It is different from other methods and philosophies in that it focuses only on observable, describable, and measurable behaviors, as opposed,

for example, to psychoanalytic theory which focuses on finding the underlying cause

What are the aims of behavior modification?

Behavior modification techniques aim to manipulate the antecedents and consequences of behavior so that the likelihood of appropriate behavior is increased and inappropriate behavior is decreased. Proactive behavior modification, interventions which avoid the utilization of aversive consequences, also involves teaching new and more appropriate skills (positive programming). The reason for this is the belief that all behavior is learned. If

he most effective approach toward behavior modification is the theory of operant conditioning espoused by the noted American behaviorist, B. F. Skinner, in his book The Behavior or Organisms published in 1938. Skinner's behavior modification theory holds that reinforcement, either positive, or negative shapes behavior. Providing positive reinforcement for changing behavior to desired levels through appropriate and effective rewards, and or providing negative reinforcement such as punishments or discouraging signals for undesired changes in behavior, or sticking to status quo helps employees make the appropriate behavior modifications. One important point to note is that the theory of positive and negative reinforcement is much more than bribery. It goes beyond that and tries to effect a change at the psychological approach, by influencing a persons behavior through attention. A basic application of positive and negative reinforcement is a child given a candy when he behaves and restricted from watching television when he misbehaves. In the organizational context, this could extend to an employee being eligible for a reward for displaying a desired behavior, such as double the normal wages for overtime. Punishment for an undesired behavior might be a poor performance appraisal report or those who strictly stick to a 9-5 routine regardless of the work exigencies, and a charge sheet for employees who indulge in inappropriate behavior.

Goal Setting
The best of behavior modification examples is by setting goals for individual employees, with the attainment of such goals leading to the desired behavior. The accomplishment of goals needs positive reinforcement with rewards such as a bonus. The success of the goal setting method to modify behavior depends on establishing a sound performance management system that provides a framework to set, modify, and evaluate goals

on a regular basis, and guide and assist the employee to reach desired goals. Another key requirement is ensuring consistency of goals and rewards across the board.

Learning
Another of the effective behavior modification examples is learning. Organizational learning aimed at behavior change takes place through training and development initiatives that make explicit the new behaviors and equips the participants with means to get there. Learning interventions can constitute a part of a planned culture change to develop a learning organization, establishing a culture of free flow of information among the workforce, establishing a system of experts serving as mentors for others in their niche, and other similar interventions.

Supervision and Leadership

Another behavior modification approach in the workplace is through supervision and leadership. Close monitoring, or policing of employee actions and behaviors to ensure the employee sticks to a particular behavior range also works in certain situations, especially when the workforce consists of many employees with low levels of skills and education, such as in mass production lines. Autocratic leadership that dictates terms, giving employees little freedom to display their innate behavior facilitates such an approach. Conversely, the servant leadership style strives to ensure a "fit" between employee values and organizational values by the leader acting as a facilitator to the employees. This leadership style is relevant for highly skilled employees.

Best Practices
One concern with trying to establish behavior modification through a system of rewards and punishment is to ensure that it remains within the law, and that rewarding and punishing someone does not end in a discrimination lawsuit. Another best practice is to select the least intrusive and restrictive intervention to change the behavior. The best behavior modification examples are those that remain as close to the persons innate behavior and force the employee to change as little as possible. Regardless of the behavior modification approach, success depends on effective communication of the plan to the employee, in a way the employee understands. Finally, it is important to remember that the behavioral intervention exercise attempts to make a change because a persons behavior is troublesome, and not because the person itself is troublesome. The carrot and stick policy or positive and negative reinforcement should, therefore, concentrate on changing behaviors rather than victimize the person.

Behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology based on the assumption that learning occurs through interactions with the environment. Two other assumptions of this theory are that the environment shapes behavior and that taking internal mental states such as thoughts, feelings and emotions into consideration is useless in explaining behavior. One of the best-known aspects of behavioral learning theory is classical conditioning. Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. It's important to note that classical conditioning involves placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex. In Pavlov's classic experiment with dogs, the neutral signal was the sound of a tone and the naturally occurring reflex was salivating in response to food. By associating the neutral stimulus with the environmental stimulus (the presentation of food), the sound of the tone alone could produce the salivation response. In order to understand how more about how classical conditioning works, it is important to be familiar with the basic principles of the process.
The Unconditioned Stimulus

The unconditioned stimulus is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response. For example, when you smell one of your favorite foods, you may immediately feel very hungry. In this example, the smell of the food is the unconditioned stimulus.
The Unconditioned Response

The unconditioned response is the unlearned response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditioned stimulus. In our example, the feeling of hunger in response to the smell of food is the unconditioned response.
The Conditioned Stimulus

The conditioned stimulus is previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response. In our earlier example, suppose that when you smelled your favorite food, you also heard the sound of a whistle. While the whistle is unrelated to the smell of the food, if the sound of the whistle was paired multiple times with the smell, the sound would eventually trigger the conditioned response. In this case, the sound of the whistle is the conditioned stimulus.
The Conditioned Response

The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. In our example, the conditioned response would be feeling hungry when you heard the sound of the whistle.