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Diversity and Team Performance in a Kenyan Organization

Author

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  • Marx, Benjamin
  • Pons, Vincent
  • Suri , Tavneet

Abstract

We present the results from a field experiment on team diversity. Individuals working as door-to-door canvassers for a non-profit organization were randomly assigned a teammate, a supervisor, and a list of individuals to canvass. This created random variation within teams in the degree of horizontal diversity (between teammates), vertical diversity (between teammates and their supervisor) and external diversity (between teams and the individuals they canvassed). We observe team-level measures of performance and find that horizontal ethnic diversity decreases performance, while vertical diversity often improves performance, and external diversity has no effect. The data on time use suggests that horizontally homogeneous teams organized tasks in a more efficient way, while vertically homogeneous teams exerted lower effort.

Suggested Citation

  • Marx, Benjamin & Pons, Vincent & Suri , Tavneet, 2021. "Diversity and Team Performance in a Kenyan Organization," CEPR Discussion Papers 16015, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16015
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    2. Álvarez Pereira, Brais & Aman-Rana, Shan & Delfino, Alexia, 2024. "Team size and diversity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 924-948.
    3. Hémet, Camille & Wren-Lewis, Liam & Mahoney, Jessica, 2023. "Decentralization, Ethnic Fractionalization, and Public Services: Evidence from Kenyan Healthcare," CEPR Discussion Papers 18059, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Olabisi, Michael & Maredia, Mywish & Liu, Jiawen & Ajibade, Toyin & Ajeigbe, Hakeem, 2024. "In-group competition for incentives," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    5. Ashraf, Nava & Bandiera, Oriana & Minni, Virginia & Quintas-Martínez, Víctor, 2024. "Gender Gaps across the Spectrum of Development: Local Talent and Firm Productivity," IZA Discussion Papers 17103, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Kyle Greenberg & Melanie Wasserman & E. Anna Weber, 2024. "The Effects of Gender Integration on Men: Evidence from the U.S. Military," NBER Working Papers 33235, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Bajzíková, Stanislava & Cingl, Lubomír, 2023. "Measuring stereotypes in effort tasks: A multiple-price list approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    8. Lisa D. Cook & Linguère Mously Mbaye & Janet Gerson & Anthony Simpasa, 2021. "Working Paper 358 - The Colonial Origins of Banking Crisis in Africa," Working Paper Series 2484, African Development Bank.
    9. Darova, Ornella & Duchene, Anne, 2024. "Diversity in Teams: Collaboration and Performance in Experiments with Different Tasks," MPRA Paper 120519, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Enzo Brox & Michael Lechner, 2024. "Teamwork and Spillover Effects in Performance Evaluations," Papers 2403.15200, arXiv.org.
    11. repec:pra:mprapa:120375 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Prithwiraj Choudhury & Kirk Doran & Astrid Marinoni & Chungeun Yoon, 2022. "Loss of Peers and Individual Worker Performance: Evidence from H-1B Visa Denials," CESifo Working Paper Series 10152, CESifo.
    13. Chong, Alberto & Gradstein, Mark, 2025. "State building and social control," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    14. Dahlstrand Rudin, Amanda, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118042, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Siddique, Abu & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Zenou, Yves, 2024. "Leveraging Edutainment and Social Networks to Foster Interethnic Harmony," CEPR Discussion Papers 19034, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Donald,Aletheia Amalia & Goldstein,Markus P. & Rouanet,Lea Marie, 2022. "Two Heads Are Better Than One : Agricultural Production and Investment in Côte d’Ivoire," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10047, The World Bank.
    17. Emmott, Emily H. & Ihara, Yasuo & Tokumasu, Yudai & Nozaki, Mari & Saito, Atsuko & Kawamoto, Tetsuya & Ito, Shingo & Hassan, Anushé & Brown, Laura J. & Dennett, Thea & Crane, Andrew & Borra, Catherine, 2025. "Adolescence as a key period of identity development and connectedness: a comparative autophotography study in England and Japan," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 129137, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    18. Amanda Dahlstrand, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," CEP Discussion Papers dp1889, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    19. Darova, Ornella & Duchene, Anne, 2024. "Diversity in Teams: Collaboration and Performance in Experiments with Different Tasks," MPRA Paper 121976, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. David Hardt & Lea Mayer & Johannes Rincke, 2023. "Who Does the Talking Here? The Impact of Gender Composition on Team Interactions," CESifo Working Paper Series 10550, CESifo.
    21. Alexia Delfino & Miguel Espinosa, 2025. "Value Dissonance at Work," CESifo Working Paper Series 11690, CESifo.
    22. repec:osf:socarx:em3js_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Chaudhary, Latika & Dupraz, Yannick & Fenske, James, 2025. "A Century of Language Barriers to Migration in India," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1580, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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