On efforts in teams with stereotypes

Shiva Sikdar

Economics Letters, 2015, vol. 137, issue C, 203-207

Abstract: Diversity in the workplace implies a balance in positions held by different social groups in organizations. We analyze the effect of negative stereotypes about the abilities of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds on efforts and outcomes in teams. A project’s success depends on the abilities and efforts of agents from different backgrounds. Under simultaneous effort contribution, the stereotype lowers efforts of all agents and the project’s success chance. When the principal assigns the disadvantaged/stereotyped agent as leader in effort contribution, the effect of the stereotype is mitigated and the project’s success chance is the highest; this also maximizes the principal’s expected payoff. Although the principal offers symmetric incentives, the stereotyped agent often exerts higher effort.

Keywords: Stereotype; Peer effect; Team production; Sequential effort contribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D2 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176515004346
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:137:y:2015:i:c:p:203-207

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2015.10.032

Access Statistics for this article

Economics Letters is currently edited by Economics Letters Editorial Office

More articles in Economics Letters from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().