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Behavior only shifts if the punishment is painful enough and reliably enforced.

…instead of restraining negative behavior, rewards and punishments can often set it loose and give rise to cheating, addiction, and dangerously myopic thinking.

When we see people get punished for failures and mistakes, we become worried about proving our competence and protecting our careers.

Psychological safety is the key to creating a workplace where people can be confident enough to act without undue fear of being ridiculed, punished, or fired – and be humble enough to openly doubt what is believed and done.

When… it is difficult or impossible to punish employee misdeeds or remove poor performers, imaginative bosses sometimes still find ways to persuade people to change their destructive behavior.

…trying something creative rather than punitive may be the most promising path – no matter how much the perpetrators may deserve to be punished and sent packing.

Research on employee theft shows that ridicule, ostracism, and nasty gossip by peers is 250 percent more effective for deterring stealing than forms of punishment by supervisors.

Constructively debating tough issues and getting somewhere is only possible when people can speak their minds without fear of punishment.

…[a] company’s inability to consistently deliver on its promise… undermine[s] the integrity of its brand positioning.

If you are getting your job done, then why are you punished by having to fill your time?