Workplace Cooperation: Why Individual Differences Matter

This technical chapter provides empirical evidence for the first laboratory scenario-based experiment (Study 1) that addresses how individual differences in personality interact with excessive extrinsic rewards, leading to employee cooperation. As such, this chapter sets out to (i) dispel the conflict on the efficacy of excessive extrinsic rewards, (ii) decompose individual differences among employees in their interaction with excessive extrinsic rewards, and (iii) examine the theoretical basis of cooperation. Furthermore, we examine the moderating effects of locus of control and general trust that underscore employee expectations in the relationship between excessive extrinsic reward and cooperation.