Abuse of managerial power and workplace ethics training

Last registered on February 15, 2023

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Abuse of managerial power and workplace ethics training
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010408
Initial registration date
November 28, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 30, 2022, 3:30 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
February 15, 2023, 8:27 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Monash University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Monash University
PI Affiliation
Monash University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-12-02
End date
2023-03-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The delegation of power by firms to managers is common among hierarchically structured organisations. However, power can be abused by managers for their own self-interest to the detriment of subordinates and firms. Using an online randomised controlled experiment, we will analyse whether training affects the incidence of abuse of power by the manager, and whether this depends on the level of power.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Chan, Yee Wah Lisa, Birendra Rai and Liang Choon Wang. 2023. "Abuse of managerial power and workplace ethics training." AEA RCT Registry. February 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10408-1.2
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2022-12-02
Intervention End Date
2023-01-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1) A binary variable equal to 1 if the Firm chooses high power (F2), and 0 otherwise.
2) A variable capturing the Firm’s choice of gender for their Manager (Male, Female or Chance).
3) A binary variable equal to 1 if the Manager in the low-power scenario (F1) chooses to misuse their power (M2), and 0 otherwise.
4) A binary variable equal to 1 if the Manager in the high-power scenario (F2) chooses to misuse their power (M4), and 0 otherwise.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study will involve an online controlled experiment where we will investigate the effect of workplace ethics training on the firm's choice of power and the manager's abuse of power in the workplace. The main treatment will be randomly assigned, and consists of an online training module.
Experimental Design Details
Participants will be assigned to one of three roles (Firm, Manager, or Subordinate) and randomly matched with two other participants to form groups of three. The experiment will be rolled out sequentially such that we will recruit each role separately (first Firms, then Managers, and finally Subordinates). Firms and Subordinates will be randomly assigned to training, resulting in two treatment groups (Training or No Training). In contrast, Managers will be first randomly assigned to training, and then within each Training and No Training group, they will be further assigned a power level (Low Power or High Power) based on the actual choices of Firms. This will result in four treatment groups for the Manager: (1) Low Power x No Training (2) Low Power x Training (3) High Power x No Training (4) High Power x Training. Choices will be elicited after the training module is completed. The training module consists of facts about workplace bullying and hypothetical scenarios on unethical behaviour in the workplace.
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer (randomizer in Qualtrics)
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
400 individuals in the role of the Firm
400 individuals in the role of the Manager
400 individuals in the role of the Subordinate
Sample size: planned number of observations
1200 individuals (400 individuals in the role of the Firm, 400 individuals in the role of the Manager, 400 individuals in the role of the Subordinate)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 individuals in the role of the Firm no training, 200 individuals in the role of the Firm training
200 individuals in the role of the Manager no training, 200 individuals in the role of the Manager training
200 individuals in the role of the Subordinate no training, 200 individuals in the role of the Subordinate training
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2020-08-26
IRB Approval Number
21088
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials