Consequences of a behavior

The teacher was standing in front of the class giving lectures. You talk to your friend sitting next to you. And the very next moment you are thrown out. It can even get worse if the teacher decides – You will not enter my class until your parent comes and meets me.

Many safe acts are inherently punishing whereas many unsafe acts are inherently reinforcing. It is the consequence of a behavior that decides whether the occurrence of the particular behavior is increased or decreased.

The consequences that drive behavior are can be summarized into the following four groups.

1)  Positive/ negative

Consider the case of two bikers; one Mr. A who wears a helmet and Mr. B who does not wear a helmet. Person B is happy because he does not have to suffer from the irritation caused from the use of helmet. Mr. A but in spite of the irritation has worn the helmet. The attitude of A must be nurtured. It is not possible to reward A every time he wears a helmet. But it is possible and easier to penalize B every time he is caught without a helmet. This negative effect on B will act as a positive driver for A and all other people who wear helmets.

2)  Immediate / in future

In the example given above the punishment is immediate. But the reward should not be immediate. Reward should always be kept for a future date.  Remember, Mother Teresa did not get Nobel Peace Prize for some single act of apathy. It was awarded for her activities through the decades.

The punishment should be for the individual. The reward should be for the whole team

Monthly department safety performance awards given to various departments in a company is an excellent example for rewarding the groups.

3) Certain / uncertain

If you are certain that you will be caught as soon as you get out of the house in bike without a helmet,  won’t you still wear a helmet. People start using helmets if the checking is made so strict. Certainty of consequence drive behavior.

4)  Severe / moderate

Severity of a consequence is another driving factor that drives behavior. When will you definitely wear a helmet – If you are caught, you will be fined Rs 100 or if your driving licence will be blocked for a lifetime if you are caught on bike without a helmet?

Hope you can bring about changes in your organization by working on these 4 sets of consequences /attributes.

Good luck.

*The contents of the article are from a lecture I had attended recently. Wish this can turn out to be helpful.