IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/acctfi/v62y2022i2p2439-2466.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Motivating unrewarded task performance: The dual effects of incentives and an organisational value statement in a discretionary task setting

Author

Listed:
  • Kazeem O. Akinyele
  • Vicky Arnold
  • Steve G. Sutton

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how the presence of a value statement (an informal control) alters the effect of differing financial incentives (a formal control) in an environment consisting of both rewarded and unrewarded tasks. Results show that under fixed pay, the presence of a value statement motivates performance on important but unrewarded discretionary tasks. Conversely, under piece‐rate compensation, value statements negatively influence performance on unrewarded discretionary tasks. In contemporary work environments, where such discretionary tasks are common and important to organisational effectiveness, these results suggest that informal controls can have an important role in performance outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kazeem O. Akinyele & Vicky Arnold & Steve G. Sutton, 2022. "Motivating unrewarded task performance: The dual effects of incentives and an organisational value statement in a discretionary task setting," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2439-2466, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:62:y:2022:i:2:p:2439-2466
    DOI: 10.1111/acfi.12870
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12870
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/acfi.12870?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dent, Jeremy F., 1991. "Accounting and organizational cultures: A field study of the emergence of a new organizational reality," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 16(8), pages 705-732.
    2. Margaret A. Abernethy & Henri C. Dekker & Axel K‐D. Schulz, 2015. "Are Employee Selection and Incentive Contracts Complements or Substitutes?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 633-668, September.
    3. Bonner, Sarah E. & Sprinkle, Geoffrey B., 2002. "The effects of monetary incentives on effort and task performance: theories, evidence, and a framework for research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(4-5), pages 303-345.
    4. Tony Simons, 2002. "Behavioral Integrity: The Perceived Alignment Between Managers' Words and Deeds as a Research Focus," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 18-35, February.
    5. Haesebrouck, Katlijn & Van den Abbeele, Alexandra & Williamson, Michael G., 2021. "Building trust through knowledge sharing: Implications for incentive system design," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Pratt, Jamie & Beaulieu, Phil, 1992. "Organizational culture in public accounting: Size, technology, rank, and functional area," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 17(7), pages 667-684, October.
    7. Henri, Jean-Francois, 2006. "Organizational culture and performance measurement systems," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 77-103, January.
    8. Victoria Prowse & David Gill, 2009. "A Novel Computerized Real Effort Task Based on Sliders," Economics Series Working Papers 435, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    9. Mandy M. Cheng & Peter F. Luckett & Habib Mahama, 2007. "Effect of perceived conflict among multiple performance goals and goal difficulty on task performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 47(2), pages 221-242, June.
    10. Allen D. Blay & Eric S. Gooden & Mark J. Mellon & Douglas E. Stevens, 2018. "The Usefulness of Social Norm Theory in Empirical Business Ethics Research: A Review and Suggestions for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 191-206, September.
    11. Stevens, Douglas E. & Thevaranjan, Alex, 2010. "A moral solution to the moral hazard problem," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 125-139, January.
    12. David Gill & Victoria Prowse, 2012. "A Structural Analysis of Disappointment Aversion in a Real Effort Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 469-503, February.
    13. Bruno S. Frey & Reto Jegen, 2001. "Motivation Crowding Theory," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 589-611, December.
    14. Berry, A.J. & Coad, A.F. & Harris, E.P. & Otley, D.T. & Stringer, C., 2009. "Emerging themes in management control: A review of recent literature," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 2-20.
    15. Ashton, Rh, 1990. "Pressure And Performance In Accounting Decision Settings - Paradoxical Effects Of Incentives, Feedback, And Justification," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28, pages 148-180.
    16. R. Lynn Hannan, 2016. "Discussion of “Communicated Values as Informal Controls: Promoting Quality While Undermining Productivity?â€," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(4), pages 1435-1439, December.
    17. Chenhall, Robert H. & Moers, Frank, 2015. "The role of innovation in the evolution of management accounting and its integration into management control," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-13.
    18. Chow, Chee W. & Harrison, Graeme L. & McKinnon, Jill L. & Wu, Anne, 2002. "The organizational culture of public accounting firms: evidence from Taiwanese local and US affiliated firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(4-5), pages 347-360.
