How will actions that leaders reward be influenced?

The influence of actions that leaders reward is strongly tied to the principle of reinforcement in behavioral psychology. When leaders recognize and reward specific behaviors, they effectively reinforce those actions, leading to a greater likelihood that those behaviors will be repeated in the future. This is because rewards serve as positive reinforcement, motivating individuals to replicate the rewarded actions. This can apply to both productive behaviors, like teamwork or innovation, and less desirable behaviors if they are inadvertently rewarded.

In contexts where leaders consciously choose to reward certain behaviors, it sets a standard for what is valued within the organization. As a direct consequence, team members will observe what is being rewarded and tend to replicate those behaviors in hopes of receiving similar recognition. This principle highlights the importance of leaders being mindful about the behaviors they choose to reinforce, as both positive and negative behaviors can proliferate depending on the rewards given.

The other choices do not capture this principle effectively. Critiquing rewarded actions would not encourage replication; actions becoming less frequent contradicts the reinforcement process; and records of past performance do not inherently influence future actions in a way that directly encourages behavior replication.