When a company’s top executive pays a visit to frontline workers, it’s the boost in motivation—not just the feeling of being watched—that can drive up productivity, according to a study led by Cornell researchers.

In an experiment at a Latin American bank, the researchers observed a significant increase in sales of credit cards, term deposits, insurance, and other products both in the days leading up to and the weeks following a visit from the division manager.

“I’ve worked as a consultant and have always believed in the power of field visits. When people feel important and heard, it’s a powerful motivator,” the researchers explain.

Being visible

One effective strategy to achieve this is “management by walking around,” where executives visit frontline workers to observe, provide support, and demonstrate that they genuinely care about their employees.

To test this idea, the research team conducted a field experiment in the retail division of a mid-sized bank in Latin America. The bank was in the midst of a sales competition among its 170 branches, but the researchers didn’t believe this would skew their results.

“Our thinking was, ‘Let’s do this when incentives are already high,’” they say. “If we see any additional productivity boost, it confirms that the effect is real.”

The researchers coordinated with a newly hired division manager who planned visits to 79 branches over three months. The manager, new to the job, used these visits to introduce himself and express his enthusiasm for being part of the team.

Assessing the impact

To assess the impact of these visits, the researchers developed mathematical models to predict the motivational effects. They proposed two main ideas: first, that frontline employees would increase their effort when visited by a top manager; and second, that branches with strong past performance would see a greater boost from these visits compared to those with weaker performance.

The researchers gathered sales data from the bank’s analytics department and found that productivity, measured as the percentage above sales goals, surged significantly before a visit and remained elevated for about a month afterward.

Through field interviews, the team confirmed that this uptick was driven by increased motivation, including the anticipation of the manager’s visit. This also explained why higher-performing branches saw a greater increase in productivity—these branches benefited more from the motivational boost, whereas underperforming branches might have needed more guidance or monitoring.

“We believe there’s an ideal frequency for these visits,” the authors conclude. “You need to keep the motivation alive; your workers shouldn’t feel overlooked.”