Organizational Behavior Management

Organizational behavior management (OBM) takes the principles of B. F. Skinner’s reinforcement theory and applies them in organizations. Its guiding philosophy is that our behavior is shaped and maintained by the environment, especially its performance consequences. Rarely are efforts made to change workers’ attitudes or personalities. Instead most interventions or efforts to improve performance involve rearranging the situation so that favorable consequences—a thumbs-up, scores posted on a graph, the way paved to a coveted promotion—consistently occur when workers perform [Page 1066]as desired. This intervention, referred to as positive reinforcement, is the most prevalent in OBM.