A Work vs. Perk Model of Leadership and Organizational Culture

Authors

Benjamin Keefer, Carleton College

Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

7-2016

Working Paper Number

2016-02

JEL Codes

D23, D03, M14

Abstract

This paper considers the leader’s role in forming a culture by choosing the cultural focus and metric when agents have reference-dependent preferences. We find that combining a cultural work metric and external focus maximizes incentives. Principal-leaders favor this type of culture. Under agent-leadership, however, the favored culture critically depends on the relative magnitudes of the agent’s borrowing needs and pledgeable income. If agents’ borrowing needs slightly exceed the pledgeable income, agent-leaders prefer the incentive-maximizing culture. Yet, if agents’ pledgeable income exceeds the borrowing needs, agent-leaders prefer to minimize incentives by emphasizing an external cultural focus and a perk metric.

Comments

In Copyright

Recommended Citation

Keefer, Benjamin, "A Work vs. Perk Model of Leadership and Organizational Culture" (2016). Department of Economics Working Paper Series. 1.
https://digitalcommons.carleton.edu/econ_repec/1