    19. Libby, R & Lipe, Mg, 1992. "Incentives, Effort, And The Cognitive-Processes Involved In Accounting-Related Judgments," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 249-273.
    20. Victoria Prowse & David Gill, 2009. "A Novel Computerized Real Effort Task Based on Sliders," Economics Series Working Papers 435, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    21. William B. Tayler & Robert J. Bloomfield, 2011. "Norms, Conformity, and Controls," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 753-790, June.
    22. Steven J. Kachelmeier & Todd A. Thornock & Michael G. Williamson, 2016. "Communicated Values as Informal Controls: Promoting Quality While Undermining Productivity?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(4), pages 1411-1434, December.
    23. Bicchieri,Cristina, 2006. "The Grammar of Society," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521574907.
    24. Gary Hecht & Ivo Tafkov & Kristy L. Towry, 2012. "Performance Spillover in a Multitask Environment," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 563-589, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christoph Feichter & Isabella Grabner, 2020. "Empirische Forschung zu Management Control – Ein Überblick und neue Trends [Empirical Management Control Reserach—An Overview and Future Directions]," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 149-181, June.
    2. Sun-Moon Jung & Jae Yong Shin, 2022. "Social Performance Incentives in Mission-Driven Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(10), pages 7631-7657, October.
    3. Eddy Cardinaels & Huaxiang Yin, 2015. "Think Twice Before Going for Incentives: Social Norms and the Principal's Decision on Compensation Contracts," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 985-1015, December.
    4. Gill, David & Prowse, Victoria & Vlassopoulos, Michael, 2013. "Cheating in the workplace: An experimental study of the impact of bonuses and productivity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 120-134.
    5. Chen, Clara Xiaoling & Lill, Jeremy B. & Lucianetti, Lorenzo, 2023. "Performance measurement system diversity and product innovation: Evidence from longitudinal survey data," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    6. Georganas, Sotiris & Tonin, Mirco & Vlassopoulos, Michael, 2015. "Peer pressure and productivity: The role of observing and being observed," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 223-232.
    7. Hirofumi Kurokawa & Tomoharu Mori & Fumio Ohtake, 2016. "A Choice Experiment on Taxes: Are Income and Consumption Taxes Equivalent?," ISER Discussion Paper 0966, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    8. Bernard H.J. Verstegen, 2011. "A socio‐economic view on management control," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(2), pages 114-127, January.
    9. Smith, Steven D. & Thomas, Tyler F., 2024. "The effects of strategic alignment and strategic clarity on multidimensional task performance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    10. Stefanie Einhorn & Bernhard Fietz & Thomas W. Guenther & Edeltraud Guenther, 2024. "The relationship of organizational culture with management control systems and environmental management control systems," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(8), pages 2321-2371, August.
    11. Andrejkow, Joanna & Berger, Leslie & Guo, Lan, 2022. "Conscious and nonconscious goal pursuit in multidimensional tasks," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. Thomas Buser & Anna Dreber, 2016. "The Flipside of Comparative Payment Schemes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(9), pages 2626-2638, September.
    13. Martin Kesternich & Andreas Lange & Bodo Sturm, 2018. "On the performance of rule-based contribution schemes under endowment heterogeneity," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 21(1), pages 180-204, March.
    14. Ibanez, Marcela & Schaffland, Elke, 2018. "Organizational performance with in-group and out-group leaders: An experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-10.
    15. Xile Yin & Siyu Chen & Dahui Li & Feng Zhang, 2021. "Social norms for fairness and board voting behavior: An experimental investigation," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 110-133, March.
    16. Luigino Bruni & Vittorio Pelligra & Tommaso Reggiani & Matteo Rizzolli, 2020. "The Pied Piper: Prizes, Incentives, and Motivation Crowding-in," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 643-658, October.
    17. Kai Barron & Christina Gravert, 2022. "Confidence and Career Choices: An Experiment," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(1), pages 35-68, January.
    18. Doerrenberg, Philipp & Duncan, Denvil, 2014. "Experimental evidence on the relationship between tax evasion opportunities and labor supply," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 48-70.
    19. Lekfuangfu, Warn N. & Powdthavee, Nattavudh & Riyanto, Yohanes E., 2023. "Luck or rights? An experiment on preferences for redistribution following inheritance of opportunity," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    20. Greiner, Ben & Grünwald, Philipp & Lindner, Thomas & Lintner, Georg & Wiernsperger, Martin, 2024. "Incentives, Framing, and Reliance on Algorithmic Advice: An Experimental Study," Department for Strategy and Innovation Working Paper Series 01/2024, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:62:y:2022:i:2:p:2439-2466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaanzea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.