Review of the Application of the Response Deprivation Model to Organizational Behavior Management

ABSTRACT

The Response Deprivation Model states that any behavior in an organism’s repertoire can serve as a reinforcer if access to that behavior is restricted. A deprivation contingency requires the organism to engage more in the target behavior in order to obtain access to the restricted behavior. This model replaces the limited and sometimes incorrect Premack Principle. By applying this model to Organizational Behavior Management, businesses can increase workers’ productivity by restricting their access to certain tasks. The reviewed studies include applications to sales and quality management. The relative paucity of current applications in Organizational Behavior Management, possible reasons for this, and solutions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Application
• efficiency
• OBM
• Premack Principle
• Response Deprivation Model

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our very great appreciation to Dr. Heather McGee for her valuable and constructive suggestions as well as to Kelsey Haverkamp for her assistance with proofreading all drafts of the article.