Social Interdependence Research Articles

"Pints or half-pints": Gender, functional democratization, and the consumption of drink in Ireland.

This paper examines the relationship between the gender power balance, changes in the consumption of alcohol and changing social interdependences. The empirical setting is Ireland circa 1900 up to the present. Drawing from the works of Norbert Elias, I explain how a lessening of the power inequality between men and women was more moderate and limited up to the 1960s. The effect of this was that emancipatory changes around drinking were mainly confined to women from specific social cohorts. As the reduction in gender power inequality accelerated post 1960 it initially increased tensions between the genders, reflected in new power struggles over the social spaces in which drinking occurred and in the type of glass one should drink from. Despite the emergence of less unequal power relations, men continued to have a model setting function in relation to alcohol consumption. A central contention of the paper is the need to give greater consideration to the nature of social interdependences for they can generate a lessening of power inequalities for some social cohorts while failing to generate such a dynamic for other similar social groups.

Impact of views about knowledge and workplace relationships on tacit knowledge sharing

ABSTRACT Tacit Knowledge Sharing (TKS) becomes vital for new knowledge creation. Knowledge creation process encourages the view of knowledge as a public good while knowledge appropriation process encourages knowledge to be viewed as a private good. This paper studies the impact of these views about knowledge on TKS. Based on social interdependency theory, four workplace relationships were identified for studying TKS. “Knowledge as a public good” and “knowledge as a private good” were used as indicator variables. Using OLS regression, the four proposed models were tested. Data for the study was obtained from a questionnaire-based survey of 184 research students. The results revealed “knowledge as non-exclusive” to be a positive predictor of TKS. Viewing knowledge as a private good had a negative relationship with TKS. Implications for research and practitioners are discussed.

Examining the Creative Self-Efficacy, Goal Interdependence, and Satisfaction of New Venture Teams in the Board Game Industry

Abstract This study theoretically and empirically examines the important role that goal structures play in new venture teams. Specifically, we examine how creative self-efficacy affects the satisfaction of team members through cooperative and competitive goal interdependence. Relying on social cognitive and social interdependence theories, we contend that new venture teams’ creative self-efficacy leads to higher team satisfaction because it promotes the perception of cooperative goal structures among team members. We test our theory on new venture teams in the independent board game industry. Results generally support our hypotheses and we discuss the implications for entrepreneurship research and practice.

Using Social Psychology to Constructively Involve Colleagues in Internal Evaluation

Internal evaluators can lead positive, helpful, promotive interactions among colleagues to make evaluation more appropriate, understandable, and accessible. As the motivations and abilities of non-evaluator colleagues are highly varied, interpersonal skills help facilitate cooperation and promote evaluation. Social interdependence theory from social psychology can assist with understanding teamwork and developing interpersonal competence. While the literature links social interdependence theory with evaluation, there is limited understanding of its application in practice. In this article, we share our internal evaluation experiences in three Australian nonprofit organizations to elucidate how we harnessed social connections and interpersonal dynamics to achieve cooperative goals. The purpose of this article is to share our process for using theory and literature to assist with reflecting, planning, and acting, around the way we interact with colleagues. Evaluators may find this process useful when considering how to personalize professional development around interpersonal competencies for evaluation.

Towards collective action in ecosystem services governance: The recognition of social interdependencies in three collective agri-environmental initiatives in Quebec

Governing ecosystem services entails the recognition of mutual and interdependent relations between different actors (i.e. beneficiaries, providers and intermediaries) in relation to each other and the living world. Appreciating these social interdependencies requires understanding ecosystem services as commons, generated at the entanglement of social and biophysical relationships and requiring collective action mechanisms. The objective of this article is to study the processes by which social interdependencies are recognized, and how these processes shape the emergence of collective action in three agri-environmental initiatives in Quebec (Canada). These concern a local program of payment for ecosystem service, an integrated watershed management project, and a political coordination process among 16 rural municipalities. Through a qualitative analysis of observations, semi-structured interviews, and field visits with relevant stakeholders, this study outlines the processes involved in the recognition of social interdependencies beyond already established actions, and sometimes at the margins of the formalized agri-environmental initiative. While the three examples do not appear to be collective actions yet, they result in an increase in social capital, which serves as a crucial intermediary step towards achieving cooperation. Our results show that this emergent cooperation is based on constant (re)negotiation and adaptation, whereby intermediaries (e.g. agronomists, environmental coordinators, NGOs) play a key role by reinforcing existing social networks or opening opportunities for new social linkages. Finally, our results show that the social links and the institutions that encourage the collective recognition of social interdependencies are continuously co-constructed by actors and influenced by existing power asymmetries through processes of institutional bricolage.

