Do you need new motivational techniques for employees? Is positive or negative reinforcement better for encouragement?
According to Aubrey C. Daniels, people tend to repeat behaviors that lead to positive consequences while avoiding those that have negative consequences. This means you can leverage consequences to reinforce desired behaviors and deter undesired behaviors.
Here’s how to encourage employees with two types of behavioral consequences.
Consequence #1: Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a motivational technique that works by tying desired behaviors to positive outcomes, thereby increasing the likelihood they’ll be repeated. Daniels asserts that positive reinforcement is the only way to promote discretionary effort—it creates a clear and rewarding connection between employees’ actions and their sense of satisfaction, motivating them to invest extra effort into their work consistently.
There are two kinds of positive reinforcement to help you learn how to encourage employees:
- Natural positive reinforcement: This occurs when the behavior automatically produces a positive outcome (like the satisfaction a writer naturally gets from writing). Daniel notes that unfortunately, most work tasks do not include natural positive reinforcements.
- Created positive reinforcement: When positive reinforcements don’t come naturally, managers must create them. Created reinforcements include social recognition (like praise and celebrations) and tangible rewards (like bonuses and prizes).
Daniels clarifies that to effectively use positive reinforcement, you must tailor your approach to each individual. What motivates one person may not work for another, so as a manager, you need to understand what resonates with different team members. Try various types of positive reinforcement and pay attention to how people respond. The act of showing interest and attention can itself be reinforcing, since it demonstrates that you value your employees. You can also take notice of which activities people on your team willingly take on (they’re more likely to choose activities that are naturally positively reinforcing).
Daniels also says it’s important to consistently reinforce the behaviors you want to encourage. If you fail to recognize and reward good behaviors, those behaviors will gradually disappear, even if they were once common. This phenomenon is known as extinction. Extinction happens because when people anticipate a positive outcome that never comes, they feel disappointed; this discourages them from further engaging in the behavior.
Consequence #2: Negative Reinforcement
Daniels states that negative reinforcement discourages repetition of a behavior by tying it to an unpleasant consequence. These consequences can be punishments (natural outcomes of the behavior, like reprimands) or penalties (outcomes that take something of value away from the employee, like pay cuts).
While negative reinforcement can be useful for achieving short-term results, Daniels advises against using them too liberally. He says negative reinforcement prompts employees to do just enough to avoid the consequence and doesn’t encourage them to invest discretionary effort into their work. For example, say you set a rule that employees must follow procedures exactly as documented, or else they’ll be fired. They’ll likely follow the procedures to the letter, but they may not engage creatively or suggest improvements to the process, as they’re primarily focused on avoiding negative outcomes.
Additionally, too much negative reinforcement can create a negative work environment, where the relationship between management and employees is defined by constant monitoring of employee behavior and a fear of punishment. Daniels explains that companies default to negative reinforcement because they assume it works best, but positive reinforcement is ultimately a more effective motivator.
How to Use Reinforcement Effectively
Now that you understand the two kinds of reinforcement, let’s explore a few of Daniels’s tips for using reinforcements effectively.
Tip #1: Switch up your approach regularly. According to Daniels, the more often you use a consequence, the less impactful it becomes. This means you need to be adaptable and creative when it comes to reinforcing behavior. For example, instead of always offering verbal praise for good performance, you could occasionally provide a small reward like a gift card or extra time off.
(Shortform note: The theory of hedonic adaptation may explain why consequences become less powerful the more often you use them. This theory holds that people quickly become accustomed to changes in their environment or experiences, so over time these changes have less of an emotional impact. For example, if an employee becomes used to receiving a certain type of reward or facing a specific consequence, the impact of these stimuli diminishes as they adapt.)
Tip #2: Reinforce behaviors as quickly as possible. Daniels explains that immediate consequences are more powerful than distant ones, even if they’re small. This means that acting quickly to reinforce desirable behaviors or to discourage undesirable ones will get you better results than if waiting to deliver a bigger reward or punishment later on.
(Shortform note: One reason it’s more effective to reinforce behavior immediately is that many people struggle with delayed gratification. People tend to find immediate rewards more tempting than potential future rewards, so they may struggle to stay motivated if the reward is delayed. Similarly, it’s easier to discount a faraway negative consequence, like getting fired for inappropriate behavior, when the immediate effects of the behavior seem minor or even pleasant. For example, you might feel tempted to pad your time sheet to increase your next paycheck, even if it means losing your job if you’re caught at some point in the future.)
Tip #3: Ask employees for their input. Daniels recommends that in addition to finding out which reinforcements motivate your employees, you should ask them to give you feedback about how your company operates. He explains that people tend to be more emotionally invested in processes they have a say in. Thus, by giving employees the opportunity to shape the workplace, you create space for natural positive reinforcements to arise as they go about their work.
(Shortform note: Experts refer to this style of management as participative leadership. In addition to helping employees become more emotionally invested in their work, it also fosters trust between employees and managers. It’s further been shown to enhance innovation and improve performance, as well.)
Tip #4: Focus on building organic trust. Daniels writes that reinforcements only work if there’s a foundation of genuine trust between employees and management. If your employees don’t like or respect you, they won’t perceive anything you do or say positively, so your positive reinforcements won’t work. Similarly, negative reinforcement may backfire if employees feel unfairly targeted or unappreciated, leading them to resist or circumvent the rules. You can build trust by giving employees a realistic idea of what they can expect from you and following through on your promises consistently, especially when it comes to reinforcements.
(Shortform note: Stephen M.R. Covey offers several tips you can use to build trust with your employees in The Speed of Trust. In addition to the transparency and follow-through Daniels recommends, Covey suggests that you demonstrate humility and consideration for others and communicate clearly. He also recommends that you show others you trust them—people are more likely to meet or exceed your expectations when you express confidence that they can.)
Tip #5: Don’t combine positive and negative reinforcement. Daniels says it’s OK to use both approaches separately, but you should never use them at the same time. For example, you should avoid criticizing someone while you’re celebrating their success. This would dilute the positive feelings associated with the celebration, making it less effective.
(Shortform note: Other experts disagree with Daniels on this tip, especially when it comes to giving feedback. For example, in Communications Skills Training, James Williams argues that it’s best to give someone praise (a positive reinforcement) before criticizing them (a negative reinforcement). According to Williams, this softens the impact of negative feedback—which might be a good thing, given all the shortcomings of negative reinforcements that Daniels lists.)
