Evaluating the Impact of Management and Leadership Training for PIs

Last registered on June 16, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Evaluating the Impact of Management and Leadership Training for PIs
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015985
Initial registration date
June 13, 2025

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
June 16, 2025, 7:38 AM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Andreas Stegmann
Affiliation
University of Warwick
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Robert Akerlof
PI Affiliation
University of New South Wales
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PI Name
Anisha Garg
PI Affiliation
University of Warwick
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-06-15
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Education, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This pilot project will evaluate a leadership/management training program for lab scientists. PIs of treated labs will receive access to a new online learning platform focusing on: leadership/role theory, values, communication, conflict management, delegation, coaching, mentoring, and recruitment. Training will be delivered through short, professionally-produced videos as well as supplementary materials. In our pilot study, we aim to conduct both a baseline and endline survey (via Qualtrics), which we will invite both PIs and other lab members to complete.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Akerlof, Robert, Anisha Garg and Andreas Stegmann. 2025. "Evaluating the Impact of Management and Leadership Training for PIs." AEA RCT Registry. June 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15985-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-09-01
Intervention End Date
2025-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Career intentions, mental health, perceptions of the PI’s practices, perceptions of the work environment.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Labs will be allocated to either:

C - Control Group (50%): PIs assigned to the control will not be offered access to the platform.
T - Treatment Group (50%): PIs assigned to the treatment will receive 3-months’ access to the platform.

In the pilot, to study survey response rates, 50% of lab members will receive an invitation email which will emphasize how their participation in the survey will benefit the development of policies aiming to enhance scientific productivity and, 50% of lab members will receive an invitation email which will emphasize how their participation in the survey will benefit the development of policies aiming to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in science.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
scientific laboratory
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
400 scientific laboratories
Sample size: planned number of observations
Scientific laboratories in this context have on average 5 members, i.e. the total sample size could reach up to 2000 observations. We conduct this pilot study to determine actual response rates.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 scientific laboratories in the treatment and 200 scientific laboratories in the control condition.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Paris School of Economics Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2024-12-06
IRB Approval Number
2024-057
IRB Name
University of Warwick Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2025-01-07
IRB Approval Number
HSSREC 26/24-25
Analysis Plan