Emphasizing worker identification with skills to increase helping and productivity in production: A field experiment

Abstract

Can productivity improve if workers identify more with the skills they use in their work environment? This paper reports the results of an experimental design that was peer-reviewed prior to collecting data. The research setting is a global manufacturer using a novel smartwatch-based system for distributing work tasks among factory floor workers. Drawing on the concepts of identification and helping in organizations, we hypothesized that fostering workers' identification with their own skills could serve as a mechanism to enhance helping behavior on the factory floor, which should improve productivity. We designed a compound skill-fostering treatment consisting of communication, meetings, and exercises regarding individual skills. We treat one large factory area for 2 weeks and keep a similar area in a sister factory as a control group for comparison in a difference-in-difference model. The results show that nudging skill identification increases workers' identification with skills, but we do not find evidence for increased helping behavior or increased productivity. Our results help develop theory around multiple sub-identities and provide guidance for future studies seeking to enhance identification in organizations.