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Peer Evaluations and Team Performance : When Friends Do Worse Than Strangers

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  • Brice Corgnet

    (LESSAC - Laboratoire d'Expérimentation en Sciences Sociales et Analyse des Comportements - BSB - Burgundy School of Business (BSB) - Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon Bourgogne (ESC))

Abstract

We use peer assessments as a tool to allocate joint profits in a real-effort team experiment. We find that using this incentive mechanism reduces team performance. More specifically, we show that teams composed of acquaintances rather than strangers actually underperform in a context of peer evaluations. We conjecture that peer evaluations undermine the inherently high level of intrinsic motivation that characterizes teams composed of friends and possibly exacerbate negative reciprocity among partners. Finally, we analyze the determinants of peer assessments and stress the crucial importance of equality concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Brice Corgnet, 2012. "Peer Evaluations and Team Performance : When Friends Do Worse Than Strangers," Post-Print hal-02311960, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02311960
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2010.00354.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Konow, James & Saijo, Tatsuyoshi & Akai, Kenju, 2016. "Equity versus Equality," MPRA Paper 75376, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Axel Ockenfels & Dirk Sliwka & Peter Werner, 2025. "Multirater Performance Evaluations and Incentives," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 43(4), pages 985-1004.
    3. Grischa Perino & Luca A. Panzone & Timothy Swanson, 2014. "Motivation Crowding In Real Consumption Decisions: Who Is Messing With My Groceries?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(2), pages 592-607, April.
    4. Jeffrey Carpenter & Andrea Robbett & Prottoy A. Akbar, 2018. "Profit Sharing and Peer Reporting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(9), pages 4261-4276, September.
    5. Nigel Barradale & Thomas Plenborg & Simone Staehr, 2022. "Investor feedback: impact on analyst biases and investor critical evaluation," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 767-803, March.
    6. Ockenfels, Axel & Sliwka, Dirk & Werner, Peter, 2024. "Multi-Rater Performance Evaluations and Incentives," IZA Discussion Papers 16812, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

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