A joint Stanford University and World Bank team is running a management field experiment in India. The project is working with 28 plants in large multi-plant firms to provide randomized free management consultancy to a treatment group alongside a control group. We are monitoring both groups and evaluating the impact of improved management on firm performance. The management treatment is being carried out by Accenture, a leading international consulting firm. The research is investigating the causal impact of the adoption of modern quality, inventory and efficiency management practices.
This paper reports the results of a “working from home” experiment in a 13,000 employee NASDAQ listed Chinese multinational. Home-working led to a 13% performance increase, of which about 9.5% is from working more minutes per shift (fewer breaks and sick-days) and 3.5% from more calls per minute (quieter working environment). Home workers also reported improved work satisfaction and their job attrition rate fell by 50%.
Future research
Management experiments in Eastern Europe with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.