A model of symbiomemesis: machine education and communication as pillars for human-autonomy symbiosis.

Symbiosis is a physiological phenomenon where organisms of different species develop social interdependencies through partnerships. Artificial agents need mechanisms to build their capacity to develop symbiotic relationships. In this paper, we discuss two pillars for these mechanisms: machine education (ME) and bi-directional communication. ME is a new revolution in artificial intelligence (AI) which aims at structuring the learning journey of AI-enabled autonomous systems. In addition to the design of a systematic curriculum, ME embeds the body of knowledge necessary for the social integration of AI, such as ethics, moral values and trust, into the evolutionary design and learning of the AI. ME promises to equip AI with skills to be ready to develop logic-based symbiosis with humans and in a manner that leads to a trustworthy and effective steady-state through the mental interaction between humans and autonomy; a state we name symbiomemesis to differentiate it from ecological symbiosis. The second pillar, bi-directional communication as a discourse enables information to flow between the AI systems and humans. We combine machine education and communication theory as the two prerequisites for symbiosis of AI agents and present a formal computational model of symbiomemesis to enable symbiotic human-autonomy teaming. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards symbiotic autonomous systems'.

Should I Show My Competence? The Influence of Newcomers’ Self-promotion on Coworkers after Entering

When entering a new organization, newcomers need to make good impressions to gain coworkers’ support and acceptance. Whether self-promotion, as a widely used impression management strategy, is effective for newcomers when they interacting with coworkers is still unknown. Drawing on social interdependence theory and social influence theory, in this study we examine how newcomers’ self-promotion behavior can lead to different reactions (positive or negative) from coworkers when considering the complex interdependent relationships (cooperative and competition) with coworkers. Furthermore, we propose task interdependence to moderate the relationships between newcomers’ self-promotion and coworkers’ reactions by determining the salience of different types of interdependence between newcomers and coworkers. Results from data of 414 newcomers show that newcomers’ self-promotion is positively related to coworkers’ admiration and then lead to coworkers’ social support. Besides, newcomers’ self-promotion is also positively related to coworkers’ envy and then lead to social undermining. The positive relationship between self-promotion and coworkers’ admiration is stronger when task interdependence is high and the positive relationship between self-promotion and coworkers’ envy is stronger when task interdependence is low. These findings illustrate that in different conditions, the effectiveness of newcomer’s self-promotion is different, which extends the literature on both organizational socialization and impression management.

Cooperative learning in parental education groups – child healthcare nurses’ views on their work as leaders and on the groups

ABSTRACT New parents are offered parental education groups as a way to support their transition to parenthood. Interactive approaches in these groups are of importance, but studies have reported a lack of activities that support interaction. Cooperative learning is a structured method when working with groups and based on five elements essential to maximizing the cooperative potential of groups. The aim was to investigate the leadership skills of child healthcare nurses as leaders for parental education groups, their ideas about creating conditions for well-functioning groups, and what is required to achieve this. The results were analyzed and discussed using social interdependence theory as a framework and especially the five elements of cooperative learning. Further, the study used a qualitative descriptive design, and eight qualitative interviews were analyzed deductively using thematic analysis. The results showed that in their narratives the nurses display vocational knowledge and describe conditions important for their groups from a cooperative learning perspective. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the nurses had difficulty explicitly instructing parents to use their personal experiences and social skills to get groups to function effectively. Knowledge developed in the workplaces from the experience of leading groups is mostly implicit, and formal knowledge and awareness of leadership is necessary for development of the role.

핵심자기평가, 동료신뢰, 상호의존성이 가상협업역량의 조절효과와 함께 원격근무자의 지식공유에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

With the advance of information technology, remote work is increasingly adopted as a standard practice in the field. This study explores the underlying mechanism of knowledge sharing in a remote work environment. Via literature review, core self-evaluation, co-worker trust, social interdependence, and individual virtual competence are identified as critical antecedents and performance and job satisfaction as outcomes of knowledge sharing. An empirical model is derived with individual virtual competence as the moderating construct of all the antecedents. Analysis of survey data collected from 178 workers with remote work experience revealed that affective co-worker trust and goal interdependence have a stronger influence on knowledge sharing than core self-evaluation and task interdependence. Interestingly, cognitive trust turns out to be insignificant in our sample. Moreover, the impact of affective co-worker trust, task interdependence, and goal interdependence on knowledge sharing is found to be strongly moderated by individual virtual competence, impacting job performance and job satisfaction. Task and goal interdependence needs to be carefully designed in a remote work environments in order to increase knowledge sharing among remote workers. Also, increasing affective trust by way of intermittent face-to-face meeting would benefit the performance and satisfaction. Future research and limitations are discussed at the end.

