Peer-to-Peer Recognition Leaderboards and Employee Helping Behavior

Abstract

Firms commonly use leaderboards within their peer-to-peer recognition programs. We conduct an experiment to examine how ranking basis – the measure used to determine leaderboard rankings – affects employees’ helping behavior. We find that a leaderboard that ranks employees based on the number of times peer-to-peer recognition is received (given) leads to less (more) helping. These findings advance theory regarding how ranking basis influences the social norms and related motivation underlying helping behavior. Further, these findings suggest that firms can use leaderboards within their peer-to-peer recognition programs as a low-cost tool to promote helping, but that caution is needed when selecting the measure used to rank employees.

Keywords: Helping, leaderboard, peer-to-peer recognition, ranking basis