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Managerial Intervention, Employee Motivation, and Collaboration

Roi Orzach & Kramer Quist

Management Science2026https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2025.01366article
FT50UTD24AJG 4*ABDC A*
Weight
0.37

Abstract

The economic literature on delegation focuses on the subordinate’s improved motivation when liberated from managerial intervention in decision making. However, many managers motivate employees while proactively intervening in the decision-making process. We build a principal-agent model to analyze when managerial intervention is, and is not, motivational to the agent. Although managerial intervention may demotivate the agent when leading to actions that waste employee effort, managerial intervention can also motivate the agent by incentivizing principal effort that complements the agent’s effort. In fact, delegation may demotivate the agent when the principal and agent work collaboratively. Our results speak to understanding the role of strategic complementarity in determining when various managerial practices do, and do not, motivate employees. This paper was accepted by Maria Guadalupe, business strategy.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2025.01366

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@article{roi2026,
  title        = {{Managerial Intervention, Employee Motivation, and Collaboration}},
  author       = {Roi Orzach & Kramer Quist},
  journal      = {Management Science},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2025.01366},
}

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.