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Middle Managers, Personnel Turnover and Performance: A Long-Term Field Experiment in a Retail Chain

Author

Listed:
  • Guido Friebel

    (Department of Management and Microeconomics, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60323 Frankfurt/Main, Germany)

  • Matthias Heinz

    (Department of Management, University of Cologne, 50923 Cologne, Germany)

  • Nikolay Zubanov

    (Department of Economics, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany)

Abstract

In an RCT, a large retail chain’s CEO sets new goals for the managers of the treated stores by asking them “to do what they can” to reduce the employee quit rate. The treatment decreases the quit rate by a fifth to a quarter, lasting nine months before petering out, but reappearing after a reminder. There is no treatment effect on sales. Further analysis reveals that treated store managers spend more time on HR and less on customer service. Our findings show that middle managers are instrumental in reducing personnel turnover, but they face a tradeoff between investing in different activities in a multitasking environment with limited resources. The treatment does produce efficiency gains. However, these occur only at the firm level.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido Friebel & Matthias Heinz & Nikolay Zubanov, 2020. "Middle Managers, Personnel Turnover and Performance: A Long-Term Field Experiment in a Retail Chain," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 039, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:039
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    2. Breuer, Matthias & Cai, Wei & Le, Anthony & Vetter, Felix, 2024. "Minority representation at work," Working Papers 343, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    3. Guido Friebel & Matthias Heinz & Mitchell Hoffman & Nick Zubanov, 2023. "What Do Employee Referral Programs Do? Measuring the Direct and Overall Effects of a Management Practice," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(3), pages 633-686.
    4. Mitchell Hoffman & Steven Tadelis, 2021. "People Management Skills, Employee Attrition, and Manager Rewards: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(1), pages 243-285.
    5. Serra-Sastre, Victoria, 2024. "Workplace violence and intention to quit in the English NHS," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    6. Philipp Barteska & Jay Euijung Lee, 2024. "Bureaucrats and the Korean export miracle," Discussion Papers 2024-11, Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP).
    7. Serra-Sastre, Victoria, 2024. "Workplace violence and intention to quit in the English NHS," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121623, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Zubanov, Nick & Shakina, Elena, 2023. "Performance Costs and Benefits of Collective Turnover: A Theory-Driven Measurement Framework and Applications," IZA Discussion Papers 16413, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Wouter DESSEIN & Desmond (Ho-Fu) LO & SHANGGUAN Ruo & OWAN Hideo, 2024. "The Management of Knowledge Work," Discussion papers 24044, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    organizations; randomized controlled trial (RCT); insider econometrics; goal-setting; communication; HR; personnel turnover and firm performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • M1 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics

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