Bosses matter a lot, according to a study of a large technology firm whose operations, closely monitored by computer, provided ready measures of productivity. Going from a boss in the bottom 10% of quality to one in the top 10% improved productivity among the supervised employees by as much as adding another worker to a nine-member team. More surprising, the boss made his or her biggest contribution not by motivating workers but by teaching more productive skills.
The study found, counterintuitively, that it pays to assign the best workers to the best bosses, because that strategy results in the largest productivity gains.
"The Value of Bosses," Edward P. Lazear, Kathryn L. Shaw, and Christopher T. Stanton, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 18317 (August)
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