Friend & Foe

When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed At Both

Adam Galinsky, Maurice Schweitzer

Publisher: Penguin, 2015, 312 pages

ISBN: 978-1-847-94084-1

Keywords: Human Resources

Last modified: Dec. 1, 2017, 2:43 p.m.

Is it in our best interest to cooperate or to compete?

is pursuing our self-interest the best way to get ahead, or are we more successful when we collaborate with others? In Friend & Foe, two leading psychologists show the choice isn't quite that black and white.

Drawing on examples from sport, politics and the boardroom, Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer show that cooperation and competition aren't mutually exclusive — and that striking a balance between them can improve our long-term relationships, amximising success in work and life. In the process, they teach you when to raise your guard against colleagues, how to get your rivals to put trust in you, and why sometimes seeing things their way can help you get your way.

This book is a guide for better navigating your social world, by learning when to cooperate as a friend and when to compete as a foe — and how to be better at both.

  • Introduction
  1. It's All Relative
  2. It's Good to Be the King… Until It Isn't
  3. When Hierarchy Wins… And When It Loses
  4. It's Good to Be the Queen… But It's Easier Being the King
  5. How Names Can Bond and Bully
  6. How to Get Others to Put Their Trust In You
  7. When and How to Raise Your Guard
  8. Putting the Pieces Together
  9. Seeing It Their Way to Get Your Way
  10. When to Start Your Engines
  11. How to Cross the Finish Line