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Can lab experiments help design personnel policies?

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  • Marie Claire Villeval

    (CNRS, France, and IZA, Germany)

Abstract

Can a company attract a different type of employee by changing its compensation scheme? Is it sufficient to pay more to increase employees’ motivation? Should a firm provide evaluation feedback to employees based on their absolute or their relative performance? Laboratory experiments can help address these questions by identifying the causal impact of variations in personnel policy on employees’ productivity and mobility. Although they are collected in an artificial environment, the qualitative external validity of findings from the lab is now well recognized.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie Claire Villeval, 2016. "Can lab experiments help design personnel policies?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 318-318, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izawol:journl:y:2016:n:318
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    laboratory experiments; behavior; incentives; evaluation; peer effects; human resource management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics

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