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- All HBS Web
(1,857)
- News (157)
- Research (1,548)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (1)
- Faculty Publications (654)
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- December 2000 (Revised January 2002)
- Background Note
Incentives and Controllability: A Note and Exercise
By: Brian J. Hall
Describes three performance measures for "plants" or businesses: cost centers, revenue centers, and profit centers. Discusses what should be done if a function outside of the "controllability" of the manager affects the performance measure and therefore compensation. View Details
Keywords: Factories, Labs, and Plants; Cost; Profit; Revenue; Compensation and Benefits; Managerial Roles; Performance Evaluation; Motivation and Incentives
Hall, Brian J. "Incentives and Controllability: A Note and Exercise." Harvard Business School Background Note 801-334, December 2000. (Revised January 2002.)
- November 2022
- Article
My Boss' Passion Matters as Much as My Own: The Interpersonal Dynamics of Passion Are a Critical Driver of Performance Evaluations
By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Andreas Wihler and Adam D. Galinsky
Companies often celebrate employees who successfully pursue their passion. Academic research suggests that these positive evaluations occur because of the passion percolating inside the employee. We propose that supervisors are also a key piece of this puzzle:... View Details
Keywords: Passion; Job Performance; Motivation; Emotions; Performance Evaluation; Interpersonal Communication
Jachimowicz, Jon M., Andreas Wihler, and Adam D. Galinsky. "My Boss' Passion Matters as Much as My Own: The Interpersonal Dynamics of Passion Are a Critical Driver of Performance Evaluations." Special Issue on Work Passion Research: Taming Breadth and Promoting Depth. Journal of Organizational Behavior 43, no. 9 (November 2022): 1496–1515.
- 2012
- Working Paper
Pay Dispersion and Work Performance
By: Alessandro Bucciol and Marco Piovesan
The effect of intra-firm pay dispersion on work performance is controversial and the empirical evidence is mixed. High pay dispersion may act as an extra incentive for employees' effort or it may reduce motivation and team cohesiveness. These effects can also coexist... View Details
Bucciol, Alessandro, and Marco Piovesan. "Pay Dispersion and Work Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12-075, February 2012.
- Summer 2017
- Article
Performance Feedback in Competitive Product Development
By: Daniel P. Gross
Performance feedback is ubiquitous in competitive settings where new products are developed. This article introduces a fundamental tension between incentives and improvement in the provision of feedback. Using a sample of 4,294 commercial logo design tournaments, I... View Details
Keywords: Feedback; Evaluation; Tournaments; Innovation; Performance Evaluation; Motivation and Incentives; Rank and Position; Product Development; Learning
Gross, Daniel P. "Performance Feedback in Competitive Product Development." RAND Journal of Economics 48, no. 2 (Summer 2017): 438–466.
- March 2007
- Article
Authority, Risk, and Performance Incentives: Evidence from Division Manager Positions inside Firms
By: Julie Wulf
I show that performance incentives vary by decision-making authority of division managers. For division managers with broader authority, i.e., those designated as corporate officers, both the sensitivity of pay to global performance measures and the relative importance... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Performance; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Model; Globalization; Measurement and Metrics; Status and Position; Forecasting and Prediction; Business Divisions
Wulf, Julie. "Authority, Risk, and Performance Incentives: Evidence from Division Manager Positions inside Firms." Journal of Industrial Economics 55, no. 1 (March 2007): 169–196.
- December 1997 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Citibank: Performance Evaluation
By: Robert L. Simons and Antonio Davila
Citibank has introduced a new, comprehensive performance-scorecard system. A regional president struggles with a tough decision: how to evaluate an outstanding branch manager who has scored poorly on an important customer satisfaction measure. This case provides a... View Details
Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Balanced Scorecard; Business Strategy; Customer Satisfaction; Performance Expectations; Decisions; Motivation and Incentives; Quality; Banking Industry
Simons, Robert L., and Antonio Davila. "Citibank: Performance Evaluation." Harvard Business School Case 198-048, December 1997. (Revised October 1999.)
- October 1989 (Revised June 1993)
- Case
RKO Warner Video, Inc.: Incentive Compensation Plan
By: George P. Baker III
Details the design and implementation of an incentive bonus plan for video store managers. The problem for top management of the chain is to induce the store managers to "sweat the details," to keep the stores neat and well organized, and to deal courteously and... View Details
Keywords: Acquisition; Change; Strategic Planning; Performance Improvement; Sales; Management; Employee Relationship Management; Situation or Environment; Success; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
Baker, George P., III. "RKO Warner Video, Inc.: Incentive Compensation Plan." Harvard Business School Case 190-067, October 1989. (Revised June 1993.)
- May 2012
- Article
Measuring the Prevalence of Questionable Research Practices with Incentives for Truth-telling
By: Leslie K. John, George Loewenstein and Drazen Prelec
Cases of clear scientific misconduct have received significant media attention recently, but less flagrant transgressions of research norms may be more prevalent and in the long run more damaging to the academic enterprise. We surveyed over 2,000 psychologists about... View Details
Keywords: Research; Practice; Motivation and Incentives; Surveys; Values and Beliefs; Measurement and Metrics
John, Leslie K., George Loewenstein, and Drazen Prelec. "Measuring the Prevalence of Questionable Research Practices with Incentives for Truth-telling." Psychological Science 23, no. 5 (May 2012): 524–532.
- September 2016
- Case
Designing Performance Metrics at GoDaddy
By: C. Fritz Foley and Michael Lemm
Scott Wagner has recently joined GoDaddy, a leading provider of cloud-based software and services that helped individuals and small businesses establish a web presence, in the dual role of chief operating officer and chief financial officer. One of his first tasks is... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits; Web Services Industry
Foley, C. Fritz, and Michael Lemm. "Designing Performance Metrics at GoDaddy." Harvard Business School Case 217-004, September 2016.
