The main goal of this project is to obtain clean estimates of the role that social interactions
play in determining worker productivity. To do this, my coauthor and I are partnering with a large
Brazilian company to implement training interventions that will increase productivity and modify the
level of social interactions between workers and their bosses. During this summer, we visited the
factory for four weeks. Our main goals were to formalize our working relationship with the firm,
obtain important information and data, and start setting up the stage to successfully conduct the
study. In every respect, our visit to the factory was a success. During our visits, we were given full
access to the production lines and were able to interact with workers and managers during their day to-
day activities. We were also granted access to confidential data on the firm’s business practices
and production processes. My coauthor and I are currently analyzing the data, focusing on the
productivity effects of past training programs and how it relates to the length of time workers and
bosses had been working together (prior to the intervention). At the same time, we are working on
modifying an upcoming training program to obtain variation in the level of interactions between
workers and bosses. The outlook is promising and we expect to continue working with the firm for
the foreseeable future.
