Competition and Cooperation: Effects of Value Dissensus and Predisposition to Help

Abstract

Two studies were conducted in order to investigate the effects of cooperation and competition on performance and satisfaction. In Study One, it was hypothesized that the effects of cooperation vs. competition may be exacerbated by perceptions of value differences. Value dissensus did interact with the cooperation-competition variable for the satisfaction measure, but not for the performance measure. A main effect for performance was found, however, due to subjects in the cooperative condition performing significantly better than subjects in the competitive condition. In Study Two, an attempt was made to discover when cooperation may have advantages over competition. It was hypothesized that people who highly valued employee citizenship behavior would work better in a cooperative environment. An interaction was found suggesting individuals who highly value the helping dimension of citizenship behavior perform better under cooperative incentives than similar individuals under competitive conditions.