- September 2007
- Article
Assessing the Performance of Business Unit Managers
By: J. Bouwens and Laurence van Lent
Using a sample of 140 managers, we investigate the use of various performance metrics in determining the periodic assessment, bonus decisions, and career paths of business unit managers. We show that the weight on accounting return measures is associated with the... View Details
Bouwens, J., and Laurence van Lent. "Assessing the Performance of Business Unit Managers." Journal of Accounting Research 45, no. 4 (September 2007): 667–697.
- January–February 2021
- Article
Compensation Packages That Actually Drive Performance
By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah Abbott, Michael R. Marino and Metin Aksoy
By aligning executives’ financial incentives with company strategy, a firm can inspire its management to deliver superior results. But it can be hard to get pay packages right. In this article four experts break down the key elements of compensation and explain how to... View Details
Keywords: Executive Compensation; Compensation and Benefits; Motivation and Incentives; Strategy; Performance
Groysberg, Boris, Sarah Abbott, Michael R. Marino, and Metin Aksoy. "Compensation Packages That Actually Drive Performance." Harvard Business Review 99, no. 1 (January–February 2021): 102–111.
- June 2000 (Revised December 2001)
- Case
Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass (A)
By: Brian J. Hall, Edward Lazear and Carleen Madigan
Describes a company's changing of its compensation and incentive plan. In particular, it shows how a change from hourly pay to piece rate pay (for windshield installers) affected productivity, pay, and turnover. View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Performance Productivity; Change; Compensation and Benefits; Service Industry; Auto Industry
Hall, Brian J., Edward Lazear, and Carleen Madigan. "Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass (A)." Harvard Business School Case 800-291, June 2000. (Revised December 2001.)
- 10 Jan 2013
- Working Paper Summaries
Pay for Environmental Performance: The Effect of Incentive Provision on Carbon Emissions
- January 2020
- Article
The Job Rating Game: Revolving Doors and Analyst Incentives
By: Elisabeth Kempf
Investment banks frequently hire analysts from rating agencies. While many argue that this "revolving door" creates captured analysts, it can also create incentives to improve accuracy. To study this issue, I construct an original dataset, linking analysts to their... View Details
Keywords: Credit Rating Agencies; Investment Banking; Recruitment; Performance Evaluation; Financial Services Industry
Kempf, Elisabeth. "The Job Rating Game: Revolving Doors and Analyst Incentives." Journal of Financial Economics 135, no. 1 (January 2020): 41–67.
- 2012
- Working Paper
Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance
By: Mercedes Delgado, Michael E. Porter and Scott Stern
This paper evaluates the role of regional cluster composition in the economic performance of industries, clusters, and regions. On the one hand, diminishing returns to specialization in a location can result in a convergence effect: the growth rate of an industry... View Details
Delgado, Mercedes, Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern. "Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance." NBER Working Paper Series, No. 18250, July 2012.
- 27 Nov 2012
- Working Paper Summaries
No Margin, No Mission? A Field Experiment on Incentives for Pro-Social Tasks
- December 2014
- Article
Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance
By: Mercedes Delgado, Michael E. Porter and Scott Stern
This paper evaluates the role of regional cluster composition in regional industry performance. On the one hand, diminishing returns to specialization in a location can result in a convergence effect: the growth rate of an industry within a region may be declining in... View Details
Delgado, Mercedes, Michael E. Porter, and Scott Stern. "Clusters, Convergence, and Economic Performance." Research Policy 43, no. 10 (December 2014): 1785–1799.
- July 2010
- Article
Is a Higher Calling Enough? Incentives Effects in the Church
By: Christopher Parsons, J. Hartzell and D. Yermack
We study the compensation and productivity of more than 2,000 Methodist ministers in a 43‐year panel data set. The church appears to use pay‐for‐performance incentives for its clergy, as their compensation follows a sharing rule by which pastors receive approximately... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Organizations; Religion; Performance Evaluation; Compensation and Benefits
Parsons, Christopher, J. Hartzell, and D. Yermack. "Is a Higher Calling Enough? Incentives Effects in the Church." Journal of Labor Economics 28, no. 3 (July 2010): 509–538.
- 2021
- Working Paper
Technology Differentiation and Firm Performance
By: Sam Arts, Bruno Cassiman and Jianan Hou
Prior work has extensively studied how investing in R&D and building a technology portfolio relate to superior firm performance. However, the value of a firm’s technology portfolio should also be driven by the degree to which it is more unique and technologically... View Details
Keywords: Technology Portfolio; Differentiation; Competitiveness; Organizations; Technology; Performance; United States
Arts, Sam, Bruno Cassiman, and Jianan Hou. "Technology Differentiation and Firm Performance." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 22-040, December 2021.
- May 2011
- Article
Incentives and Problem Uncertainty in Innovation Contests: An Empirical Analysis
By: Kevin J. Boudreau, Nicola Lacetera and Karim R. Lakhani
Contests are a historically important and increasingly popular mechanism for encouraging innovation. A central concern in designing innovation contests is how many competitors to admit. Using a unique data set of 9,661 software contests, we provide evidence of two... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Innovation and Invention; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Value; Applications and Software; Competition; Performance; Theory; Practice
Boudreau, Kevin J., Nicola Lacetera, and Karim R. Lakhani. "Incentives and Problem Uncertainty in Innovation Contests: An Empirical Analysis." Management Science 57, no. 5 (May 2011): 843–863.