Motivate U

Supervisors are frequently placed in reactive roles, responding to mistakes, correcting performance problems, delivering reminders, and addressing employee concerns after problems have already developed. Although these activities are sometimes necessary, effective supervision also requires anticipating the environmental conditions that influence performance.

This course introduces a proactive approach to supervision grounded in Organizational Behavior Management and behavioral systems thinking. Participants will examine how expectations function as antecedents, how rule-governed behavior interacts with workplace contingencies, and why clearly communicating an expectation does not necessarily produce the desired performance.

We will explore practical methods for reducing response effort, addressing competing contingencies, designing reinforcement systems, and identifying workplace barriers before they become persistent performance problems. Participants will also examine how supervisors influence organizational culture through their own behavior, including the expectations they establish, the consequences they deliver, and the working conditions they help create.

The course concludes with a focus on burnout prevention and the importance of designing sustainable supervisory systems. Through applied examples, participants will develop a more systematic approach to supporting staff performance while reducing the need for constant correction and crisis management.