Content motivation theories focus on meeting people’s needs to motivate them. Process motivation theories focus on how and why people are motivated. Reinforcement theory focuses on getting people to do what you want them to do.

Reinforcement theory is primarily Skinner’s motivation theory: Behavior can be controlled through the use of positive or negative consequences. It is also called behavior modification and operant conditioning. B. F. Skinner contends that people’s behavior is learned through experiences of positive and negative consequences. He believes that rewarded behavior tends to be repeated, while unrewarded behavior tends not to be repeated.

An employee learns what is, and is not, desired behavior as a result of the consequences for specific behavior. Reinforcement is not about meeting needs, it’s about getting people to do what we want them to do by answering their often unasked question, “What’s in it for me?” In essence you are saying, “If you do this behavior [stimulus calling for response behavior] I will give you this reward or this punishment if you don’t [consequence—types of reinforcement] and this is how often I will give you the reward or punishment [schedules of reinforcement].”

Skinner states that supervisors can control and shape employees’ behavior while at the same time making them feel free. The two important concepts used to control behavior are the types of reinforcement and the schedule of reinforcement.