More and more organizations are requiring employees to work together in teams. Team success often depends on how well team members cooperate with each other. Today’s best managers know that some team members may not contribute, but instead may ride on the efforts of other team members. To decrease this problem, managers can help create a feeling of reciprocity, meaning that team members see how much everyone is contributing and benefitting in return. When team members perceive a reciprocal relationship, then they contribute even more and overall team performance will continue to rise.
Source: Biele, G., Rieskamp, J., & Czienskowski, U. 2008. Explaining cooperation in groups: Testing models of reciprocity and learning. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 106, 89-105.
