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The Impact of Risk Aversion and Stress on the Incentive Effect of Performance Pay

Author

Listed:
  • C. Bram Cadsby

    (Department of Economics, University of Guelph)

  • Fei Song

    (Ted Rogers School of Business Management, Ryerson University)

  • Francis Tapon

    (Department of Economics, University of Guelph)

Abstract

We demonstrate that effectiveness of performance-contingent incentives is inversely related to individual risk-aversion levels through two mechanisms: 1) rational optimizing decisions about the amount of effort to supply when effort is positively correlated with risk exposure and 2) the possibly choke-inducing stress accompanying financial uncertainty. In two laboratory studies using real-effort tasks, we find a significant inverse relationship between productivity improvement under performance pay and risk-aversion levels. Moreover, we show that both mechanisms help explain this result. For about 25% of participants, performance actually deteriorates under performance pay, and the probability of such deterioration increases with risk aversion and stress.

Suggested Citation

  • C. Bram Cadsby & Fei Song & Francis Tapon, 2009. "The Impact of Risk Aversion and Stress on the Incentive Effect of Performance Pay," Working Papers 0912, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
  • Handle: RePEc:gue:guelph:2009-12
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    File URL: http://www.uoguelph.ca/economics/repec/workingpapers/2009/2009-12.pdf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Marco A. Marini & Paolo Polidori & Désirée Teobaldelli & Davide Ticchi, 2018. "Optimal Incentives in a Principal–Agent Model with Endogenous Technology," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, February.
    2. Mehrzad B. Baktash & John S. Heywood & Uwe Jirjahn, 2022. "Performance pay and alcohol use in Germany," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(4), pages 353-383, October.
    3. Benjamin Artz & Colin P. Green & John S. Heywood, 2021. "Does performance pay increase alcohol and drug use?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(3), pages 969-1002, July.
    4. Stefan Linder & Bernard Leca & Adrián Zicari & Veronica Casarin, 2021. "Designing Ethical Management Control: Overcoming the Harmful Effect of Management Control Systems on Job-Related Stress," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(4), pages 747-764, September.
    5. Joaquin Artes & Jennifer Graves & Meryl Motika, 2019. "Creativity under Pressure: Performance Payments, Task Type and Productivity," Working Papers 20190028, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised Oct 2019.
    6. Zubanov, Nick & Cadsby, Bram & Song, Fei, 2017. "The," IZA Discussion Papers 10542, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. C. Bram Cadsby & Jim Engle-Warnick & Tony Fang & Fei Song, 2014. "Psychological Incentives, Financial Incentives, and Risk Attitudes in Tournaments: An Artefactual Field Experiment," Working Papers 1403, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
    8. Baktash, Mehrzad B. & Heywood, John S. & Jirjahn, Uwe, 2022. "Worker stress and performance pay: German survey evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 276-291.
    9. Lubomír Cingl, 2013. "Does Herd Behaviour Arise Easier Under Time Pressure? Experimental Approach," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2013(4), pages 558-582.
    10. Charness, Gary & Kuhn, Peter, 2011. "Lab Labor: What Can Labor Economists Learn from the Lab?," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 3, pages 229-330, Elsevier.
    11. Allan, Julia L. & Andelic, Nicole & Bender, Keith A. & Powell, Daniel & Stoffel, Sandro & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2021. "Employment contracts and stress: Experimental evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 360-373.
    12. Cadsby, C. Bram & Song, Fei & Engle-Warnick, Jim & Fang, Tony, 2019. "Invoking social comparison to improve performance by ranking employees: The moderating effects of public ranking, rank pay, and individual risk attitude," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 64-79.
    13. Zubanov, N.V., 2012. "Risk Aversion and Effort in an Incentive Pay Scheme with Multiplicative Noise: Theory and Experimental Evidence," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2012-005-STR, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    risk aversion; performance pay; incentive; stress; choking under pressure; productivity; pay for performance; piece rate; experiment; compensation.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods

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