Further Thoughts on Punishment In Organizations

Abstract

In this article I supplement the preceding Arvey and Ivancevich discussion by examining punishment research in organizational settings. The review is divided into three categories: (1) cross-sectional psychometric, (2) longitudinal psychometric, and (3) laboratory and field studies. Two major conclusions emerge. First, in most studies that contrast positive and punitive leader behavior, reward behavior tends to have a much stronger effect on employee performance. Second, both longitudinal field and laboratory studies seem to support the idea that punishment tends to be more a result of employee behavior than a cause of employee behavior, More specifically, managers tend to increase punitive behavior in response to poor employee performance. I also pose several questions that should be useful in guiding future research into the effects of punishment.