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Research recognizes that people make many decisions based on how they expect their choices to make them feel, say the researchers. The study, "Forecasting and Backcasting: Predicting the Impact of Events on the Future" is forthcoming in the Journal of Consumer Research. 'Playing Nice' Can Pay Off J. Mark Weber J. Keith Murnighan 56 Many people believe that individuals who give too much risk being taken advantage of by others with more selfish motives. But if done correctly, consistently coopera- tive behavior can pay dividends, according to a recent study by J. Mark Weber, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management in Canada, and J. Keith Murnighan, a profes- sor of management and organiza- tion at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois. For their study, "Suckers or Saviors? Consis- tent Contribu- tors in Social Dilemmas," the researchers ana- lyzed data from previous experi- ments, and then they created two additional experiments of their own. They found that consistent contributors (CCs)—whom the research- ers define as "individuals who always contrib- BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2009 ute" whether or not those around them reciprocate—can actually influence the cooperative behavior of a whole group. In one of their own experi- ments, Weber and Murnighan divided 48 participants into two types of groups: a control group with no CCs or a group with a CC. Participants were pro- vided with 60 "units" that they could either keep in their per- sonal accounts or contribute to the group's account. After each round, players were given their share of the group units. Players who chose to keep their units in their personal accounts received their share of the group account plus their own 60 units. At the end of the game, par- ticipants knew they would receive a chance to win a $25, $50, or $100 prize for every unit they possessed. The experimenters found that "members of groups with CCs involved did significantly better than people in groups that did not include a CC." Moreover, those who witnessed others putting their units into the group account were more likely to do the same. Cooperators aren't necessarily "suckers" waiting to be exploited, says Weber. Instead, consistently cooperative individuals "seem to set a tone and shape how their fel- low group members understand situations," he says. "Groups become more productive, more economically efficient, and, anec- dotally, people enjoy being part of them more as a result." The paper was published in the January issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It also is available online at www. rotman.utoronto.ca/newthinking/ contributors.pdf. UPCOMING & ONGOING n PERFORMANCE AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR Swee Goh, a professor of organiza- tional behavior and human resource management, has received a three- year, $45,000 fellowship funded by Interis, a Canadian management- consulting firm. As the first Interis Fellow, the professor at the Uni- versity of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management in Canada will study how the concept of performance management can be applied at all levels of government and in other public-sector organizations. Goh wants his research to "produce practical applications that senior executives in government can use to measure and improve the perfor- mance of their organizations." n FOCUS ON HEALTH INNOVATION The Ivey School of Business at Canada's University of Western Ontario in London is working with the Canadian government to create the Ivey Centre for Health Innovation and Leadership. The center, which will receive $5 million EVANSTON PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO