The science that makes
feedback work
Most feedback doesn’t change behavior. Reinforcer.ai applies Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) a method proven for over 45 years to measurably improve performance by understanding what actually drives behavior.
The method
Most organisations treat symptoms,
not causes
Research shows 70% of organisational change programmes fail to meet their objectives. In 60% of those cases, behavior is the root cause.
The typical response: more training, clearer instructions, stronger reminders.
The missing piece: Understanding why the unwanted behavior is happening in the first place.
You can’t change behavior by focusing only on what people should do. You need to understand what’s driving what they’re actually doing now.
What is OBM?
Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) is a subdiscipline of Applied Behavior Analysis, which emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It applies behavior analytic principles to change behavior in organizational settings.
When you understand what’s triggering and reinforcing behavior, you can design interventions that actually work: not guesswork based on assumptions.
At the core of OBM is the ABC Model.
Antecedents
Antecedents trigger behavior—instructions, environmental cues, time pressure, lack of resources. They set the stage, but they only account for about 20% of what controls behavior.
Behavior
Activities of living organisms, including what they communicate. Can be both desired & undesired from an organizational perspective. The question is: does it add value?
Consequences
Consequences reinforce or discourage it. Rewards, outcomes, reactions from others. Research shows consequences have about four times more direct effect on behavior than antecedents.
What the research shows
- Performance feedback works. A meta-analysis of 96 workplace applications reports consistently large effects when feedback is specific and frequent.
- Behavior can be changed and sustained. Scientific research and meta-analyses show that consequence management has a measurable impact on performance.
- Perormance improves with behavior methods. Reviews and meta-analyses link behavior-based approaches to significant and measurable impact on performance. Whether it’s productivity, quality, safety or customer service related behavior, etc. etc.
Why this matters now
Most change efforts fail at the level of everyday behavior, not strategy. Using an evidence-based model and live conversational data removes guesswork and turns “please change” into “this is the next action that will work here”.