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Smarter Task Assignment or Greater Effort: the impact of incentives on team performance

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  • Simon Burgess
  • Carol Propper
  • Marisa Ratto
  • Stephanie von Hinke Kessler Scholder
  • Emma Tominey

Abstract

We use an experiment to study the impact of team-based incentives, exploiting rich data from personnel records and management information systems. Using a triple difference design, we show that the incentive scheme had an impact on team performance, even with quite large teams. We examine whether this effect was due to increased effort from workers or strategic task reallocation. We find that the provision of financial incentives did raise individual performance but that managers also disproportionately reallocated efficient workers to the incentivised tasks. We show that this reallocation was the more important contributor to the overall outcome.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Burgess & Carol Propper & Marisa Ratto & Stephanie von Hinke Kessler Scholder & Emma Tominey, 2009. "Smarter Task Assignment or Greater Effort: the impact of incentives on team performance," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 09/215, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    • Handle: RePEc:bri:cmpowp:09/215
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Encinosa III, William E. & Gaynor, Martin & Rebitzer, James B., 2007. "The sociology of groups and the economics of incentives: Theory and evidence on compensation systems," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 187-214, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incentives; Public Sector; Teams; Performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy

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