The Effects of Quotas on Teamwork: Prior Biases and Learning

Last registered on March 27, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Effects of Quotas on Teamwork: Prior Biases and Learning
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014511
Initial registration date
October 03, 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
October 07, 2024, 7:20 PM EDT

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

Last updated
March 27, 2025, 2:57 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
France
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Héloïse Cloléry
Affiliation
CREST, Ecole Polytechnique
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-10-07
End date
2025-04-14
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Lab
Additional Keywords
Affirmative Action; Teamwork; Beliefs; Confidence; Learning
JEL code(s)
D9; D2; J16; C91
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Organizations frequently adopt quotas in their selection processes to improve the equal representation of men and women. While the literature has found positive quota effects on workforce composition in the short run, quotas also generate uncertainty about relative abilities in a team. Recent studies have revealed gender variations in engagement in teamwork and linked these disparities to confidence. However, there is a knowledge gap on the impact of quotas on confidence and team interactions. I conduct a laboratory experiment comprising a tournament and a teamwork stage. Participants are randomly sorted into a control and a quota treatment group. In the control group, the tournament's performance determines pair compositions and payment schemes for the subsequent teamwork stage. In the quota treatment, the tournament's performance and advantage given to women determine pair compositions and payment schemes for the subsequent teamwork stage. I measure the impact of quota on confidence, team performance, and willingness to work as a team. Using confidence as a signal of ability, I investigate the learning biases resulting from quota-generated exposure.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cloléry, Héloïse. 2025. "The Effects of Quotas on Teamwork: Prior Biases and Learning." AEA RCT Registry. March 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14511-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We conduct an online experiment to investigate the impact of gender quotas on teamwork and beliefs. Our first hypothesis is that quotas change beliefs about relative performance in a team and affects differently the confidence of minority and majority candidates. As a result, quotas likely change how individuals play and perform as a team. Our second hypothesis is that quotas, by creating a confidence gap, impede learning about relative ability in a team. We develop an experimental design to test these two hypotheses.
Intervention (Hidden)
See pre-analysis plan for further details.
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-07
Intervention End Date
2025-04-14

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Prior beliefs about participants' own and their teammate's performance in the tournament. Confidence in their own answers to the tournament. Team performance (separated analysis between before and after the exposure to teammate's confidence). Posterior beliefs about their teammate's performance.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Contributions to teamwork. Willingness to work as a team. Heterogenous analysis by gender if permitted by the data.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Subjects perform a tournament at the end of which two players, out of groups of six participants, will receive additional bonuses. After that, participants are paired with one other member of their group. We elicit their confidence levels, their prior belief about their teammate’s performance, and make them perform a teamwork task. We also show them a signal of their teammate’s confidence and elicit their posterior beliefs. We investigate the impact of a quota by randomizing the rule for bonus allocation. In a control group, the two best performers of the tournament earn the bonus. In a quota group, the top female and top male performers earn the bonus.
Experimental Design Details
See pre-analysis plan for further details.
Randomization Method
Randomization by a computer, at the time of the session.
Randomization Unit
Randomization of 6-people groups to a control or quota treatment.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 groups
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
On average:
- 25 groups to the control treatment
- 25 groups to the quota treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
See pre-analysis plan for further details.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institut Louis Bachelier Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2024-04-15
IRB Approval Number
ILB-2024-003
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