and staff

C. Fewer motivational issues

D. Increased job satisfaction

E. All of these

PM – Consequences Biagi

What did Johnson and Dickinson (2010) discover in their study on ”Check

Processor of the Week”?

Checking in:

A. Initial increases in behavior were observed after receiving the reward, but faded quickly

B. Increased motivation for staff trying to earn the designation

C. Little-to-no change in behavior, and even decreases in performance after receiving it

D. It acted as a consistent reinforcer for the participants

PM – Consequences Biagi

Punishers Consequences that Decrease Behavior at Work

PM – Consequences Biagi

Punishment and Penalties A punisher is the addition or removal of a stimulus that decreases the probability of that behavior occurring

in the future.

Daniels and Bailey (2014) differentiate between he two types of punishment through the use of separate terms:

_____________ – the addition of something undesired

_____________ – the removal of something desired

PM – Consequences BiagiAdapted from Daniels and Bailey (2014)

C Consequence

Get S omething You W

ant

Avo id

Som eth

ing You

Don ’t W

an t

Get Something You Don’t Want

Lose Something You Have and Want Positi

ve Reinforce ment (R

+)

Negativ e Reinforce

ment (R -)

Negative Punishment (P-)

Positive Punishment (P+) Behavior Decreases

Behavior Increases

(Penalty)

PM – Consequences Biagi

There is much less talk in PM practice about punishment, and why should be obvious to a

behavior analyst:

You cannot __________ your way into better performance.

Only _______________ can do that.

PM – Consequences Biagi

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Using Punishment and Penalties • The use of punishment/penalty is almost

never necessary when you understand human behavior

• In typical businesses, it is often used because:

• It works ________ • That is reinforcing for the person who is

implementing the punishment • They don’t need to be delivered as

often as reinforcement

PM – Consequences Biagi

Negative Impacts of Punishment at Work

Decreases ____________ Behavior

Do NOT Increase Performance

Creates _____________ Behavior

Difficult to Use Effectively

___________Increases Aggression

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

Staff become defensive, blame, lie, cheat, or even abuse sick leave policies.

Staff will stop contributing for fear of criticism or having additional tasks given to them.

No new behaviors are learned, and no performance increases when punishment is used.

Punishment increases aggression, including tearing up papers, throwing things, and becoming violent with others in extreme cases.

Even when behavior is reduced, terrible side effects occur, and desired behavior change does not.

Undesired behavior will decrease in the presence of the threat, and will often resurge because they have not been given an appropriate alternative.

PM – Consequences Biagi

Reinforcement vs. Penalty • Tested the effects of positive reinforcement vs. penalty on

performance

• Each participant was given tasks to complete on a computer

• In the reinforcement condition, they were given incentives for the number of tasks completed correctly

• In the penalty condition, they were given a base pay and lost money for each task completed incorrectly

• In control, they received only the base pay

• Performers did the least work under the _______ condition

• Under a ________ schedule (which is typical in business), performers did significantly worse under the penalty condition

Lee and Oah (2015)

PM – Consequences Biagi

Considerations for the Use of Punishment • Sometimes punishment is necessary, particularly for ________ or

unethical behavior • If you are going to use it, research in punishment would implore you to use

the ___________ of punishment, not create situations in which you start with a mild punisher and build up to more intense punishers along the way • The science of behavior does not support “progressive ___________

policies”, but many states require this in organizations

• An appropriate alternative must be programmed for and reinforced! • Determine what is maintaining the behavior – use an _____________ to

solve the problem, not just punish it away

Daniels and Bailey (2014)

PM – Consequences Biagi

In order to decrease the number of staff playing on their cell phones, a manager begins taking away staff privileges for each infraction. This is an example of:

Checking in:

A. Punishment

B. Penalty

C. Negative reinforcement

D. Positive reinforcement

PM – Consequences Biagi

When a staff member called out at the last minute, the manager gave them additional non-

preferred job tasks, like cleaning the staff bathroom. This is an example of:

