Robust Systems of Cooperation by Cassandra Aceves A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Business Administration) University of Michigan 2018 Doctoral Committee: Professor Wayne E. Baker, Co-Chair Associate Professor Maxim Sytch, Co-Chair Professor Gerald F. Davis Professor Scott E. Page Professor James P. Walsh Cassandra R. Chambers [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6222-0920 This dissertation is dedicated to my husband Pete Aceves. Your brilliantly creative mind, pain-staking attention to detail, and intellectual breadth inspire me on a daily basis. I am so fortunate to walk through this career, and this life, with you. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is principally concerned with designing robust systems of cooperation. While writing this dissertation it occurred to me that I myself have benefited from a robust system of cooperation comprised of supporters, teachers, collaborators, and mentors, whose contributions to my development and well-being propelled me through this PhD program. I would like to take this space to formally acknowledge and thank several of these contributors, but recognize that this is invariably an incomplete list. As with all systems of cooperation, single acts of help and kindness may go unrecognized, but undoubtedly make a long-lasting impact. I am grateful to all who have contributed to my development as a scholar. I would like to begin by thanking my two amazing co-chairs Wayne Baker and Maxim Sytch, who immediately recognized and validated the potential of the ideas found in this dissertation even when they were in their malformed, nascent stages. I have benefited immensely from my independent relationships with both of them, but this dissertation benefited greatly from the complementary nature of their joint mentorship. I only experienced the extreme upside of having co-chairs. Their suggestions for structuring the dissertation, tackling problems that arose along the way, and their general approaches to scholarship continually built off one another. As a result, I experienced double the care, creativity, and encouragement. Before starting the PhD program, I had formed an image of what an adviser would be like; someone who had exacting standards, but was also inspiring and encouraging, someone who held high acclaim in the field, but who was really in it for the love of research, and someone iii who would be as invested in my success as I was. Wayne Baker is all these things and more. Wayne was the first to get truly excited about the ideas found in this dissertation. In my second year I had written a course paper that built off one of his papers. I remember being so nervous after sending him this paper and asking if he wanted to be on the project with me. He read it right away and responded back with excitement, saying we should get started immediately. Despite being incredibly busy, he always had time to talk through new ideas, comment on drafts, and listen to my worries—there were a lot of these conversations. Ultimately, I feel as though in Wayne I not only have a great mentor, but also a great friend. I am grateful for this friendship and look forward to working together for many years to come. Maxim Sytch’s mentorship has seen me through the entire PhD program. It has been a singular privilege to learn the craft of research from him. Among other things, Maxim gave me the opportunity and confidence to continually strive for higher and higher levels of scholarship. I would often reach a bar only to find that it had moved a little higher and for that I am truly grateful. He saw in me capabilities that I myself didn’t know I possessed and encouraged me to work on my weaknesses until I could consider these areas sources of strength. While he urged me to develop skills as an independent researcher, I never felt as though I was on these dissertation and job market journeys alone. I am deeply grateful for his feedback on multiple drafts of dissertation ideas and job-market packet components, as well as last minute interview- prepping sessions and his openness to 9am calls on a Sunday morning to strategize the critical wording of an email. I hope that I can be as impactful an adviser for my future students. The remaining members of my committee were also critical for the completion of this dissertation. Jerry Davis emphasized the phenomenological importance of this dissertation and helped me flesh out real-world examples of it in action. At a foundational level he is also the iv reason why I had the confidence to work with the “big data” I use in Chapter 4. I benefited from his vision of a data camp that would make programing more accessible to social scientists. Scott Page’s work and mentorship inspired and encouraged this dissertation’s ties to complexity theory. I always left conversations with Scott buzzing with excitement about the possibilities for my data and line of theorizing. Last, by alphabetical order only, I would like to thank Jim Walsh. Jim’s feedback was not only central to the completion of this dissertation—particularly in the shaping of its original direction and the refinement of my thinking on foundational constructs, but also for my progression through this program as a whole. He spent countless hours sitting with me at Amer’s and Baba Dari listening to my ideas, providing feedback, and offering encouragement. The completion of this dissertation and my PhD program also greatly benefited from a wider academic community. In particular, Sue Ashford made a lasting impact on my thinking as a scholar. Her organizational behavior class provided the rigorous theoretical training and enriching feedback mechanisms that helped me find the idea that would ultimately lead to this dissertation. Dave Mayer, Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Leigh Toast, Ned Wellman, and Lillian Chen provided multiple sessions of feedback on my experimental designs. Gautam Ahuja, Michael Jensen, and Derek Harmon provided support by looking in on the students in our office on a frequent basis. Their “war stories,” advice, and humor were always greatly appreciated. Michael Payne and Aurora Turek made a year and a half worth of data collection both feasible and fun. Shelly Whitmer, Barb Kirby-Bloch, and Adriana Morariu were the go-to-people when I needed resources and logistical support. Brian Jones facilitated a supportive doctoral studies environment that was especially welcoming for a somewhat non-traditional student like me. Last, I am deeply grateful to my original academic mentors Bob Thomas, Gwen Lee, and Jason v Colquitt who told me that a career in academia might be a fit for me. I would especially like to thank Bob Thomas who gave me my start in research and encouraged me to keep going with my doctoral plans even after I learned that the twins were on their way. It has been said that you are only as good as the people who surround you. In this program, I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by an incredibly awesome group of family and friends, without whom this dissertation and a career in academia would not be possible. Above all, I am grateful for my husband Pete Aceves’s support. Pete is not only an incredibly supportive spouse, but is also my most tireless colleague and friend. From countless hours commuting back and forth to Chicago to repeatedly taking on the sole care of our children over weekends so that I could work, Pete contributed a great deal to make sure that I could be successful in my program. He has always been my go-to-person for my research ruminations, my most dedicated manuscript reviewer, and the person I rely on most for emotional support. I am deeply grateful for our partnership, which has only strengthened as a result of graduate school. On every dimension, we did this together. Thank you, Pete. I thank my sons Isaac and Nico, who at the young age of seven are already sources of intellectual inspiration and enthusiastic supporters of my academic career. Throughout the writing of this manuscript they checked in on my daily progress and cheered me on. They are both great observers of human behavior and already think deeply about many critical issues of our time. I feel incredibly privileged to be your mother and look forward to engaging with you in scientific inquiry throughout the years to come. I am grateful to my parents, Terry and Steve Chambers. I credit my mother with inspiring my love for reading. Some of my earliest memories of my mother are of her reading to me. She also served as my first female academic role-model, who after staying home for several years to vi raise children, re-entered the workforce when I was thirteen. I now more than ever appreciate how she accomplished this feat and deeply admire how she did so without me perceiving a reduction in her availability and support. Her example showed me that it is always possible to reinvent oneself and that women can be both excellent mothers and professionals. My father has always been an incredible supporter of my academic inclinations. I think the magnitude of this support is best exemplified by the time he flew from California to Michigan—on the heels of a long work week—to spend days taking care of his two-year-old grandsons. He did this so that I could still attend classes while their daycare was closed. From immigration logistics to strategizing how to be an advocate for myself and my children, I am always at ease when my dad is on the case.