| This is a laboratory study examining the effects of pay dispersion on knowledge sharing behaviors, individual attitudes, and individual perceptions. Participants were placed in one of four experimental conditions and were asked to complete two decision making tasks. Depending on the experimental conditions, participants were paid, either a flat fee, or an amount based on the quality of their performance. In some situations, they were given an explanation for the pay decision, in other situations they were not. Results indicate no impact on knowledge sharing behaviors. However, pay dispersion did have deleterious effects on attitudes and perceptions. Explanations served to mitigate these negative reactions. Distributive and informational justice variables served as the causal mechanisms between pay dispersion, explanation, and the outcome variables. |
