Motivating from the heights: a field experiment on top managers visiting the front-line

Pablo Casas-Arce, F. Asís Martínez-Jerez, Joseph Moran

Review of Accounting Studies · 2025 · Volume 30 · Issue 2

Abstract

We analyze the motivational effects of managing by walking around (MBWA), a management style that emphasizes managers’ visits to the rank and file of the company. We do so by conducting a field experiment in the retail division of a Latin American bank. We find that branches significantly increase sales productivity following the management visit, an effect that begins prior to the top manager’s visit and persists for at least a month afterward. We also find a higher impact of the visit on high-performing branches. Our results indicate that motivation is a significant channel through which MBWA improves employee performance.

Keywords

Leadership, Culture, MBWA, Management by walking around, Teams, Incentives

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.