Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement

229 Pages·1994·1.95 MB·English

by  Aubrey C. Daniels

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title: Bringing Out the Best in People : How to Apply the
Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement
author: Daniels, Aubrey C.
publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional
isbn10 | asin: 0070153582
print isbn13: 9780070153585
ebook isbn13: 9780071366021
language: English
subject Employee motivation, Reinforcement (Psychology) ,
Affirmations, Performance.
publication date: 1994
lcc: HF5549.5.M63D36 1994eb
ddc: 658.3/14
subject: Employee motivation, Reinforcement (Psychology) ,
Affirmations, Performance.
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Page i
Bringing Out the Best in People
How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement
Aubrey C. Daniels
McGraw-Hill, Inc.
New York San Francisco Washington, D.C. Auckland Bogotá
Caracas Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan
Montreal New Delhi San Juan Singapore
Sydney Tokyo Toronto

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Library of Congress Catalogue Number 93-37609
Copyright © 1994 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as
permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
10 DOC/DOC 998
ISBN 0-07-015358-2
The sponsoring editor for this book was James H. Bessent, Jr. and the production supervisor was Pamela A. Pelton.
It was set in Baskerville by North Market Street Graphics.
Printed and bound by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company.
This book is printed on recycled, acid-free paper containing a minimum of 50 percent recycled de-inked fiber.

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Page iii
This book is dedicated to my mother,
Carrie Belle Daniels, who always
brings out the best in me.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aubrey C. Daniels, Ph.D., is president of Aubrey Daniels & Associates, Inc., and Precision Learning Systems, Inc.
His firms help companies solve problems in quality, productivity, education, and morale. One of the most sought-
after speakers and writers in the business management arena, he has instituted his performance management system
at hundreds of organizations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Brazil, and has
worked closely with such noted clients as 3M, Kodak, Rubbermaid, and Honeywell. Dr. Daniels is the founder and
publisher of Performance Management Magazine and the author of Performance Management: Improving Quality
Productivity Through Positive Reinforcement.

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CONTENTS
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Part 1. The Perils of Traditional Management
1. Fads, Fantasies, and Fixes 3
5
From "My Own Style" to a Precise Procedure
6
Management by Sloshing Around versus Precision Management
8
Business Is Behavior
8
Behavior Is a Function of Its Consequences
9
A Most Practical Approach
2. Management by Common Sense Is Not Management At All 10
11
Common Sense versus Scientific Knowledge
12
The Popularity of a Management Approach Guarantees Nothing
13
If It Ain't Broke, Find Out Why
15
There Are More Wrong Answers than Right Ones
3. Louder, Longer, Meaner 17
18
Surprise! People Don't Do What You Tell Them to Do
18
Why Telling Alone Does Not Bring Out the Best in People
19
A Place for Antecedents
22
Threat as AntecedentNot Consequence

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Page vi
Part 2. The Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement
4. Behavior Is a Function of Its Consequences 25
27
Every Consequence Every Day
28
Increasing Performance through Reinforcement
28
Consequences That Decrease Performance
29
Doing Nothing Is Doing Something to Performance
30
A Change of Focus
30
The More Immediate, the Better
31
Reinforcers Are More Effective than Rewards
31
Management Myth: People Resist Change
32
Everybody's Behavior Makes Sense to Them
33
No-Fault Performance: ChangeNot Blame
5. The ABCs of Performance Management 35
35
A Way of Seeing Things As Others See Them
40
Building Trust
6. The High Price of Negative Reinforcement 42
44
Positive or Negative Reinforcement: What Difference Does It Make?
46
Five Easy Clues That Indicate Negative Reinforcement Is Present
49
The Bottom Line on Negative Reinforcement
51
7.Capturing Discretionary Effort through Positive Reinforcement
52
What Does Positive Reinforcement Look Like?
54
Kinds of Positive Reinforcement
56
Grandma's Law
58
Sources of Positive Reinforcement
8. Decreasing BehaviorIntentionally or Otherwise 61
62
ExtinctionDoing Nothing Changes Behavior
65
PunishmentStopping Behavior
66
Different Strokes
66
Punishment Never Solves a Problem

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9. Effective Delivery of Reinforcement 67
68
Common Mistakes in the Delivery of Positive Reinforcement
71
4 to 1 Rule
72
Competition for Positive Reinforcement
72
Employee of the Month
73
Two Attempts at Positive Reinforcers That Aren't
Part 3. The Scientific Approach to Leadership
10. Pinpoint Precision 79
81
Beware of the Activity Trap: Pinpoint Results First
82
Pinpoints Are Not Inside the Person
84
If It Doesn't Move, It's a Result
85
Precision Pinpointing
85
Observability
85
Measurability
86
Reliability
86
Counts of Behaviors versus Results
87