Right on the Money?

We study how the optimal configuration of the overall pay system differs between firms that pursue growth‐oriented and efficiency‐oriented strategies. Our results show that growth‐oriented firms (prospectors) benefit from pay structures with relatively large pay differentials horizontally between employees based on ability, effort, and results. Efficiency‐oriented firms (defenders), on the other hand, benefit from pay structures with relatively larger differences in pay across organizational levels vertically. Our findings suggest that while defenders should pay special attention to average pay levels to avoid over compensating their employees relative to competitors, prospectors should pay attention to the CEO‐employee pay differentials to avoid overcompensating executives relative to employees. Overall, our findings provide further evidence on the importance of matching the pay system design to a firm’s strategy.