This comparison draws in part from “Optimizing Organizational Performance and Safety: Innovations in Systems, Training, and Implementation in Organizational Behavior Management” by Jonathan Fernand, Ph.D., BCBA-D (BehaviorLive), and extends it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. The decision framework, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →When organizations experience performance problems — safety incidents, procedure non-adherence, productivity gaps — the default response is typically individual-focused: identify which employees are underperforming, provide additional training or feedback, and hold individuals accountable. This approach is familiar, administratively simple, and often insufficient.
Behavioral systems analysis offers a different starting point: before attributing performance gaps to individuals, examine the system that structures their behavior. What does the process design require? Are roles and expectations operationally defined? What feedback systems exist, and what do they actually measure? What antecedent conditions surround the target behavior? This systems-level examination frequently reveals that performance problems attributed to individual employees are actually driven by process design failures, role ambiguity, or feedback system gaps that no amount of individual retraining will fix.
The OBM literature, including the presentations in this symposium, consistently demonstrates that systems-level analysis produces more durable, more generalizable performance improvements than individual-focused approaches alone. The two levels of analysis are not in competition — individual performance management is often a necessary component of a broader OBM intervention. But starting with the system before blaming the individual is both more analytically rigorous and more likely to produce lasting change.
| Factor | Evidence-Based Approach | Traditional Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Unit of analysis | Organizational processes, systems, and structures that shape performance across roles | Individual employees and their specific behavioral deficits or motivation gaps |
| Assessment approach | Process mapping, performance diagnostics, and systems-level observation | Individual performance reviews, skill assessments, and training needs analyses |
| Intervention design | Redesigns process structures, role definitions, and feedback systems to support performance | Individual training, coaching, or accountability measures targeted at specific employees |
| Durability of change | High, because systemic variables that maintain performance are modified | Variable, dependent on whether individual changes are maintained without systemic support |
| Generalization across personnel | Strong, because system-level changes affect all performers in the same process | Limited, because individual changes do not automatically transfer to new hires or other team members |
| Response to recurring performance problems | Triggers a systems re-analysis to identify process-level variables driving recurrence | Triggers additional individual retraining or escalating accountability measures |
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Use this framework when approaching optimizing organizational performance and safety: innovations in systems, training, and implementation in organizational behavior management in your practice:
Does the data support a need for intervention? Is there a meaningful impact on the individual's quality of life, safety, or access to reinforcement?
YES → Proceed to assessment NO → Document reasoning, monitor
A functional assessment should guide intervention selection. Avoid defaulting to standard protocols without individual analysis. Consider environmental variables, setting events, and private events.
YES → Select evidence-based approach matched to function NO → Complete assessment first
Goals should be co-developed. Assent and informed consent are ethical requirements. The individual's preferences and values matter in selecting both goals and methods.
YES → Proceed with collaborative plan NO → Engage in shared decision-making
This course covers the clinical and ethical dimensions in detail with structured learning objectives and CEU credit.
Optimizing Organizational Performance and Safety: Innovations in Systems, Training, and Implementation in Organizational Behavior Management — Jonathan Fernand · 1.5 BACB Supervision CEUs · $30
Take This Course →We extended this decision guide with research from our library — dig into the peer-reviewed studies behind each approach, in plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
1.5 BACB Supervision CEUs · $30 · BehaviorLive
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.