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Trial Title How Leaders Emerge: Evidence from Leadership Selection and Team Performance in India How Leaders Emerge: Evidence from Gender Composition, Leadership Selection, and Team Performance in India
Abstract Jobs that involve non-routine analytical team tasks have grown rapidly over the past two decades. This has led to a greater demand for soft skills that are essential to these jobs. My study examines the interplay of two such skills–teamwork and leadership—in the context of higher education in India. Specifically, I propose an experiment with 610 students at a large engineering college in India, where students are randomly assigned to project teams under two distinct leadership conditions: researcher-appointed leaders based on observable characteristics versus peer-nominated leaders. The study first analyzes differences in leader characteristics between these two leadership conditions, then measures how leadership structures affect team dynamics and performance in an incentivized competition. Jobs that involve non-routine analytical team tasks have grown rapidly over the past two decades, increasing demand for soft skills essential to these roles. My study examines the interplay of gender composition, teamwork, and leadership in the context of higher education and STEM in India. Specifically, I propose an experiment with 610 students at a large engineering college, where students are randomly assigned to project teams that vary along two dimensions: team gender composition (female-majority vs. female-minority teams) and leadership selection method (peer-nominated vs. researcher-assigned leaders based on social skills). Using an incentivized app development competition addressing challenges in rural India, the study analyzes how gender composition affects leadership emergence, examines differences in leader characteristics across selection methods, and measures how these factors individually and jointly influence team dynamics and performance. The study allows me to investigate both the role of gender composition in team leadership and performance and the effectiveness of different leadership selection mechanisms in a developing country context.
Last Published May 30, 2025 10:07 AM June 24, 2025 07:25 AM
Intervention (Public) The intervention involves a randomized controlled trial with student teams at an engineering college in rural India. Students are first randomly assigned into teams of three, with the constraint that each team includes at least one male and one female. These teams are then randomly assigned to one of two leadership selection conditions: 1) Peer-Nominated Leader (T1): Team members discuss and nominate a leader from among themselves. 2) Researcher-Assigned Leader (T2): The researcher assigns the leader based on the social perceptiveness --specifically the highest PAGE (Perceived AI Generated Emotions) score among the team members. All teams participate in a two-week app concept competition focused on solving rural challenges in agriculture or education. The competition simulates real-world teamwork under pressure, allowing the study to measure how different methods of leader selection impact team dynamics and project outcomes The intervention involves a randomized controlled trial with student teams at an engineering college in rural India. Students are first randomly assigned into teams of three, stratified by academic year (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3), with each team containing one female and two males (Female-minority arm), OR two females and one male (Female-majority arm). These 203 teams are then randomly assigned across two factors: 1) Peer-Nominated Leader (T1): Team members discuss and nominate a leader from among themselves. 2) Researcher-Assigned Leader (T2): The researcher assigns the leader based on the social perceptiveness --specifically the highest PAGE (Perceived AI Generated Emotions) score among the team members. All teams participate in a two-week app concept competition focused on solving rural challenges in agriculture or education. The competition simulates real-world teamwork under pressure, allowing the study to measure how different methods of leader selection impact team dynamics and project outcomes
Intervention End Date June 15, 2025 July 05, 2025
Primary Outcomes (End Points) Outcome #1: Differences in leader characteristics between peer-nominated and researcher-assigned teams Outcome # 2: Differences in average project rating (each project will be rated by 2 trained independent raters, based on a pre-defined rubric) Outcome # 3: Difference in proportion of teams that reach the final round (top 20% of the teams) Outcome $ 4: Peer reported effort Outcome #1: Differences in leader characteristics between peer-nominated and researcher-assigned teams, and female-minority and female-majority teams Outcome # 2: Differences in average project rating Outcome # 3: Reported Team Effectiveness Outcome # 4: Reported Team Leader Effectiveness Outcome # 5: Perceived Influence
