The Impact of Job Similarity Along the Career Path on the Firm's Promotion Strategy
40 Pages Posted: 18 Aug 2017 Last revised: 2 Oct 2021
Date Written: October 1, 2021
Abstract
Firms use job promotions to incentivize hard work from low-level employees and to sort employees according to their skills. Since these two functions are often in conflict, a firm's promotion strategy tries to balance them. Our model extends prior research by identifying job similarity between current and future job as a driver of a firm's promotion strategy. Depending on organizational and labor market characteristics, similar jobs can increase or decrease the chances for careers within a single firm. The results help to explain why firms with different structures or from different industries use different promotion strategies.
Keywords: Promotion, Job Similarity, Organizational Design
JEL Classification: J31, M51, D86
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation