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Nice guys don't always finish last: succeeding in hierarchical organizations

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  • Doron Klunover

Abstract

What are the chances of an ethical individual rising through the ranks of a political party or a corporation in the presence of unethical peers? To answer this question, I consider a four-player two-stage elimination tournament, in which players are partitioned into those willing to be involved in sabotage behavior and those who are not. I show that, under certain conditions, the latter are more likely to win the tournament.

Suggested Citation

  • Doron Klunover, 2020. "Nice guys don't always finish last: succeeding in hierarchical organizations," Papers 2007.04435, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2007.04435
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