Perceptions of African American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes on Family Support: Type, Quality, and Recommendations.

The overall purpose of the study was to explore perceptions of family support in diabetes self-management among African American adults with type 2 diabetes. A qualitative study using focus group methodology and individual interviews was conducted. Thirty-seven African American adults with type 2 diabetes were recruited in the Midwest, United States. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Themes emerged from the perspectives of the social interdependence theory. Positive family support included emotional support, instrumental support, and specific information or advice on diabetes management strategies. Positivity, family communication, and healthy eating/meal planning were perceived as helpful family behaviors. Negative support was perceived as intentional or unintentional behaviors. Family members' help in decision-making included goal setting with family member(s) and help in making decisions on diet and exercise. Recommendations included exercise and nutritional programs, support groups, family involvement, and materials and resources. Motivations for attending diabetes programs included involving family members, sharing success stories, seeing positive results, encouraging and caring, and providing incentives. Intervention programs for African Americans should specifically target challenges in family support, healthy eating, and physical activity at an interpersonal level. Health care providers should assess family roles and family support to facilitate diabetes self-management for African Americans.

PHÁT TRIỂN CHƯƠNG TRÌNH THỰC TẬP QUỐC TẾ TRONG BỐI CẢNH TOÀN CẦU HÓA TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SƯ PHẠM HÀ NỘI

The context of globalization has created social change and interdependence between countries. Many social issues have transcended national boundaries and become internationa issues such as poverty, environment, migration, epidemics, etc., which have created new requirements for social work and social work education. International placement play an important role in the social work educational to improve the cultural capacity of social work students so that they can adapt to the new context and be able to solve domestic and international social problems. The article focuses on clarifying the requirements for social work in the context of globalization and the need in developing the international placement program. Besides, the author will give some suggestions to develop an effective international internship program at Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE)

Contextual attributes to promote positive social interdependence in problem-based learning: a focus group study

BackgroundProblem-based learning (PBL) is classified as a collaborative learning approach, wherein students learn while contributing meaning to experiences and interactions with others. An important theoretical fundament of PBL is social interdependence theory (SIT) because positive social interdependence within a group has been found to be key to better learning performance and future attitudes towards team practice. However, most previous studies in health professions education focused on cognitive outcomes, and few studies have focused on collaborative behaviors in PBL groups. The lack of this empirical insight makes implementation of PBL difficult, especially in contexts where there is limited experience with collaborative learning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate what promotes or hinders positive social interdependence and how the attributes work during PBL.MethodsWe conducted four focus groups among clinical year medical students (n = 26) who participated in PBL tutorials in the formal curriculum. We asked semi-structured questions that corresponded with the overall concept of SIT. We analyzed the transcript using constructivist grounded theory and developed a model to explain contextual attributes that promote or hinder positive social interdependence in PBL.ResultsTwo contextual attributes of “academic inquisition” and “desire for efficiency” affect social interdependence among a student group in PBL. Academic inquisition is students’ desire to engage in their academic learning, and desire for efficiency is students’ attitude toward learning as an imposed duty and desire to complete it as quickly as possible. These attributes are initially mutually conflicting and constructing social interdependence through multiple steps including inquisition from a case, seeking efficient work, sharing interest in problem solving, expecting mutual contributions, and complementing learning objectives.ConclusionThese findings will contribute to understanding collaborative learning environments in PBL and may help explain contexts where PBL is less successful. The model can also be used as a tool to support innovation of PBL as collaborative learning.

