Student Work

Studying Managerial Foresight in Sports Analytics

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The study of managerial performance is increasingly important in people analytics, especially the topic of managerial foresight. We developed insights into this topic using data from the National Basketball Association (NBA), collecting detailed managerial and player performance data for all teams in the NBA between 1976 and 2015. By leveraging the semi-random allocation of drafting positions in the NBA draft, we developed causal insights into the factors that best inform a manager's ability to make effective long-term decisions. Our analysis suggests that while managers with greater experience in drafts is statistically strongly correlated with drafting of higher performing players, managers with prior playing experience are statistically no or weakly better than managers without playing experience. These results are robust to the inclusion of a battery of fixed and random effects to address potential heterogeneities. We discuss these results in the broader context of people analytics and human resource management.

  • This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.
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Identifier
  • 66371
  • E-project-042922-183139
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Year
  • 2022
Date created
  • 2022-04-29
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Permanent link to this page: https://digital.wpi.edu/show/pr76f659x