1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Bringing Out the Best in People
In Bringing Out the Best in People, Aubrey C. Daniels contends that traditional management methods often fail to consistently motivate employees or improve their performance. Instead, he proposes a system that uses behavioral analysis—the study of how people's actions are influenced by their environment—to create a work environment that encourages employees to go above and beyond their basic job requirements. This approach, Daniels argues, leads to better business outcomes and more...
Want to learn the ideas in Bringing Out the Best in People better than ever?
Unlock the full book summary of Bringing Out the Best in People by signing up for Shortform.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x better by:
- Being 100% clear and logical: you learn complicated ideas, explained simply
- Adding original insights and analysis, expanding on the book
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Here's a preview of the rest of Shortform's Bringing Out the Best in People summary:
Bringing Out the Best in People Summary Overhauling Performance Management
According to Daniels, when employee performance is subpar, the problem usually lies within the work environment, not the employee. Most mainstream management styles don’t account for this, so they tend to work inconsistently (if they work at all). In this section, we’ll take a look at two common management approaches that Daniels says are ineffective: methods based on “common sense” and methods based on behavioral antecedents. Then, we’ll discuss Daniels’s scientific approach to management—one that uses behavioral analysis to modify the work environment and improve employee performance.
Ineffective Management Strategy #1: The Common Sense Approach
Daniels asserts that many businesses take a “common sense” approach to management. This means that managers operate on a case-by-case basis according to their personal insights. Daniels argues that this isn’t a dependable way to make business decisions—common sense reflects opinions that are based on people’s specific, bounded experiences. Because everyone’s experience is different, management practices that people think are “common sense” are often ineffective, unclear, inconsistent, and difficult to replicate. Relying on...
Bringing Out the Best in People Summary The Five Steps of the Behavioral Analysis Approach
Now that you have a basic understanding of Daniels’s behavioral analysis approach to management, let’s explore it further. In this section, we’ll walk you through each of the five steps and examine Daniels’s tips for success at every stage.
Step 1: Identify the Desired Behavior
The first step of Daniels’s approach is to identify the desired behavior by clearly defining your objective and the specific employee actions that support it. The objective may be to solve a problem, like frequently missed deadlines, or achieve a goal, like heightened productivity. Daniels recommends that you start by establishing the objective; then, work backwards and decide which employee behaviors are most likely to lead to those desired results.
(Shortform note: Many experts agree with Daniels that backwards goal-setting is a powerful technique for achieving success. For example, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey emphasizes [the importance of defining your...
What Our Readers Say
This is the best summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People I've ever read. The way you explained the ideas and connected them to other books was amazing.
Shortform Exercise: Apply Daniels’s Approach to Your Workplace
Daniels argues that using behavioral analysis is key to bringing out the best in people. This exercise will help you apply his approach to a real workplace situation.
Think of a specific performance issue or goal in your workplace. Briefly describe the situation and what you'd like to achieve. What behavioral change could you encourage to accomplish this?
