Football coaches know that the right team composition is crucial for success. The same is true for corporate teams that have to master complex tasks in a business context. But while it is often difficult for management scientists to gain insights into team dynamics and decision-making in companies, there is much more and better data available in the world of football: there are many companies who are in the business of recording and evaluating every minute of play and every touch of the ball by professional footballers. Can this data be used to draw general conclusions about what defines good team management?

This is exactly what WU Professor Jonas Puck had in mind when he founded the Research Initiative on Sports and Management (RISM) together with his co-researcher Jakob Müllner. After all, professional sports is a microcosm of society – and findings from the world of sports can provide important insights to improve management work in other areas. This also works the other way around, however: Jonas Puck and his colleagues are also looking for ways in which management science can help to improve certain processes in professional sports.