Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Debashish Bhattacherjee
1. Introduction
measure that I use is total monthly pay per worker (in rupees) and
refers to only cash payments arising from all guaranteed and incen-
tive pay, and from monthly overtime payments. Examining the
effects of group incentives on employee pay and employment
together could suggest trade-offs that unions and management may
be engaged in during collective negotiations.
6. Empirical procedures
plants in this firm) and the time (contracts) effects control for vari-
ables that are constant across the plants (like, for example, the
corporate human resources strategy followed during a particular
contract) but differ over time.
In experimental studies on the effects of group incentives on pro-
ductivity, positive past group experience leads to high current
output levels, that is, ‘history matters’ (Nalbantian and Schotter,
1997). To capture this phenomenon I include lagged values of the
dependent variable as regressors. A second-order autoregressive
model was chosen using the F-statistic approach.16 To avoid the
usual problems associated with non-stationary stochastic trends,
I opted for using the first-differences approach as it eliminates
random walk trends in the time series (Stock and Watson, 2003). In
addition, I chose the first-differences approach because the time
series is monthly and possibly subject to problems of seasonality. A
log-log specification is chosen over a log-linear specification due to
its better fit and a higher adjusted R2; thus, the estimated coeffi-
cients are all elasticities. Finally, OLS estimation procedures with
heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are used.17
The baseline regression model allows for different intercepts but
imposes an identical slope on the incentive variables, but as the elas-
ticities of the dependent variables with respect to the incentive
measures may change with each successive contract I also interact
the latter with the contract dummy variables in the extended
model.
Table 1. Descriptives
A B C D
labour market; thus, they are willing to trade off higher wages at
the cost of employment reductions in order to increase plant pro-
ductivity. Employees in the district plants have virtually no such
alternative employment options and would rather accept lower than
average nominal wage gains for minimal, if any, reductions in the
employment level; the result being considerably lower than average
gains in productivity.
There is no such city–district pattern when one looks at the
growth of incentive payments in Table 1. Within the city plants,
employees in plant A preferred a higher intensity of incentives than
plant B and thus experienced a higher growth in their level of incen-
tives, even though both attained similar gains in productivity. One
could argue that unions and their employees are more risk averse
at B compared with A. Similarly, within the district plants, unions
and their employees were more receptive to incentives in plant D
compared with C. These differences reflect varying union prefer-
ences for the two forms of pay at these four sites and to a large
extent these preferences are conditioned by the different labour
market environments and industrial relations histories within which
they are embedded. Thus the need to control for the fixed plant
effects in the model(s) that follow.
Table 2 presents the results of the first productivity measure,
namely productivity per worker per hour. The first three runs are
the baseline models whereas runs 4–6 are the same runs with the
incentive-contract interaction terms. From runs 1 and 2 we note
that the elasticity of worker productivity with respect to both the
level and intensity of incentives is positive and significant (specifi-
cally, a 10 per cent increase in incentive pay is associated with a
nearly 0.8 per cent increase in worker productivity, and a 10 per cent
increase in the percentage of incentive pay to total pay increases
worker productivity by 0.7 per cent). There are declining returns to
both measures as evidenced by the negative coefficients on the
square terms (not significant, though t > 1) suggesting that incen-
tives are subject to declining productivity returns. These results are
consistent even when the interaction terms are included (runs 4 and
5). Finally, the elasticity of labour productivity with respect to both
the incentive measures increases over time (not presented in the
table) from around 0.08 during the first contract period (1985–88)
to 0.241 during the third contract period (1992–95).
