Impact of Employee Stock Ownership Plans on Productivity in Video Game Companies

Abstract

The article deals with the importance of ESOPs (employee stock option plan) for the motivation of key employees of companies producing and publishing computer games. The conducted literature review led to the identification of a motivation model that explains how ESOPs can affect the motivation of employees in this industry. An analysis of the available studies on the importance of ESOPs for employee motivation revealed the existence of at least one key success factor of ESOPs—psychological ownership. The empirical study includes an ESOP analysis of five computer game companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in terms of changes in the dynamics of employee productivity caused by an ESOP. One of the most important discoveries is the relationship between productivity and the structure of the ESOP, in particular the percentage of company shares that were offered to its participants.