Three essays on injuries and performance

• Main Author: Martins, Hugo Alves
• Other Authors: Thomas Rockstuhl
• Format: Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Business::Management
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143576
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

We know little about the consequences of injuries on the performance of teams and organizations. This dissertation explores the topic of injuries and performance in three essays. Essay 1 presents a scientometric analysis of the literature on injuries and work performance across multiple disciplines. This reveals a gap in research on the consequences of injuries at the team and organizational levels. To address this gap, I focus on team-level consequences of injuries in the subsequent two empirical essays. Both essays seek to answer the question: “Are injuries injurious?” I draw on membership change and strategic core theories to advance theory on the effects of injury on team performance. In Essay 2, I hypothesize a negative effect of the quantity of injuries on team performance and propose that the quality of the injured players may accentuate this negative effect. In Essay 3, I replicate findings from Essay 2 and extend my theoretical model to include bench strength as a mitigating boundary condition. I empirically test my theoretical model using data on injuries and performance from professional soccer matches (Essay 2: 1,520 matches in the English Premier League; Essay 3: 1,105 matches in Major League Soccer). I discover that injuries do not appear to be injurious to teams, a finding that highlights the remarkable capacity of soccer teams to handle the potential negative effects of injuries. Such resilience suggests that current theorizing on membership change, with its focus on departing and incoming members, may be incomplete. Future research may need to consider the broader team context (beyond departing and incoming members), such as routines that allow teams to adapt in the face of injuries. For example, organizations that develop sufficient standby capabilities, particularly for more central roles, may be able to successfully adjust strategies and withstand unexpected membership disruptions, such as those caused by injuries. In addition, to complement an organization’s bench strength, it may be useful to develop flexible pools of talent, possibly through cross-training. Having well-defined team role structures may also facilitate replacements to assume their new roles with sufficient understanding of the associated responsibilities and inter-dependencies, thus mitigating the impact of injuries for organizations.