I'm worth more than you! Effects of reward interdependence on performance, cohesion, emotion and effort during team competition

ObjectivesTo examine the effects of reward structures on the performance of a motor task. To evaluate the effects of reward interdependence on performance, cohesion, emotion, and effort during intergroup (team) competition. DesignAn experimental design was used to compare the effects of reward interdependence (no, low, high) on performance of a strength and endurance task. MethodParticipants (N = 111) performed a 3-min handgrip task as a member of a team of four under three reward interdependence conditions (no; low, with an even split of prize money; high, with an uneven split of prize money) in head-to-head competitions against another team. Task performance was assessed using the cumulative force production total. Task-related cohesion, enjoyment, anxiety and effort were measured using self-report scales. ResultsPerformance was better with rewards than no reward, and better with high than low reward interdependence. Team cohesion was highest with low reward interdependence. Effort was greater with rewards than no reward. Anxiety and enjoyment did not vary among the reward conditions. Mediation analyses indicated that increased cohesion mediated improvements in performance from no reward to low reward interdependence conditions, and increased effort mediated improvements in performance from no reward to both low and high reward interdependence conditions. ConclusionPerformance of a simple physical task in team competition was facilitated by rewards, with optimal performance associated with unequal rewards (i.e., performance-related pay). The benefits of performing with rewards compared to no rewards were explained by increased cohesion and effort. Social interdependence theory can help explain performance of simple motor tasks during team-based competitions. The findings have implications for the pay structures adopted by sports teams.

More cooperation compensates for lower self-esteem in social dilemmas

This research examined how self-esteem influences a person's strategy for social dilemmas where their own interests are in conflict with social interests. Using the Prisoner's Dilemma game, we designed three studies and observed robust results across the gain and loss domains, payoff amounts, and cooperation indexes. Participants who had low trait self-esteem (Study 1), participants who had state self-esteem after recall of failure (Study 2), and participants whose self-esteem was threatened (Study 3) adopted more cooperative strategies than those with high self-esteem. Choosing to cooperate helped participants with low state self-esteem improve their self-esteem, as compared to choosing to defect (Studies 2–3). By testing three underlying mechanisms, it was observed that lower levels of self-esteem induced a stronger motive to gain social interdependence, rather than social identity or social comparison (Study 3). These findings suggest a compensatory relationship between self-esteem and cooperation in social interaction. The implications for management, cooperation and collective action are discussed.

Co-teachers’ perceptions of collaborative EFL teaching: a case study in Taiwan

Co-teaching studies of native English speaking teachers (NESTs) and local English teachers (LETs) have identified numerous factors debilitative to professional collaboration. The aim of this case study is to identify factors facilitative to co-teaching that may lead to more productive avenues of change than continual re-identification of co-teaching problems. A grounded theoretical approach is used to review document and interview data from one NEST-LET pair teaching English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) to young learners in Taiwan. Themes derived from grounded theoretical analysis are then re-categorized according to the framework of social interdependence theory (Johnson & Johnson in JAMA 38:365–379, 2009) to describe how the co-teachers established a positive co-teaching relationship. This study found that the participants’ situated perspectives of co-teaching were more similar than dissimilar, with several identical themes present in both participants’ data. Application of social interdependence theory found negative outcomes in the minority and indications of positive or promotive interdependence in the majority. Although the co-teachers described negative affect and tensions, these phenomena were attributed to external factors or directed at agents outside the partnership. The findings herein suggest that variables pertaining to interpersonal sensitivity can be more critical to co-teaching success than the teaching qualifications of the NEST partner.

Personal Identity Economics: Facebook and the Distortion of Identity Politics

This article examines Facebook’s role in the treatment of marginalized identity as currency. Recent examples of solidarity statements and corporate social responsibility rhetoric treat disenfranchised racial and gender identities as value-added competitive market quantities to boost brands. This trend also incentivizes marginalized actors to capitalize on their own disenfranchisement in pursuit of visibility and career advancement. The resulting identity politicking replaces communal care, grassroots social ties, solidarity, and interdependence with isolating market competition. This article diverges from scholars who trouble the differential value of identity—by troubling the valuation of identity itself. Facebook normalizes identity as private property in what I call a transition from identity politics to “personal identity economics.” I coin this concept and break it down into the following four factors: (1) The optimization of difference beginning in the 1970s, (2) Facebook’s algorithmic invasion of market logic into intimate aspects of life starting in the mid 2000s, (3) Ads Manager’s economization of identity into legible economic units, and (4) neoliberal corporate social responsibility rhetoric of “social good” as a profitable asset.

Post-Truth Society? An Eliasian Sociological Analysis of Knowledge in the 21st Century

This article draws on Elias’s sociology of knowledge to delineate the social processes that have culminated in the development of the post-truth phenomenon. It argues that technological and social changes have led to a complex commingling of increased emotion and increasingly ‘rational’ debating techniques. These have been accompanied by an increasing human capacity to consider issues on multiple ‘levels’ and anticipate the varied ways in which different audiences could perceive particular propositions. While these changes explain the polarisation of views characteristic of post-truth, the theory of informalisation is invoked to explain the relative absence of shame at the public exposure of ‘untruths’. The article expands debates in communication and science and technology studies to locate post-truth as an emergent form of knowledge contingent upon new forms of communication, a re-structuring of social interdependencies and changes in modes of thinking. In so doing, it advances the sociological analysis of knowledge.

