Group Formation and Commitment in Multi-Person Productive Exchange

多人富有成效的交流中的团体形成和承诺

• 批准号: 9514860
• 负责人: Edward Lawler
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Cornell Univ - State: AWDS MADE PRIOR MAY 2010
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-04-15 至 1999-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9514860&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Group; Formation; Commitment; Multi; Person

This is an experimental study of group formation in multi-person productive exchange. It extends the theory of relational cohesion, which was developed in studies of two-person exchange, involving three or more people and incorporating the uncertainty-reduction effects of repetitive exchange. The theoretical argument is that when three or more people negotiate jointly-beneficial collaborative efforts and do so repeatedly, individuals sense a cohesive group above and beyond person-to-person ties, and this cognitive or psychological group formation produces greater commitment to the group. This group formation process takes place ostensibly because frequent exchange among the same people produces positive feelings and reduces uncertainty about each other. Multi-person exchange makes the group a unifying force, because subtle "two against one" pressures are likely to constrain opportunism or malfeasance and make negotiations more routine over time. %%% The theory will be tested in an experimental setting in which three people can negotiate a joint venture that provides payoffs to each that they cannot produce alone or in dyadic transactions. Each person's profit is contingent on the group, and the group effort requires the assent of each person. This is a form of productive exchange, where the joint good produced is divisible, and each person has an incentive to claim as much of this good as possible. The project calls for two experiments, manipulating the average dependence of the individuals on the group (person-to-person dependence) and whether there is a difference between individuals' dependence on the group (equality or inequality of person-to-group dependence). The major theoretical propositions are that greater average (total) dependence on the group and more equal person-to-group dependencies produce more negotiated agreements which then unleash an endogenous group-formation process. Positive emotions and reduced uncertainty are key moments in this endogenous process, because these should enhance perceptions of group cohesion which, in turn, generate commitment behavior. %%% Each experiment examines a different form of commitment behavior. The first examines symbolic (token) gift giving among members. Stronger commitment is indicated by greater propensities for all members of the group to give token gifts to all others. The second experiment examines whether members will contribute to a new joint venture in which each has an incentive for opportunism or malfeasance. In sum, the theory predicts that certain power-dependence conditions will affect, indirectly rather than directly, the degree that members give each other gifts and the degree that they trust each other enough to contribute in an N-person social dilemma. %%% This project has broader implications for collaborative efforts of multiple entities, whether these are individuals, groups, organizations, or societies. Under favorable relative and mutual dependencies, people exchange repeatedly, come to define themselves as a group, ascribe value to the group itself, and become more inclined to do things for the group and its members. The commitment process involves movement from instrumental toward expressive person-to-group relations. One result is an incipient normative order manifest in mutual expectations of cooperation. Overall, this project suggests a fundamental way that small-scale social order comes about and is maintained in multi-person exchanges.

这是一项关于多人生产性交换中群体形成的实验研究。它扩展了关系衔接理论，这是在两个人的交流研究中发展起来的，涉及三个或更多的人，并纳入重复交流的不确定性减少效果。理论上的论点是，当三个或更多的人协商共同有益的合作努力，并反复这样做时，个人会感觉到一个超越人与人之间关系的有凝聚力的群体，这种认知或心理群体的形成会产生对群体的更大承诺。这种群体形成过程的发生表面上是因为同一个人之间频繁的交流产生了积极的感情，减少了彼此的不确定性。多人交流使团队成为一股团结的力量，因为微妙的“二对一”压力可能会限制机会主义或渎职行为，并使谈判随着时间的推移变得更加常规。这个理论将在一个实验环境中得到检验，在这个实验环境中，三个人可以协商一个合资企业，这个合资企业为每个人提供他们无法单独或在二元交易中生产的回报。每个人的利润取决于团队，团队的努力需要每个人的同意。这是生产性交换的一种形式，生产的共同产品是可分割的，每个人都有动机要求尽可能多的这种产品。该项目要求进行两个实验，操纵个人对群体的平均依赖（人对人的依赖）以及个人对群体的依赖之间是否存在差异（人对群体依赖的平等或不平等）。主要的理论命题是，更大的平均（总）依赖于组和更平等的个人对组的依赖性产生更多的谈判协议，然后释放一个内源性的组形成过程。积极的情绪和减少不确定性是这个内源性过程中的关键时刻，因为这些应该增强群体凝聚力的看法，这反过来又会产生承诺行为。%每个实验检查不同形式的承诺行为。第一个调查成员之间象征性的礼物赠送。更强的承诺表现为群体中所有成员都更倾向于向所有其他人赠送象征性的礼物。第二个实验考察的是，如果每个人都有机会主义或渎职的动机，成员是否会为新的合资企业做出贡献。总而言之，该理论预测，某些权力依赖条件会间接而非直接地影响成员相互赠送礼物的程度，以及他们相互信任的程度，从而在N人社会困境中做出贡献。这个项目对多个实体的协作工作有更广泛的影响，无论这些实体是个人、团体、组织还是社会。在良好的相对和相互依赖下，人们反复交流，逐渐将自己定义为一个群体，将价值归于群体本身，并变得更倾向于为群体及其成员做事。承诺过程涉及从工具性的人与群体关系向表达性的人与群体关系的转变。其结果之一是一种初步的规范秩序，体现在相互合作的期望中。总的来说，这个项目提出了一个基本的方式，小规模的社会秩序来，并在多人交流维持。