"Employ a Mixture of Positive and Negative Reinforcement"

"Employ a Mixture of Positive and Negative Reinforcement"

In this chapter, McGinnis revisits the idea that positive reinforcement is only effective when applied in a balanced and sincere way. Simply telling someone “good job” or rewarding an individual without a basis to do so actually kills motivation instead of fostering productivity and results.

According to McGinnis, motivating others requires a balance of honest “positive and negative reinforcement. He explains, “Every day of our lives we do things because we are motivated by fear. We avoid certain kinds of behavior at work to keep from losing our jobs. We drive at certain speeds because we fear the repercussions of doing otherwise. It is folly even to hope for a world where we are not motivated by fear, and it is permissive foolishness to try to create a family where we do not use some punishment, or an office where we do not reprimand employees. We ought to employ the carrot more than the stick, but the stick has its uses” (118).

McGinnis gives a short list of suggestions for dispensing negative reinforcement.

1. Be certain that you’re teaching them to avoid certain behavior, not to avoid you.
2. Follow the undesired behavior with immediate correction.
3. Establish a way to halt the negative stimulus as soon as the behavior stops.
4. If negative stimulus control doesn’t seem to be working, try shaping the absence of the behavior.

The fourth and final suggestion requires a short explanation. By ”shaping the absence of the behavior,” McGinnis is advising leaders to reinforce everything but the undesired behavior. He gives an example of a woman whose mother was once bright, witty and articulate but who had become increasingly negative and focused on complaints and problems. Her daughter was able to solve the issue by responding enthusiastically to everything that her mother said except to the complaints to which she responded with bored statements such as “Ah,” “Hmm,” etc.