Efficient, Sustainable, and Multifunctional Carbon Offsetting to Boost Forest Management: A Comparative Case Study

Research highlights: Funding forest management with subsidies from carbon offsetters is a well-documented mechanism in tropical regions. This article provides complementary insights into the use of voluntary offset contracts in temperate forests. Background and objectives: The mitigation of greenhouse emissions has become a major global issue, leading to changes in forest management to increase the capacity of forests to store carbon. This can lead to conflicts of use with other forest ecosystem services such as timber production or biodiversity conservation. Our main goal is to describe collective actions to fund carbon-oriented forestry with subsidies from carbon offsetters and to analyze how their governance and functioning prevent conflicts pertaining to multi-functionality. Materials and methods: We assembled an interdisciplinary research team comprising two ecologists, a social scientist, and an economist. Drawing on a conceptual framework of ecosystem services, social interdependencies, and collective action, we based our qualitative analysis on semi-structured interviews from two French case studies. Results: Carbon-oriented intermediary forest organizations offer offset contracts to private firms and public bodies. Communication is geared toward the mitigation outcomes of the contracts as well as their beneficial side effects in providing the ecosystem services of interest to the offsetters. Subsidies then act as a financial lever to fund carbon-oriented forestry operations. Scientific committees and reporting methodologies serve as environmental, social, and economic safeguards. Conclusions: These new intermediary forest organizations use efficient forest operations and evaluation methodologies to improve forest carbon storage. Their main innovation lies in their collective governance rooted in regional forest social-ecological systems. Their consideration of multi-functionality and socioeconomic issues can be seen as an obstacle to rapid development, but they ensure sustainability and avoid conflicts between producers and beneficiaries of forest ecosystem services. Attention must be paid to interactions with broader spatial and temporal carbon policies.

Prosocial and antisocial choices in a monogamous cichlid with biparental care

Human society is cooperative and characterized by spontaneous prosociality. Comparative studies on endotherm vertebrates suggest that social interdependence causes the evolution of proactive prosociality. To test the generality of this hypothesis, we modify a prosocial choice task for application to the convict cichlid, Amatitlania nigrofasciata, a monogamous fish with biparental care and a strong pair bond. We also affirm that male subjects learn to favor prosocial choices when their mates are the recipients in a neighboring tank. When the neighboring tank is empty, males choose randomly. Furthermore, in the absence of their mates, males behave prosocially toward a stranger female. However, if the mate of the subjects is also visible in the third tank, or if a male is a potential recipient, then subjects make antisocial choices. To conclude, fish may show both spontaneous prosocial and antisocial behaviors according to their social relationships with conspecifics and the overall social context.

Midwifery students experience of continuity of care: A mixed methods study

Continuity of Care Experiences are a mandated component of Australian midwifery programs leading to registration. Despite research evidence of the benefits of Continuity of Care Experiences for student learning and for women, there is limited evidence on the personal impact of this experience to students. Additionally, there is limited guidance on how to best support students to successfully complete this valuable component of their program. To identify the emotional, psychological, social and financial costs of undertaking the Continuity of Care Experience component of a midwifery program and to provide information which may lead to educational strategies within CoCE aimed to improve student support and alleviate challenges. Using surveys and diary entries, a convergent parallel mixed methods approach was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data concurrently. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse financial cost, and clinical, travel and wait times. A constant comparative analysis was used for qualitative data about student's Continuity of Care Experiences. Integrative analysis was used to reconstruct the two forms of data. Two Australian universities offering Bachelor of Midwifery programs. Seventy students completed the demographic survey and 12 students submitted 74 diaries describing 518 episodes of care. There was a response rate of 18% recorded. Analysis identified four themes: perception of Continuity of Care Experiences; personal safety; impact on self and family; and professional relationships. The mean time spent per completed experience was 22.20 hours and the mean cost was $367.19. Although students found Continuity of Care Experiences to be a valuable learning experience, they identified numerous factors including time, money, and personal circumstances that impacted on their ability to successfully meet the requirements. Continuity of Care Experiences are a highly valuable, but often challenging component of midwifery education in Australia. Using a model of social interdependence, students, educators and maternity care providers may engage better with the process and philosophies of CoCE.