Stefan Volk

Brains and Games Applying Neuroeconomics to Organizational Research

Organizational research has seen several calls for the incorporation of neuroscience techniques. The aim of this article is to describe the methods of neuroeconomics and the promises of applying these methods to organizational research problems. To this end, the most important neuroeconomics techniques will be described, along with four specific examples of how these methods can greatly benefit theory development, testing, and pruning in the organizational sciences. The article concludes by contrasting the benefits and limitations of neuroeconomics and by discussing implications for future research.

An Overview of Organizational Neuroscience

Abstract This chapter overviews organizational neuroscience (ON), covering the past, present, and future of this growing field of inquiry. First, we define ON and clarify the boundaries of the field. Second, we describe the evolution of ON by starting with early papers that tended to discuss the potential of ON to benefit both research and practice. Throughout its development, debates have abounded about the value of ON. Such debates are often related to challenges in collecting, integrating, interpreting, and using information from the brain-level of analysis. It is time for the field to move beyond these debates to focus on applying neuroscience to further theory development and reveal more comprehensive answers to research questions of importance to both academics and practitioners. Third, we propose and describe future research directions for ON. The research directions that we propose are merely a sample of the many paths along which ON inquiry can move forward. Fourth, we outline potential practical implications of ON, including: training and development, job design, high-performance assessment, motivating communications, and conflict prevention. Finally, we draw conclusions about ON as it stands today, address challenges in developing ON, and point out opportunities. We conclude with takeaways and highlight the importance of ON for both academics and practitioners.

How Insights From Neuroeconomics Can Inform Organizational Research: The Case of Prosocial Organizational Behavior

The aim of this paper is to delineate how insights from neuroeconomics research can inform organizational theory and practice. We argue that neuroeconomics stands out from other more general neuroscience approaches by providing a powerful normative lens through which organizational research questions can be analyzed. We use the example of prosocial organizational behavior to demonstrate how neuroeconomics, by combining the normative standards of economic game theory with a cognitive neuroscience approach, can help organizational researchers to better understand the motivational underpinnings of many of the behavioral phenomena they are interested in. A central aspect of our contribution lies in introducing the neuropsychological concept of prepotent response tendencies into organizational research and highlighting its relevance for research on prosocial behavior and decision making.