Page 13 - Harvard Business Review (November-December, 2017)

unambiguous, objective results and ask: positions at large companies, for example.
Which group choked less when it mattered? You don’t generally see average Joes or
Janes filling them. You see a different type
But wait. You were looking at of elite, experienced performer. And still CUSTOMIZE
women playing women and men only about 4% of Fortune 500 chief
playing men. If one player was executives are women. YOUR PATH TO
underperforming because
of the pressure, wasn’t WOMEN CHOKED Even if we stick to the narrow
his or her opponent—a LESS THAN MEN finding—in Grand Slam tennis LEADERSHIP
person of the same sex— IN SITUATIONS matches women choke less
outperforming in the same THAT MATTERED. than men do—how do you
circumstances? That’s why explain it? We don’t know, Gain the key competencies
we focused on the server. There’s but it could be biological. If you you need to succeed.
wide agreement among tennis experts look at the literature on cortisol, the
that any given point depends more on stress hormone, you’ll find that levels of Complete three programs
the performance of the server, who has it increase more rapidly in men than in in 36 months to earn the
complete control over the first shot of the women—in scenarios from golf rounds to
point, than of the receiver, who simply public speaking—and that those spikes Certificate of Management
reacts to it. On average, the person serving can hurt performance. We weren’t able to Excellence.
wins 72.6% of the time. So when a server get blood samples from the tennis players,
loses a critical point, it’s more often but I wonder if we might have found
because he or she choked than because the similar evidence. Danny Cohen-Zada, Ze’ev
other player came through in the clutch. Shtudiner, and I have also published some Aligning Strategy and Sales
research suggesting that men are more
Isn’t there more parity in men’s affected by psychological momentum 10–15 DEC 2017
professional tennis, though? Maybe than women are. We looked at bronze
the male servers were just up against medal judo fights from 2009 to 2013 and Authentic Leader Development
tougher competition? Or Federer’s and found that men who had prevailed in their 10–15 DEC 2017
Djokovic’s stellar returns skewed the previous contests were more likely to win
results? Our estimations controlled for in bronze medal rounds than men who
player characteristics within a given match, had just lost, whereas female competitors’ Strategic Negotiations
including world ranking, body-mass index, prior-fight record had no effect on their 21–26 JAN 2018
height, and home-court advantage. probability of victory. Again, that makes
sense biologically because we know Leading Product Innovation
Still, what if you looked at mixed that testosterone, a proven performance
doubles Grand Slam games—high- enhancer, spikes after triumph and ebbs 05–09 FEB 2018
stakes competition involving both after defeat in men, but not in women.
sexes? Do you think you’d get different While winners who keep winning might Leading Change and
results? It’s certainly possible. At least sound like a good thing to you, outside Organizational Renewal
one lab experiment has shown that women the athletic world, there’s a risk it leads
respond more positively to increasing to overconfidence. 18–23 MAR 2018
pressure in a single-sex environment than
they do in a mixed-sex one, while men So we’re not the weaker, more emotional Strategy: Building and
perform better in the latter. So we do sex after all? It’s funny: I’m from Israel, Sustaining Competitive
have to be careful about making where everyone is required to serve Advantage
generalizations. And in most real- IN BRONZE MEDAL in the national military, and we’re
life arenas, including the labor JUDO FIGHTS, having a big debate right now 03–08 JUN 2018
market, women obviously have WOMEN WERE about whether women should
to compete with men. UNAFFECTED BY take on combat roles. In a recent Changing the Game:
PERFORMANCE IN televised discussion of the issue, Negotiation and Competitive
We’re not all Serena Williams PRIOR ROUNDS. one speaker cited our study to Decision–Making
either. I get your point. Our study justify a shift to gender equality
looked at the best of the best in tennis. in the military. Physically speaking, 29 JUL–03 AUG 2018
Perhaps these elite female athletes have men are still stronger than women, on
something that most women don’t, which average. But if you’re talking about mental
enables them to be more clutch than men toughness, maybe in certain circumstances
at the same high level. But think about it’s women who have the edge.
other roles in which you’d want people Interview by Alison Beard Get started at
who stay calm under pressure—CEO HBR Reprint F1706B www.exed.hbs.edu/ee-hbr

51125-17_8697_HBR_Third_NovDec17_Release.indd 1 9/7/17 9:41 AM