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Abstract
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Before
Organizations frequently adopt quotas in their selection processes to redress imbalances between majority and minority groups. While the literature has found positive quota effects on workforce composition in the short run, the long-term consequences for team performance, career advancement, and tenure remain ambiguous. Workplace interactions are likely to sway the latter outcomes. Recent studies have revealed variations in engagement in teamwork across groups, particularly between genders, 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 group. The tournament's performance determines 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. By exposing participants to their teammates' confidence, I investigate the presence of learning biases in quota-generated exposure.
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After
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.
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Trial End Date
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Before
December 31, 2024
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After
April 14, 2025
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Last Published
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Before
October 07, 2024 07:20 PM
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After
March 27, 2025 02:57 PM
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Intervention (Public)
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Before
We conduct an online experiment to investigate the impact of diversity 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.
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After
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.
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Intervention End Date
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Before
December 31, 2024
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After
April 14, 2025
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Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
Subjects perform a tournament at the end of which two players, out of groups of six participants, will receive a bonus. Participants are randomly allocated into a minority and a majority colored group. 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 performer among the minority group and the top performer among the majority group earn the bonus.
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After
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.
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Randomization Unit
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Before
Randomization of inidividuals into a group and a color.
Randomization of 6-people groups to a control or quota treatment, and to an ex-post or ex-ante exposure to learning.
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After
Randomization of 6-people groups to a control or quota treatment.
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Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
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Before
On average:
- 12 groups to the control, ex-post exposure treatment
- 12 groups to the control, ex-ante exposure treatment
- 12 groups to the quota, ex-post exposure treatment
- 12 groups to the quota, ex-ante exposure treatment
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After
On average:
- 25 groups to the control treatment
- 25 groups to the quota treatment
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