Bring the Noise, But Not the Funk: Does the Effect of Performance Measure Noise on Learning Depend on Whether the Learning is Experiential or Vicarious?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Choi, Jongwoon (Willie); Hecht, Gary; Tafkov, Ivo D.; Towry, Kristy L.
• 署名单位: University of Wisconsin System; University of Wisconsin Madison; University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; University System of Georgia; Georgia State University; Emory University
• 刊物名称: ACCOUNTING REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0001-4826
• DOI: 10.2308/accr-52613
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 153-172
• 关键词: strategy selection; tournaments; INFORMATION

摘要

Performance measure noise can be a critical barrier to employees' learning. Using an experiment, we examine whether the effects of performance measure noise on employees' learning depends on the type of learning in which employees engage: experiential versus vicarious. We predict and find performance measure noise has a more deleterious effect on learning when such learning occurs experientially rather than vicariously. Specifically, we find experiential learners demonstrate less learning as performance measure noise increases, but vicarious learners show no such effect of performance measure noise. Collectively, our findings suggest performance measure noise and learning type play important roles in the extent to which firms realize the decision-facilitating benefits of performance measurement systems. In particular, since much of the learning in modern organizations occurs vicariously, our findings suggest performance measure noise may not be as detrimental to employees' learning as previously thought.