Everyone knows about the prisoner's dilemma, where two prisoners choose to either work together or betray each other. Choosing betrayal is proven to be the optimal decision, but working together would offer greater rewards.

But what if they have to repeat the choice many times? A famous 1984 study by Axelrod found that the best strategies were kind, retaliatory, forgiving, and not jealous.

Using this study, we'll explore ways to work well in a team. We'll see why it's better to work together than compete, and why solving conflicts immediately beats waiting for scheduled meetings, such as 1-on-1 or performance reviews.

We'll discuss the challenge of poor communication, its theoretical and practical effects, and offer strategies for managers and team members to mitigate the issue.

There's no magic formula to create team harmony, but we'll provide practical, math-backed tips to help improve team dynamics.

First delivered at Futuru 2024, Iglesias, Italy
Recorded session at: https://youtu.be/ua6Pcpf0fAQ?si=_LYvJ5Ts2_9HRyf4