Motivating from the heights: a field experiment on top managers visiting the front-line

Pablo Casas-Arce (), F. Asís Martínez-Jerez () and Joseph Moran ()
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Pablo Casas-Arce: WP Carey School of Business Arizona State University
F. Asís Martínez-Jerez: Cornell University
Joseph Moran: University of Pennsylvania

Review of Accounting Studies, 2025, vol. 30, issue 2, No 2, 1099-1135

Abstract: Abstract We analyze the motivational effects of managing by walking around (MBWA), a management style that emphasizes managers’ visits to the rank and file of the company. We do so by conducting a field experiment in the retail division of a Latin American bank. We find that branches significantly increase sales productivity following the management visit, an effect that begins prior to the top manager’s visit and persists for at least a month afterward. We also find a higher impact of the visit on high-performing branches. Our results indicate that motivation is a significant channel through which MBWA improves employee performance.

Keywords: Leadership; Culture; MBWA; Management by walking around; Teams; Incentives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 J53 M50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11142-024-09847-3

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