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December Topic: Naughty or Nice? The Behavioral Science of Rewards, Punishment, and Performance
Location: Zoom Online Virtual Platform (link provided after registration)
Cost: Free for ATD Detroit and other local Chapter Members &
$10.00 for Guest
Description: Join us for Naughty or Nice? The Behavioral Science of Rewards, Punishment, and Performance. Santa has been running one of the world's most recognizable behavior management systems for centuries. Be good, get rewarded. Be bad, face the consequences. But would the naughty-or-nice list survive the scrutiny of modern behavioral science?
In this festive and thought-provoking Behavioral Science SIG session, we'll unwrap the psychology behind rewards, punishment, reinforcement, and motivation. Why do incentives sometimes inspire extraordinary performance while other times undermine the very behaviors we're trying to encourage? What happens when people focus more on earning the reward than embracing the behavior? And how do fairness, expectations, and social consequences influence the way people learn, perform, and grow?
Through engaging discussion, practical examples, and a little holiday humor, we'll explore the science of what really reinforces behavior, why punishment doesn't always produce the change we expect, and how even well-intentioned recognition programs can create unintended consequences.
Whether you're designing training programs, coaching leaders, managing performance, or developing talent, you'll discover how to build reinforcement strategies that encourage meaningful, sustainable behavior change without turning everyone into reward-seeking elves.
Participant Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Understand the science of reinforcement: Explore how rewards, consequences, and expectations influence learning and behavioral repetition.
Recognize unintended consequences: Identify when incentives, punishment, and recognition undermine intrinsic motivation, trust, or performance.
Examine fairness and motivation: Understand how perceptions of fairness, autonomy, and social comparison shape behavioral responses.
Design better reinforcement strategies: Apply practical behavioral science tactics to encourage lasting learning, accountability, and performance.
Rethink the naughty-or-nice approach: Evaluate how current training and performance systems may reward the wrong behaviors or discourage the right ones.
Come ready to challenge what you think you know about motivation, question a few holiday traditions, and discover why getting people off the naughty list might require more than a lump of coal.
Jay Johnson works with people and organizations to empower teams, grow profits, and elevate leadership. He is a Co-Founder of Behavioral Elements®, a two-time TEDx speaker, and a designated Master Trainer by the Association for Talent Development. With a focus on behavioral intelligence, Jay has delivered transformational workshops to accelerate high-performance teams and cultures in more than 30 countries across four continents.
For more information about the ID SIG or the upcoming Meet-up, contact SIG Organizer Jay Johnson at jay@behavioralelements.com
Note: SIGs are an exclusive member benefit for ATD Detroit and other local ATD chapter members.
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What's a SIG?
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are small groups of members who share an affinity for a particular aspect of Talent Development. Whether it's a specific approach, a certain skill, or a common role in the industry, a SIG helps bring chapter members together to share in an interest.
Anyone can start a SIG - all it takes is a shared interest and a meeting place! To learn more, contact the Chapter President, president@detroitatd.org.
