

The Superstar Effect - cwan
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/04/the_superstar_effect.php

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chegra84
I think superstar effect might be valid if only one person is going to win.
Clearly, some people have genetic and experience advantages that would take
years for the superstar's competitors to achieve, and why exert the force
given the implicit probability that you are going to lose is high? The
situation changes where there are number of top spots. Sure there might be one
or two superstars, but it is more likely that you would place in a top spot. I
am talking about GE competition scheme with 20-70-10. I think, everybody would
think that they can reach a top 20% spot. The employees would know some people
are a guaranteed for those spots but the others are very much open to someone
willing to work hard, so in this sense I don't think it impedes
competitiveness.

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nazgulnarsil
I think it is valid for each edge case where the rewards for placing in a
certain position significantly jump. if you believe that you can easily take a
position, and that you are unlikely to make the jump to the next tier of
positions even with significant investment you aren't going to make that
investment for such an unsure gain.

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chegra84
I agree. But given a wider pool of top spots implementing a competitive
strategy is in the best interest of the corporation. So, from an individual
stand point and you are on the edge it's bad for your own competitiveness but
think in terms of a system having a wide edge will aid into profitability of
the company.

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whatwhatwhat
this immediately made me think of 99designs.com

...but of course it applies everywhere

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imp
Does 99designs have superstars like Tiger Woods?

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ThomPete
99designs is the superstar

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sliverstorm
It seems pretty clear to me it's about the perceived differences in skill. If
I played Bobby Fischer, I might be tempted to give up too- I've played chess
maybe 50-100 times in my life.

In other words, if we see the opponent as within reach, or even just a little
out of reach, we will struggle to get there. However, if we see the opponent
as completely unreachable, it would be foolish to expend energy on an
impossible task!

And as whatwhatwhat said, this effect applies EVERYWHERE. The psychological
impact of 'first blood' in a fight, or shock-and-awe campaigns and other
morale issues in armed forces also comes to mind.

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kmak
If you play Bobby Fischer, you probably won't need to give up - it might be
over before too long!

I agree with the perceived skill though. During the Winter Olympics and
curling, everyone thought they could do better. Probably not so much, but
people feel that they can.

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sliverstorm
Haha right on, he'd probably beat me in ( n - 1 ) moves, where n is the least
number of moves required to win a game of chess. Perhaps even turn 0 :)

