Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15898
Authors: Daniela Scur; Raffaella Sadun; John Van Reenen; Renata Lemos; Nicholas Bloom
Abstract: Understanding how differences in management "best practices" affect organizational outcomes has been a focus of both theoretical and empirical work in the fields of management, sociology, economics and public policy. The World Management Survey (WMS) project was born almost two decades ago with the main goal of developing a new systematic measure of management practices being used in organisations. The WMS has contributed to a body of knowledge around how managerial structures, not just managerial talent, relates to organizational performance. Over 18 years of research, a set of consistent patterns have emerged and spurred new questions. We will present a brief overview of what we have learned in terms of measuring and understanding management practices and condense the implications of these findings for policy. We end with an outline of what we see as the path forward for both research and policy implications of this research programme.
Keywords: management practices; policy toolkit; world management survey; productivity
JEL Codes: L2; M2; O14; O32; O33
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| better management practices (M54) | family-friendly policies (J13) |
| better management practices (M54) | work-life balance (J22) |
| better-managed firms (L25) | lower employee turnover (M51) |
| better-managed firms (L25) | higher subjective work-life balance (J29) |
| management quality (L15) | better patient outcomes (I11) |
| management quality (L15) | higher student achievement (I24) |
| management quality (L15) | improved efficiency in public sector services (H83) |
| better management practices (M54) | improved organizational performance (L25) |
| management consulting (L84) | productivity (O49) |