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

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  • Brice Corgnet

    (Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Navarra)

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 fellows 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. We finally analyze the determinants of peer assessments and stress the crucial importance of equality concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Brice Corgnet, 2009. "Peer Evaluations and Team Performance: When Friends Do Worse Than Strangers," Faculty Working Papers 12/09, School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Navarra.
    • Handle: RePEc:una:unccee:wp1209
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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. 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.
    3. Jeffrey Carpenter & Andrea Robbett & Prottoy A. Akbar, 2018. "Profit Sharing and Peer Reporting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(9), pages 4261-4276, September.
    4. Ockenfels, Axel & Sliwka, Dirk & Werner, Peter, 2024. "Multi-Rater Performance Evaluations and Incentives," IZA Discussion Papers 16812, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. 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.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    team incentives; peer evaluations; experiments;
    All these keywords.

    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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