However, when incentive pay is decomposed into the two gain-
sharing schemes (runs 3 and 6), we observe the following: it is the
departmental-level incentive scheme (DIS) that is associated with
© CEIS, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
162
Table 2. Dependent variable: Dln[prod/w]it
Regressors 1 2 3 4 5 6
Notes: All runs contain AR(2) lags. Heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are shown in parentheses. (*** Significant at the 0.001 per cent level;
** significant at the 0.05 per cent level; * significant at the 0.10 per cent level, all two-tailed tests.)
Debashish Bhattacherjee
The Effects of Group Incentives in an Indian Firm 163
Regressors 1 2 3 4 5 6
Notes: All runs contain AR(2) lags. Heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are shown in parentheses. (*** Significant at the 0.001 per cent level;
** significant at the 0.05 per cent level; * significant at the 0.10 per cent level, all two-tailed tests.)
Debashish Bhattacherjee
Table 4. Dependent variable: Dln[labcosts/output]it
Regressors 1 2 3 4 5 6
(0.049) (0.081)
(Plant) Fixed Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Contract) Time Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Incentive ƒ Contract) Interaction Effects No No No Yes Yes Yes
R2 0.109 0.136 0.375 0.124 0.163 0.456
Overall F 2.13** 2.67** 9.88*** 4.62*** 8.25*** 32.06***
Observations 380 380 221 380 380 221
Notes: All runs contain AR(2) lags. Heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are shown in parentheses. (*** Significant at the 0.001 per cent level;
** significant at the 0.05 per cent level; * significant at the 0.10 per cent level, all two-tailed tests.)
Regressors 1 2 3 4 5 6
(0.009) (0.010)
(Plant) Fixed Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Contract) Time Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Incentive ƒ Contract) Interaction Effects No No No Yes Yes Yes
R2 0.367 0.353 0.342 0.378 0.392 0.366
Overall F 17.79*** 15.46*** 8.58*** 12.92*** 15.01*** 8.59***
Observations 409 409 232 409 409 232
Notes: All runs contain AR(2) lags. Heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are shown in parentheses. (*** Significant at the 0.001 per cent level;
** significant at the 0.05 per cent level; * significant at the 0.10 per cent level, all two-tailed tests.)
stress here is on the average worker; recall that the actual monthly
amounts paid as the PIP and DIS varies by stipulated job desig-
nations as agreed upon during contract negotiations at each plant.
Thus, some select workers experience significant pay growth as a
result of the DIS and my guess (corroborated with anecdotal evi-
dence gathered in the field) is that the variance in pay probably
increases as more money flows into this scheme. The unions in this
firm have to simultaneously balance the interests of the few workers
who gain considerably from the DIS with the vast majority of its
constituency who gain little.
Table 6 presents the effects on monthly employment levels. At the
outset let me state that the coefficients on the contract controls were
large and significant and it is these discrete employment declines
that take place when a new contract comes into force that account
for the ‘structural break’ in the time series. The coefficients on all
the incentive variables are negative, and although not by and large
significant are usually larger than their standard errors. High levels
of the PIP are associated with significantly lower employment levels
(runs 3 and 6). It is no wonder that unions in India that attempt to
maximize the wage bill rather than the economic rent are so wary
of incentive pay systems. However, high levels of the DIS have a
positive effect on employment (runs 3 and 6) and unions were aware
that putting money into this scheme allowed management to
expand production due to enhanced productivity even though it
involved increased risk in terms of pay stability for the average
worker. Employment did increase slightly in plant A in early 1994
when an additional manufacturing bay opened.
8. Conclusion
Regressors 1 2 3 4 5 6
(0.002) (0.002)
(Plant) Fixed Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Contract) Time Effects Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Incentive ƒ Contract) Interaction Effects No No No Yes Yes Yes
R2 0.039 0.036 0.046 0.043 0.037 0.072
Overall F 11.76*** 11.91*** 13.86*** 9.03*** 8.5*** 8.02***
Observations 417 417 234 417 417 234
Notes: All runs contain AR(2) lags. Heteroskedasticity-robust standard errors are shown in parentheses. (*** Significant at the 0.001 per cent level;
** significant at the 0.05 per cent level; * significant at the 0.10 per cent level, all two-tailed tests.)
Notes
1
See ITC’s website (www.itcportal.com) for further information.
2
The specific division is not identified at the request of the firm. Although the
four plants produce the same basic product with comparable technologies, the
output composition differs in terms of different brands. Which plant produces
what brands and in what proportion is decided entirely by management. The data-
base does not distinguish between these brands. Given that the basic product is so
similar across the brands and given that the branding activities take place largely
after the production process, the firm itself uses the physical output per hour
measure when comparing inter-plant labour productivities.
