Heat and Team Production: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh

Teevrat Garg (), Maulik Jagnani and Liz Lyons
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Teevrat Garg: University of California, San Diego
Maulik Jagnani: Tufts University
Liz Lyons: University of California, San Diego

No 17870, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Heat's impact on economic growth and aggregate productivity is well-established, but while individual impairments are well-understood as mechanisms, the role of interpersonal dynamics remain unexplored despite the growing prevalence of team-based occupations. In our experiment, programmers were randomly assigned to work individually or in pairs under warm (29°C) or control (24°C) conditions. We found that heat had no effect on individual performance but impaired team performance—not through decreased effort but likely through impaired collaboration. This negative impact was strongest in heterogeneous teams, suggesting heat exacerbates coordination challenges, confirmed by poorer partner evaluations in warm conditions.

Keywords: team production; heat stress; labor productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 Q54 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-hrm and nep-lma
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