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Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers

Author

Listed:
  • Henning Piezunka

    (INSEAD, 77305 Fontainebleau, France)

  • Wonjae Lee

    (Graduate School of Culture Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 34141 Daejeon, Republic of Korea)

  • Richard Haynes

    (US Treasury, Washington, DC 20581)

  • Matthew S. Bothner

    (European School of Management and Technology, 10178 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

This article investigates the factors that escalate competition into dangerous conflict. Recent sociological theorizing claims that such escalations are particularly likely in dyads of structurally equivalent people (i.e., actors who have the same relations with the same third parties). Using panel data on Formula One races from 1970 through 2014, we model the probability that two drivers collide on the racetrack (an observable trace of conflict) as a function of their structural equivalence in a dynamic network of competitive relationships. Our main hypothesis, that the likelihood of conflict rises with structural equivalence, receives empirical support. Our findings also show that the positive association between structural equivalence and conflict is neither merely a matter of contention for official position nor an artifact of inherently hostile parties spatially exposed to each other. Our analyses further reveal that this positive association is concentrated in a number of theoretically predictable conditions: among age-similar dyads, among stronger performers, in stable competitive networks, and in safe, rather than dangerous, weather conditions. Implications for future research on conflict, networks, and tournaments are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Henning Piezunka & Wonjae Lee & Richard Haynes & Matthew S. Bothner, 2018. "Escalation of competition into conflict in competitive networks of Formula One drivers," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 115(15), pages 3361-3367, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:115:y:2018:p:e3361-e3367
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. James Chu, 2023. "Clarity from Violence? Intragroup Aggression and the Structure of Status Hierarchies," American Sociological Review, , vol. 88(3), pages 454-492, June.
    2. Henning Piezunka & Thorsten Grohsjean, 2023. "Collaborations that hurt firm performance but help employees’ careers," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 778-811, March.
    3. Michael A. Lapré & Candace Cravey, 2022. "When Success Is Rare and Competitive: Learning from Others’ Success and My Failure at the Speed of Formula One," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(12), pages 8741-8756, December.

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