What Should Leaders Be Aware of When Using Punishment to Decrease

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The Answer is Leaders should understand that punishment may cause undesirable emotional reactions in employees that may result in anger toward the leader and the organization. The use of punishment to control undesirable behavior is contingent on the leader's presence-when the leader isn't around, the undesirable behavior is likely to recur. In addition, the punished individual may try to avoid or escape the situation, even to the point of quitting the job altogether. Punishment suppresses employee initiative and flexibility and produces a conditioned fear of management.
A leader may rely on punishment because it can produce fast results in the short run. In essence, the leader is reinforced for using punishment because the approach produces an immediate change in an employee's behavior. Thus, the leader may ignore punishment's long-term detrimental effects, which can be cumulative. A few incidents of punishment may not produce negative effects. The long-term, sustained use of punishment most often results in negative outcomes for the organization.

What Should Leaders Be Aware of When Using Punishment to Decrease

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