Reinforcing staff performance in residential facilities: a survey of common managerial practices

A national survey was conducted to investigate how managers in public residential facilities for persons with mental retardation attempt to reinforce work performance of direct-care staff. The reinforcement procedure reported most frequently by 460 managers was performance feedback (as opposed to monetary increments and time off). Essentially all managers reported using feedback, and virtually all of them reported that feedback was effective to varying degrees as a means of reinforcing staff performance. In response to an open-ended question regarding other procedures for reinforcing staff performance, they most frequently reported increasing staff involvement in management decision-making. Results were discussed in light of future research needs for improving staff work performance and incorporating results of management research into routine management practices.