The Paradox of Task Difficulty: Divergent Effects On Quitting Versus Effort In A Five-Year Natural Field Experiment Involving Volunteers At A Major Nonprofit Organization

Authors:

Abstract: *Joint first-authorship.

Although volunteer behavior often plays an important role in helping resolve conflicts, there is little causal field evidence about the drivers of volunteer behavior. Scholars have assumed that when volunteers are assigned to do more (versus less) difficult tasks, it will both increase quitting and decrease effort (among volunteers who do not quit). We challenge this assumption by theorizing and demonstrating the paradox of task difficulty: although being assigned to more (versus less) difficult tasks can be an aversive factor that leads some volunteers to quit, it may ironically increase effort among those who do not quit. This is because the mere act of choosing to not quit following an aversive event can spark a sensemaking process, where volunteers – seeking to interpret and explain why they did not quit – infer they must hold an especially positive attitude towards their job, prompting them to invest greater effort into tasks going forward.

Track: DEC

Keywords: field experiment, decision making, prosocial behavior, non-profit organization