IACM VSS: “Cooperation Liberates: Putting the “Us” in Autonomous” w/ Nir Halevy
Cooperation Liberates: Putting the “Us” in Autonomous
w/ Nir Halevy
Stanford University
Graduate School of Business
Click Here to Register for the Session
Moderator: Selin Kesebir
Using “Schedule 1”
45 minutes
Monday, October 21st
Schedule 1:
- 8 AM US Pacific
- 11 AM US Eastern
- 5 PM Amsterdam
- 11 AM Singapore
- 2 AM (next day) Melbourne
Abstract:
Encroachments on employee autonomy are ubiquitous as they are diverse, with threats to employee autonomy ranging from institutional control systems to incentive packages that function as golden handcuffs. Surprisingly, little is known about how social interactions at work shape employees’ ability to fulfill their autonomy needs. With Valentino Chai, we examine how the fundamental building blocks of social interaction – cooperation and competition – shape employee autonomy. Integrating concepts from interdependence theory, rivalry theory, and self-determination theory, we propose and find that cooperation fulfills autonomy needs better than either competition or independence. We find support for this hypothesis across five studies that used diverse samples and methodologies, including incentivized decision-making experiments, surveys with NCAA athletes and workers, and archival data of federal employees’ experiences at work. Our findings indicate that cooperation fulfills autonomy needs by reducing stress and enhancing psychological safety relative to competition. We discuss implications of these findings for organizational structure and culture, and for employees’ wellbeing during a time period marked by social and technological turmoil.
Bio:
Nir Halevy is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He studies decision-making, group processes and intergroup relations, and social influence processes in negotiations, organizational hierarchies, and social networks. He teaches courses and workshops on negotiation, game theory, and leadership.
