Behavior modification in the workplace. (motivational problems encountered by environmental health workers)

Environmental health workers and their supervisors sometimes complain of "motivational" problems. The psychological principles of behavior modification suggest that the solution to such problems will be found in the organization of the workplace and the behavioral interactions that take place there. Neither the cause nor the solution of what at first appear to be "motivational" problems will be found in the motives and personality traits of individual workers or their supervisors. Instead, both the source and the solution to such problems can be found by assessing the specific behaviors that are being encouraged in those individuals. The appropriate behaviors of individuals are encouraged and sustained only when existing behaviors tending in a more appropriate direction are reliably followed by positive reinforcement. In the environmental health field, effective encouragement of appropriate behaviors via positive reinforcement requires active communication and mutual reinforcement by all individuals in the management-employee-citizen network.