A Very Extreme Case of the Dollar Auction

This article presents the true story of an exercise conducted in an executive MBA class. The Dollar Auction has been used to great benefit in many classes on negotiations and organizational behavior. The case described here represents the most extreme outcome that the author or his colleagues have ever observed. It leads to a number of observations about emotions, rationality, and strategy in the heat of battle and provides an opportunity to discuss the potent effects of time pressure and competition in individual and organizational decision making.