2. THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
HOW ABOUT WE PLAY A SIMPLE GAME?
▸ Game consists of 10 rounds
▸ Players simultaneously show their cards
▸ Pay-offs: both play blue = 4 points each; both play
red = - 4 points each; one plays blue and the other
red = - 4 points for blue player and +8 points for red
player
▸ Players with most of the positive points wins
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3. HOW ABOUT WE PLAY A SIMPLE GAME?
+4 +4 -4 +8 -4 -4
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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4. DILEMMA GAME
WHICH CARD DO I
CHOOSE?
I DO NOT
LIKE THIS
PERSON
WHAT
OTHERS WILL
THINK IF I
PLAY BLUE
CARD?
I AM SURE
HE/SHE WILL
PLAY RED! I NEED
TO PROTECT
MYSELF
HE/SHE IS
MY
FRIEND
THIS IS MY
COLLEAGUE, I
WILL SEE
HIM/HER IN
THE OFFICE
TOMORROW
THIS IS THE
LAST TIME I
SEE THIS
PERSON THIS IS MY
MANAGER!
OH, I JUST
WANT TO
WIN!
I AM NOT
INTERESTED
IN WINNING
OR LOSING
THE STAKES
ARE LOW!
CANNOT BE
BOTHERED TO
PLAY
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
5. +4000$ +4000$ -4000$ +8000$ -4000$ -4000$
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BUT WHAT IF THE STAKES WERE..
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
6. GAME OF CHOICE IN THE GAME OF LIFE.
COOPERATION OR DEFECTION?
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7. PRIMITIVE HUMAN COOPERATION
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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▸ There is an assumption that bands’ primary goal
was survival and reproduction
▸ Bands with co-operators in them had a
reproductive advantage
10. BACTERIAL COOPERATION
▸ Social interactions among microbes
▸ Three types of interactions: mutualism (+/+),
altruism (-,+) and spite (-,-)
▸ Having a balanced community is very important for
microbial success
▸ Presence of cheating in cooperative microbial
systems
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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13. I WAS HAVING TEA WITH A COMPANY WHEN WE HEARD A LOT OF SHOUTING
AND WENT OUT TO INVESTIGATE.WE FOUND OUR MEN AND THE GERMANS
STANDING ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PARAPETS. SUDDENLY A SALVO ARRIVED BUT
DID NO DAMAGE. NATURALLY BOTH SIDES GOT DOWN AND OUR MAN STARTED
SWEARING AT THE GERMANS, WHEN ALL AT ONCE A BRAVE GERMAN GOT ON
TO HIS PARAPET AND SHOUTED ‘WE ARE VERY SORRY ABOUT THAT; WE HOPE
NO ONE WAS HURT. IT IS NOT OUR FAULT, IT IS THAT DAMNED PRUSSIAL
ARTILLERY’
Rutter 1934, p.29
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COOPERATION DESPITE GREAT ANTAGONISM
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
24. WHY DO WE PLAY RED
▸ To ‘protect’ ourselves from the other player’s red play
▸ To exploit any chance of our partner playing blue
▸ To pursuit self-interest
▸ Incomplete information about partner’s motivation
(asymmetric information – job interviews, second hand
car)
▸ Stereotypes and labelling (age, style, appearance etc)
▸ To demonstrate power (i.e when third party is watching)
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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26. THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
INTERESTING FACTS
▸ Red-blue game comes from Prisoner’s Dilemma
▸ In thousands of plays of red-blue game, only 8% of
players chose blue-blue approach
▸ Over 50% of players played red in the first round
▸ Some played blue with red players just to ‘shame’
them
▸ Some players, after a blue-blue play, switched to red
in the final round
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27. THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE GAME
▸ Behavior is more reliable than words and explanation
of actions
▸ Playing red by other partner gives valuable
information about their intentions
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29. TIT-FOR-TAT STRATEGY
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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Always start with a blue card
Then just play the card the other player chooses:
Player 1 Player 1 Player 1 Player 1
Player 2 Player 2 Player 2 Player 2
30. TIT-FOR-TAT MAIN ELEMENTS
▸ It is nice but ruthless
▸ It is instantly forgiving
▸ It is easy to read strategy and simple to identify only after a few exchanges
▸ You do not have to know strategy of the other players to make it work
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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31. WHAT IS A POSSIBLE WEAKNESS OF TIT-FOR-TAT?
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32. TIT-FOR-TAT STRATEGY
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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Always start with a blue card
Then just play the card the other player chooses:
Player 1 Player 1 Player 1 Player 1
Player 2 Player 2 Player 2 Player 2
34. TO CONCLUDE
▸ Give people a chance, but do not let them exploit you. Play blue first.
See what they do in exchange.
▸ Constantly work on developing relationships. Relationships are
barriers to defection.
▸ Ongoing cooperation is the winning approach.
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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35. HERE IS MY CARD FOR YOU
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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38. JUST A FEW FACTS ABOUT MYSELF
▸ I live in the UK
▸ I received my MBA degree in 2022
▸ I enjoy bouldering (climbing)
▸ I play the guitar and the drums
▸ I built a telegram bot @Mama_kh_bot using google
scripts
▸ Two of the coolest books I’ve read this year are ‘Into
Thin Air’ and ‘Into the Wild’ by John Krakauer
THE ART OF COOPERATION - KATERYNA SHEVCHENKO
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