Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/178703 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
Kiel Working Paper No. 2105
Publisher: 
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Kiel
Abstract: 
The extent to which individuals cooperate depends on the context. This study analyzes how interactions of workplace context elements affect cooperation when free-riding is possible. Context consists of a novel team building exercise, varying degrees of complementarity in production, and different remuneration schemes. After participation in the team building exercise and when complementarities are high, subjects exert higher efforts under team remuneration than under individual remuneration, despite the possibility to free-ride. Across all contexts, subjects cooperate significantly more than Nash equilibria predict. Compared to contexts in which not all contextual elements are cooperatively aligned, cooperation in a cooperative context relies significantly less on beliefs and personal values. Instead, a cooperative context changes how a subject's achievement motivation influences cooperation. Our findings present insights on how preferences react to context interactions and how these reactions enable organizations to use team incentives.
Subjects: 
team building
workplace context
laboratory experiment
stability of preferences
motivation
cooperation
JEL: 
D2
D91
L23
M14
M52
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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