Primary Outcomes (Explanation) Peer-reported Effort: Index based on peer assessments evaluating equitable contributions, attendance, deadline respect, and constructive attitudes Outcome #1: Differences in leader characteristics between peer-nominated and researcher-assigned teams, and female-minority and female-majority teams Outcome # 2: Differences in average project rating (each project will be rated by 2 trained independent raters, based on a pre-defined rubric) across treatment arms Outcome # 3: Reported Team Effectiveness (index constructed from 4 questions in the endline) Outcome # 4: Reported Team Leader Effectiveness (reported on a scale of 1-10) Outcome # 5: Perceived Influence (probability of women team members being voted as most influential - Karpowitz et al. 2024)
Experimental Design (Public) This study uses a stratified randomized controlled trial with 610 undergraduate students at an engineering college in rural India. Students are first randomly assigned into teams of three, ensuring that each team has at least one male and one female and each team is from the same cohort. These teams of three--further stratified by gender-composition (2 male & 1 female or 2 female & 1 male) and cohort (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3)--are then randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: 1) Peer-Nominated Leader (T1): Teams nominate a leader from among their members. 2) Researcher-Assigned Leader (T2): The leader is assigned by the researcher based on the team member’s score on a social perceptiveness test (PAGE). Teams then participate in a two-week app concept competition focused on rural problems in agriculture or education. The design tests how different leadership selection methods affect the characteristics of selected leaders and team performance. This study uses a 2×2 factorial randomized controlled trial with 610 undergraduate students at an engineering college in rural India. Students are first randomly assigned into teams of three, stratified by academic year (Year 1, Year 2, Year 3), with each team containing one female and two males, OR two females and one male. These 203 teams are then randomly assigned across two factors: Factor 1 - Team Gender Composition: Female-majority teams (2 females, 1 male) vs Female-minority teams (1 female, 2 males) Factor 2 - Leadership Selection Method: 1) Peer-Nominated Leader (T1): Teams nominate a leader from among their members 2) Researcher-Assigned Leader (T2): The leader is assigned by the researcher based on the team member's score on a social perceptiveness assessment Teams participate in an incentivized app development competition addressing rural Indian challenges. The competition simulates real-world teamwork under pressure, allowing the study to measure how different methods of leader selection impact team dynamics and project outcomes.
Randomization Unit First students are randomized into of 3 teams at the individual level Then 203 teams of 3 are randomized at the team level into one of two treatment arms Two-stage randomization: 1) Individual students randomized into teams of 3 (stratified by academic year) 2) Teams randomized into 2×2 factorial treatment conditions (stratified by academic year and gender composition)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms 102 teams in Peer-Nominated Leader (T1) 101 teams in Researcher-Assigned Leader (T2) 105 teams in Female-majority teams (across peer-nominated and researcher-assigned conditions) 98 teams in Female-minority teams (across peer-nominated and researcher-assigned conditions) 101 teams in Peer-Nominated Leader condition (across female-majority and female-minority teams) 102 teams in Researcher-Assigned Leader condition (across female-majority and female-minority teams) Total: 203 teams, 610 students (3 students per team) Design: 2×2 factorial examining main effects of (1) team gender composition and (2) leadership selection method
Keyword(s) Behavior, Education, Post Conflict Behavior, Education, Gender
Secondary Outcomes (End Points) Google Slides/Docs activity: Version history to view detailed contribution records Leadership preferences Teamwork preferences Google Slides/Docs activity: Version history to view detailed contribution records WhatsApp Group activity Measures of productivity (number of meetings conducted, number of hours worked)
Secondary Outcomes (Explanation) Leadership preferences: index based on questions in the endline Teamwork preferences: index based on questions in the endline Google Slides/Docs activity: Version history to view detailed contribution records WhatsApp Group activity: constructed using activity data on team-level WhatsApp groups Measures of productivity (number of meetings conducted, number of hours worked)
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