Improving Job Performance through Multiple Goal-Setting: A Large-Scale Field Experiment at Rural Financial Service Stations in China

Last registered on July 08, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Improving Job Performance through Multiple Goal-Setting: A Large-Scale Field Experiment at Rural Financial Service Stations in China
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013938
Initial registration date
July 05, 2024

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
July 08, 2024, 1:55 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
China
Region
Guangxi Province

Primary Investigator

Name
Jingyi Meng
Affiliation
Nankai University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Jing You
PI Affiliation
Renmin University of China
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-07-02
End date
2024-12-31
Keywords
Agriculture, Behavior, Finance & Microfinance, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This project aims to investigate whether setting multiple levels of goals can improve managers' job performance. We conduct a large-scale field experiment at a local bank's rural financial service stations in a western province of China.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Meng, Jingyi and Jing You. 2024. "Improving Job Performance through Multiple Goal-Setting: A Large-Scale Field Experiment at Rural Financial Service Stations in China." AEA RCT Registry. July 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13938-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
We conduct a survey-intervention field experiment involving managers at approximately 6,000 rural financial service stations.
The intervention period spans three months from July to September 2024, corresponding to Season 3. At the beginning of July, managers will complete a baseline survey. During this survey, they will be randomly assigned to different treatment groups and instructed to set specific goals. Subsequently, three follow-up surveys will be administered at the end of each month to remind managers of their goals and monitor changes in key variables, particularly emotions. We will also collect data on managers' performance in Season 4 to assess the longer-term effects of the intervention.
Intervention Start Date
2024-07-02
Intervention End Date
2024-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Job performance of deposit mobilization and loan referrals.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Emotions.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conduct a series of survey experiments.
Experimental Design Details
Experimental Design
Managers are randomly assigned to one baseline group and four treatment groups during the baseline survey. Each treatment group consists of approximately 1200 participants (if all participate). The five treatments are as follows:

1. Baseline_No_Goal: Managers are not asked to set a goal in the survey.
2. Treatment_Middle_Goal: Managers are asked to set a goal that is challenging but feasible with a high probability (80%) of achievement.
3. Treatment_Middle_High_Goal: Managers are asked to set two goals:
- a challenging goal with a high probability (80%) of achievement.
- a more challenging goal with a lower probability (50%) of achievement.
4. Treatment_Low_Middle_Goal: Managers are asked to set two goals:
- a challenging goal with a high probability (80%) of achievement.
- a less challenging goal that is almost certain (100%) to achieve.
5. Treatment_Low_Middle_High_Goal: Managers are asked to set three goals:
- a challenging goal with a high probability (80%) of achievement.
- a more challenging goal with a lower probability (50%) of achievement.
- a less challenging goal that is almost certain (100%) to achieve.

During the three follow-up surveys, managers will be prompted to recall their goals and complete surveys to track their emotions.
Randomization Method
In the baseline survey, all managers are initially divided into two groups based on whether their deposit mobilization performance exceeded 500,000 yuan in the last season. Within each group, managers will then be randomly assigned to one baseline group and four treatment groups.

The random allocation process is as follows: each subject randomly selects a number from 1 to 10, and the order of these numbers is randomly generated by the computer. Each pair of two numbers corresponds to one of the baseline or treatment groups.
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
18 cities
Sample size: planned number of observations
6000 managers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1200 managers * 5 treatment groups = 6000 managers
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
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