Sustaining long-form cooperation is a psycho-spiritual challenge. We can benefit from approaching cooperation as a potentially transformative encounter, not a personal sacrifice. Understanding the motivations we bring to social exchanges allows for more seamless cooperation.Cooperative efforts generally have a short shelf-life.
Making Cooperation More Reliable
Meaningful work often consists of risky cooperation with empowered and opinionated individuals
- We react, create, and work within a social environment, and so there emerges a responsibility to connect both with those who are impacted by our actions and those who could impact the effectiveness of our actions with their own subsequent reactions
- Doing creative activities with others makes us better equipped for the uncertain future that we are shaping with our actions
Understanding What Motivates
Humans constantly engage in a dance of influence.
- There are at least three distinct motivations behind our willingness to meaningfully cooperate: A moral motivation tied to our internal system of values, a relational motivation to establish or maintain a satisfying personal relationship with somebody, and an economic motivation to enrich or avoid loss.
Pals or Principles
When morally motivated, we cooperate based on an assessment of how well the situation aligns with our personal values
- This means that although my ongoing support is fundamental to the success of our cooperative efforts, it will only work so long as the situation on the ground aligns consistently with my principles
- In contrast, when relationally motivated – we cooperate because we want and expect to establish or maintain a satisfying personal relationship, usually based on reciprocity
