Image courtesy- VerywellMind
Let us look at different types of Reinforcements and their benefits
Positive Reinforcement:
This is generally the most effective way to motivate employees in your team or organization. Take example of the famous Angry Bird game! This game is so popular because it works on positive reinforcement.
In other study conducted at a New York state hospital provides some more answers why +ve reinforcement works. The goal of the study was to increase the frequency by which medical staff washed their hands, as sanitization in medical settings is extremely important for preventing the spread of disease. The medical staff is repeatedly made aware of this, and warning signs about the consequences of unsanitized hands are often placed alongside sanitization gel dispensers. Yet cameras installed to monitor every sink and hand sanitizer dispenser in the hospital’s intensive care unit revealed that only 10% of medical staff sanitized their hands before and after entering a patient’s room. This was despite the fact that the employees knew they were being recorded.
Then an intervention was introduced: An electronic board was placed in the hallway of the unit that gave employees instant feedback. Every time they washed their hands the board displayed a positive message (such as “Good job!”) and the current shift’s hand-hygiene score would go up. Compliance rates rose sharply and reached almost 90% within four weeks, a result that was replicated in another division in the hospital.
Why did this intervention work so well? The answer provides a general lesson that goes beyond hand washing.
The brilliance of the electronic board was that, instead of using the threat of spreading disease, the common approach in this situation, the researchers chose a positive strategy. Every time a staff member washed their hands, they received immediate positive feedback.
Negative Reinforcement:
Take an example of reminding your team members that completing a project assignment is crucial to better to avoid budget cuts and bad appraisals. Even though it motivates people to perform better it is a negative stimulus that talks about consequences of not meeting the deadlines. The constant reminder can be considered unpleasant to team members, so in return, the team maintains the expected level of productivity to avoid the constant reminders.
Punishment:
Take example of warning team members on any info sec or POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) violations that can lead to bad consequences. This in turn reduces undesired behaviour and ensures the team members adhere to the company policies and norms.
Be very careful when choosing the right type of reinforcements for your team depending on the scenario! So happy Reinforcing! 😊
