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Psychological pressure and the right to determine the moves in dynamic tournaments – Evidence from a natural field experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Kassis
  • Sascha L. Schmidt
  • Dominik Schreyer
  • Matthias Sutter

    (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn)

Abstract

In this paper, we show that the right to determine the sequence of moves in a dynamic team tournament improves the chances of winning the contest. Because studying dynamic team tournaments – like R&D races – with interim feedback is difficult with company data, we examine decisions of highly paid professionals in soccer penalty shootouts and show that teams whose captains can decide about the shooting sequence are more likely to win the shootout. So, managerial decisions matter for outcomes of dynamic tournaments and we discuss potential reasons for this finding.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Kassis & Sascha L. Schmidt & Dominik Schreyer & Matthias Sutter, 2020. "Psychological pressure and the right to determine the moves in dynamic tournaments – Evidence from a natural field experiment," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2020_21, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    • Handle: RePEc:mpg:wpaper:2020_21
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Feri, Francesco & Innocenti, Alessandro & Pin, Paolo, 2013. "Is there psychological pressure in competitive environments?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 249-256.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dmitry Dagaev & Sofia Paklina & J. James Reade & Carl Singleton, 2021. "The Iron Curtain and Referee Bias in International Football," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2021-14, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    2. Kai Fischer & J. James Reade & W. Benedikt Schmal, 2021. "The Long Shadow of an Infection: COVID-19 and Performance at Work," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2021-17, Department of Economics, University of Reading.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dynamic tournament; sports professionals; psychological pressure; value of decision rights; penalty shoot-outs; behavioral economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D00 - Microeconomics - - General - - - General
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Z20 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - General

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