Checking in:

A. Punishment

B. Penalty

C. Negative reinforcement

D. Positive reinforcement

PM – Consequences Biagi

In order to save money, a company cut access to several staff benefits, including

the 401k program and vision insurance. Staff have now reduced the amount of effort given

for their job tasks. This is an example of:

Checking in:

A. Punishment

B. Penalty

C. Negative reinforcement

D. None of these

PM – Consequences Biagi

During a meeting, a manager publicly comments on how amazing one staff

member’s work has been. Subsequently, the staff member’s performance takes a

nosedive. This is an example of:

Checking in:

A. Punishment

B. Penalty

C. Negative Reinforcement

D. None of these

PM – Consequences Biagi

In order for punishment to be most effective, we must:

Checking in:

A. Start with verbal warnings, then written warnings, then probation, then terminate

B. Never use punishment in a work setting

C. Determine the function and provide an alternative to reinforce

D. Deliver punishers frequently

PM – Consequences Biagi

Extinction

PM – Consequences Biagi

The Careful Application of Extinction Extinction occurs when you withhold the desired consequence in order to decrease an unwanted behavior.

This is often appropriate for ____________ behaviors, but not appropriate for unsafe, unethical, or otherwise significant behaviors that must be stopped immediately.

Unfortunately, extinction is often “unintentionally” used in the workplace, in that staff members often are not acknowledged for _____________________ daily. When a manager says, “They should just do it because

it is their job”, it is a sign that desired behaviors are being extinguished.

PM – Consequences Biagi

• Pair extinction with reinforcement for an appropriate alternative response

• Do not ________ the behaviors you want to see

• Watch for “extinction _________” • This often results in leaders abandoning

change efforts due to aversive reactions from staff early on

• When paired with reinforcement procedures, ________ are rare

• For increasing _____________ behavior, extinction can be an effective strategy

Daniels and Bailey (2014) Considerations for the Use of Extinction

PM – Consequences Biagi

Extinction frequently occurs in business when we:

Checking in:

A. Reinforce appropriate alternative behaviors

B. Punish important, problematic behaviors (like ethics, safety, etc.)

C. Fail to reinforce people for doing what they need to do on a daily basis

D. Abandon change efforts due to resistance from staff

PM – Consequences Biagi

In Closing…

PM – Consequences Biagi

Thank you For your precious time and your attention.

1. focused:
2. MUST understand which types of consequences they are using to be most:
3. acting:
4. mediated:
5. analogs to reinforcement:
6. Reinforcement must occur close in:
7. Reinforcement must be specific to an:
8. Reinforcement MUST by definition:
9. undefined:
10. undefined_2:
11. undefined_3:
12. how to earn a:
13. undefined_4:
14. undefined_5:
15. undefined_6:
16. source:
17. improvement hinges on:
18. reinforcement or:
19. This is:
20. Fear leads to compliance or:
21. way escape the threats by:
22. undefined_7:
23. Gaining compliance when it is:
24. to maintain:
25. undefined_8:
26. to do into a:
27. side effects like:
28. undefined_9:
29. undefined_10:
30. of:
31. and less change:
32. someone else if:
33. Can be:
34. undefined_11:
35. no:
36. MUST contain some kind of:
37. from performance:
38. even if there are small differences in:
39. sabotage:
40. the addition of something undesired:
41. the removal of something desired:
42. your way into:
43. can do that:
44. It works:
45. Creates:
46. Decreases:
47. undefined_12:
48. Performers did the least work under the:
49. Under a:
50. Sometimes punishment is necessary particularly for:
51. the:
52. The science of behavior does not support progressive:
53. Determine what is maintaining the behavior use an:
54. otherwise significant behaviors that must be stopped immediately:
55. it is their job it is a sign that desired behaviors are being extinguished:
56. the behaviors you want to:
57. undefined_13:
58. are rare:
59. behavior: