Chapter 17

Question 1

What defines a star performer?

Answer 1

Rare, high-performing individual with high visibility, social capital, and organizational resources who contributes strongly to firm competitiveness.

Question 2

Three core traits of star performers

Answer 2

High performance, high visibility, and high social capital (balance of all three is ideal).

Question 3

Differences between stars and nonstars

Answer 3

Stars show exceptional contributions, power/status, visibility, and attract concentrated resources.

Question 4

What causes the “rich get richer” spiral?

Answer 4

Resource concentration and visibility advantages (Linsay et al., 1995).

Question 5

Three types of star performers

Answer 5

Universal stars, Performance stars, Status stars.

Question 6

Universal stars

Answer 6

High status + high task contribution; add value via exceptional performance, access to external resources, and mentoring influence.

Question 7

Performance stars

Answer 7

Low status + high task contribution; strong performers or rising rookies with potential for future high status.

Question 8

Status stars

Answer 8

High status + low task contribution; contribute indirectly through affiliation, reputation, or networks.

Question 9

True or False: Universal stars have high status and contribute substantially.

Answer 9

✅ True

Question 10

True or False: Performance stars have as high a status as universal stars.

Answer 10

❌ False

Question 11

True or False: Performance stars may gain future high status.

Answer 11

✅ True

Question 12

True or False: Performance stars contribute even with low status.

Answer 12

✅ True

Question 13

True or False: Universal stars usually have lower status than performance stars.

Answer 13

❌ False

Question 14

True or False: All status stars make direct task contributions.

Answer 14

❌ False

Question 15

Affiliation-based status means…

Answer 15

Connection with elite individuals or institutions.

Question 16

True or False: Status stars create direct value through task performance.

Answer 16

❌ False

Question 17

Former universal stars can become what type?

Answer 17

Status stars.

Question 18

In some cases, status stars can act as…

Answer 18

Network agents (connectors, mentors).

Question 19

Positive influence of star performers

Answer 19

Proven high performance and high return on investment.

Question 20

Negative influence of star performers

Answer 20

Overshadowing coworkers, ego issues, envy, cultural misfit, organizational overreliance.

Question 21

Risk of overreliance on stars

Answer 21

Turnover, excessive influence, decreased innovation, neglect of nonstars.

Question 22

Example of cultural misfit

Answer 22

Carly Fiorina at HP — bold change style vs. consensus-driven culture.

Question 23

Moderators affecting star impact

Answer 23

Political skill, task interdependence, number/proportion of stars, and task assignment type.

Question 24

Political skill example

Answer 24

Star A undermines others vs. Star B supports others (Cullen et al., 2018).

Question 25

Task interdependence meaning

Answer 25

Degree to which tasks require collaboration; higher interdependence can reduce star conflicts.

Question 26

Seed vs. single-unit assignment

Answer 26

Stars can either be spread as “seeds” or grouped in single units (Kehoe et al., 2018).

Question 27

AMO Model for managing stars

Answer 27

A = Ability, M = Motivation, O = Opportunity.

Question 28

Ability-enhancing practices

Answer 28

Ensure skill-demand and culture fit; offer training and development.

Question 29

Motivation-enhancing practices

Answer 29

Recognize contributions, provide both financial and social rewards, foster positive climate.

Question 30

Opportunity-enhancing practices

Answer 30

Empower stars, promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mentoring.

Question 31

True or False: Star employees’ performance never provokes envy.

Answer 31

❌ False

Question 32

True or False: Overdependence on stars can cause neglect of nonstars.

Answer 32

✅ True

Question 33

True or False: Self-interested behavior can hinder collaboration.

Answer 33

✅ True