3
For a comprehensive historical treatment of these transformations in India that
attempts to theorize about distinct phases that are marked by structural breaks,
see Bhattacherjee (2001).
4
The 1982 amendment to this Act required the employer of a firm employing
more than 100 workers to seek permission of the relevant state government before
the firm could retrench or lay off its workers.
5
The terms of reference of my contract were that I could use this database for
purely research purposes 5 years after March 1997 (i.e. in 2002). I am grateful to
Nalin Miglani and Anup Singh who requested me to undertake this project. In
addition, I thank several plant managers, union officials and other employees at
the four plants and at their corporate headquarters in Calcutta, who helped me
out with various queries and sat through long interviews both individually and in
small groups. I especially thank the management information systems employees
at the various payroll offices for providing me with the time-series data that they
laboriously had to clean so as to make it consistent and comparable.
6
The duration of the contract period varies from 3 years in one plant to 51/2
years in another. The last observation in the series is August 1995. The latter occurs
well before the third labour contract in all four plants comes to an end.
7
The APB varies between 20 and 33 per cent of an employee’s ‘basic’ pay, and
in practice every employee receives some minimum guaranteed bonus amount
(usually 8–9 per cent). In these data over the decade 1985–95, on average the APB
formed around 5.7 per cent of an employee’s total monthly (cash) pay.
8
According to Cooke (1994, p. 595), the differences between profit sharing and
gain sharing are found largely in the performance criteria used in making bonus
calculations and in the timing of bonus calculations and payments. Whereas
bonuses received under profit sharing are based on profits, typically calculated
annually, semi-annually, or quarterly, bonuses received under gain sharing, on the
other hand, are based on measures of performance other than profits.
9
In these data over the decade 1985–95, on average the PIP formed around 6.1
per cent of an employee’s total monthly (cash) pay.
10
Unfortunately, in one of the plants (located in a district), the payroll office did
not separate the PIP and DIS components but lumped all incentive payments
together. In these data over the decade 1985–95, on average the DIS formed around
3 per cent of an employee’s total monthly (cash) pay.
11
Thus, productivity per worker = plant output/[‘on roll’ employment - (‘on roll’
employment) ¥ (absenteeism rate)] for a given month in a given plant.
12
Consequently, possible trade-offs between, say, incentive pay and employee
non-cash benefits that unions may be making during contract negotiations are not
considered in this paper. The first and the third productivity measures are similar
to those used in Cappelli and Neumark (2001). Similarly, like their study, I too
have no measure of establishment profitability.
13
I also tried using the average monthly ‘annual productivity bonus’ per worker
as an incentive measure but the results were totally insignificant in that the APB
is a function of an employee’s ‘basic’ pay and is not directly related to well-defined
productivity outcomes.
14
The contract dummies are coded in the following way: C1 = 1 if the latest con-
tract, 0 otherwise, and C2 = 1 if the middle contract, 0 otherwise, and thus the
excluded/reference category is the earliest contract.
15
They could also reflect the preferences of plant-level management, but anec-
dotal evidence from my fieldwork suggests that, in this firm, management prefer-
ences were similar across the four plants, as the human resources department
at the corporate headquarters had a strong say in plant-level matters relating to
compensation and personnel issues.
16
Here one starts with a model with many lags and performs hypothesis tests on
the final lag. For example, one might start by estimating an AR(6) and test whether
the coefficient on the sixth lag is significant at the 5 per cent level; if not, drop it
and estimate an AR(5), test the coefficient on the fifth lag, and so on (Stock and
Watson, 2003).
17
The Durbin–Watson d-tests performed on all the regression runs indicated the
absence of any first-order serial correlation.
18
Weitzman and Kruse (1990) point out that an optimal ratio of variable to fixed
earnings should provide sufficient income stability for risk-averse workers as well
as sufficient incentives to induce greater effort.
References