A Theory of Rule-Governed Behavior and Organizational Behavior Management

Abstract

Abstract To a large extent, an organization's culture is probably not based on direct-acting contingencies of reinforcement and punishment. Instead it is generally based on indirect-acting conlineencies he.. analoe to reinforcement and ounishmentl A direct- - acting contingencyTs one where the oulcome involved'in the contingency is sufficiently immediate, sizable, and probable to reinforce or punish the causal response. An indirect-acting contingency is one Ulat controls the causal response, though the outcome contingent on that response is too improbable to actually reinforce or punish that causal response. In cases where indirect-acting contingencies do control Ihe response, it seems likely that they do so through the actions of rules describing those contingencies; in other words, such control is an instance of rule-governed behavior. Thus much of the control exerted by an organization's culture is through rule governance.