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We examine theoretically and experimentally how combining between-team and within-team incentives affects behavior in team tournaments. Theory predicts that free-riding will occur when there are only between-team incentives, and offering within-team incentives may solve this problem. However, if individuals collude, then within-team incentives may not be as effective at reducing free-riding. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, the results of our experiment indicate that although between-team incentives are effective at increasing individual effort, there is substantial free-riding and declining effort over time. Importantly, a combination of between-team and within-team incentives is effective not only at generating effort but also at sustaining effort over time, mitigating free-riding problem, increasing cooperation and decreasing collusion within teams.JEL Classifications: C70, D72, H41

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Many organizations offer profit sharing plans to motivate increased effort and goal congruence. However, an unintended consequence of such plans may be to reduce honesty in managerial reporting. We investigate two commonly observed profit sharing plans (individual and pooled) in a laboratory experiment where multiple agents with private cost information submit budget requests to an employer. Consistent with our prediction based on crowding theory, our findings suggest that honesty is reduced in the presence of an individual profit sharing plan. However, when a pooled profit sharing plan is used, the adverse effects on honesty are partially mitigated. Our results suggest that an unintended consequence of profit sharing (decreased honesty) can be mitigated through interdependency from pooled plans. The results have practical implications, given that organizations have flexibility in establishing both the size and scope of their profit sharing plans. Our study also contributes to our understanding of reporting behavior, particularly in multi‐agent settings.