Walden Two Revisited: Optimizing Behavioral Systems

There has been little recent discussion about Skinner's utopian vision as presented in Walden Two. Organizational Behavior Management could revitalize interest in this topic through its discussion of Behavioral Systems Analysis. A brief review of utopian thought and Walden Two is provided. Four recommendations are offered to improve the viability and effectiveness of Skinner's original utopian concepts: (a) experiment with utopian ideas in existing organizations rather than create new independent communities; (b) apply advances in performance measurement and performance pay to refine Walden Two's work credit system; (c) address the problem of poor performing members by implementing performance management; and (d) refine Walden Two's self-management code and general administration.