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Does Profit Sharing Affect Productivity?

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  • Douglas L. Kruse
Abstract
Existing research tends to show that profit-sharing plans for employees are associated with higher company productivity and profitability, though the causality and mechanisms are unclear. This study uses new data from a survey of 500 U.S. public companies, and panel data on corporate performance, to examine the relationship between productivity measures and the adoption and presence of profit sharing. Controlling for a variety of influences on productivity, profit sharing adoption is found to be associated with average productivity increases of 4-5%, with no subsequent positive or negative trend. The productivity increase is dispersed; it is found to be larger for small companies and for cash plans, and to be unaffected when controlling for personnel policies which may affect productivity. There is, however, no evidence on the mechanisms through which profit sharing may affect productivity, since there are no strong interactions with information-sharing or other policies in affecting productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Douglas L. Kruse, 1993. "Does Profit Sharing Affect Productivity?," NBER Working Papers 4542, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4542
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    Cited by:

    1. Juin-Jen Chang, 2006. "Profit Sharing, Risk Sharing, and Firm Size: Implications of Efficiency Wages," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 261-273, October.
    2. Olfa Aissa, 2016. "The Determinants of Financial Participation Impact on Firm Performance: A Meta-Regression Approach," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(6), pages 151-151, June.
    3. Jan König & Erkki Koskela, 2013. "The Role of Profit Sharing in Dual Labour Markets with Flexible Outsourcing," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 27(4), pages 351-370, December.
    4. Lin, Chung-cheng & Chang, Juin-jen & Lai, Ching-chong, 2002. "Profit sharing as a worker discipline device," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 815-828, November.
    5. Koskela, Erkki & König, Jan, 2009. "Can Profit Sharing Lower Flexible Outsourcing? A Note," IZA Discussion Papers 4063, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Uwe Jirjahn & Kornelius Kraft, 2010. "Teamwork And Intra‐Firm Wage Dispersion Among Blue‐Collar Workers," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 57(4), pages 404-429, September.
    7. Olfa Aissa, 2016. "A Meta-Analysis of the Financial Participation Impact on Firm Performance," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(8), pages 186-186, July.
    8. Canice Prendergast, 2015. "The Empirical Content of Pay-for-Performance," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 31(2), pages 242-261.
    9. Ohkusa, Yasushi & Ohtake, Fumio, 1997. "The Productivity Effects of Information Sharing, Profit Sharing, and ESOPs," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 385-402, September.
    10. Chang, Juin-jen & Lai, Ching-chong & Lin, Chung-cheng, 2003. "Profit sharing, worker effort, and double-sided moral hazard in an efficiency wage model," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 75-93, March.
    11. Marco A. Barrenechea-Mendez & Sara Martinez-de-Morentin, 2021. "Profit Sharing, Interconnected Autonomous Teams, and Employee Productivity," Documentos de Trabajo - Lan Gaiak Departamento de Economía - Universidad Pública de Navarra 2107, Departamento de Economía - Universidad Pública de Navarra.
    12. Jan König & Erkki Koskela, 2013. "Can Committed Profit Sharing Lower Flexible Outsourcing?," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 79-95, March.
    13. Knez, Marc & Simester, Duncan, 2001. "Firm-Wide Incentives and Mutual Monitoring at Continental Airlines," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 19(4), pages 743-772, October.
    14. Andrews, Martyn & Bellmann, Lutz & Schank, Thorsten & Upward, Richard, 2010. "The impact of financial participation on workers' compensation (Der Einfluss von finanzieller Mitarbeiterbeteiligung auf die Entlohnung der Arbeitnehmer)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 43(1), pages 72-89.
    15. Koskela, Erkki & König, Jan, 2010. "Profit Sharing, Wage Formation and Flexible Outsourcing under Labor Market Imperfection," IZA Discussion Papers 4707, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Andrews, Martyn & Bellmann, Lutz & Schank, Thorsten & Upward, Richard, 2010. "The impact of financial participation on workers' compensation (Der Einfluss von finanzieller Mitarbeiterbeteiligung auf die Entlohnung der Arbeitnehmer)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 43(1), pages 72-89.
    17. John M. Abowd & Felipe Balmaceda & David Kaplan., "undated". "Accounting Profits, Market Profits, and the Compensation of Regular Employees," ILADES-UAH Working Papers inv119, Universidad Alberto Hurtado/School of Economics and Business.
    18. Nishani Bourmault & Jordan Siegel, 2022. "Why Local Adaptation Sometimes Fails to be Effective for MNEs: Exploring the Dynamics of Collective Bonuses, Egalitarianism, and Informal Norms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 886-924, June.
    19. Andrews, Martyn & Bellmann, Lutz & Schank, Thorsten & Upward, Richard, 2010. "The impact of financial participation on workers' compensation (Der Einfluss von finanzieller Mitarbeiterbeteiligung auf die Entlohnung der Arbeitnehmer)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 43(1), pages 72-89.
    20. Bryson, Alex & Freeman, Richard B., 2007. "Doing the right thing? does fair share capitalism improve workplace performance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 4964, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    21. Cecilia Navarra & Ermanno Tortia, 2014. "Employer Moral Hazard, Wage Rigidity, and Worker Cooperatives: A Theoretical Appraisal," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(3), pages 707-726.
    22. Canice Prendergast, 1999. "The Provision of Incentives in Firms," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(1), pages 7-63, March.
    23. Daniel J. Benjamin, 2015. "A Theory of Fairness in Labour Markets," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 182-225, June.

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    JEL classification:

    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods

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