Background

Hillie Aaldering works as assistant professor at the department of Work and Organizational Psychology at the UvA after obtaining her PhD at the same department in 2014.

Research

My research is focused on understanding individual cooperation in group settings. When do people choose to cooperate with other group members (such as their team members on a work project)? When do they limit their cooperation to members of their own group, and when do they extend this cooperation to include members of other groups as well (e.g. other departments within the same organization)? When are they willing to forego self-interest to help their group and perhaps even harm other groups? And how do they navigate these competing forces of cooperation and competition in negotiations? 
Additionally, I conduct research on curbing intragroup conflicts through adequate conflict management strategies and leadership using field studies. 

 I mainly using experimental research to investigate factors promoting either parochial cooperation—investing in the own group potentially at the expense of the other party - or universal cooperation—investing in both parties together and looking for a mutually beneficial solution. To distinguish and measure these forms of cooperation, I have developed an experimental paradigm (Aaldering & Böhm, 2019; Aaldering, Ten Velden, Van Kleef, & De Dreu, 2018).
 My negotiation research approaches these forms of cooperation from a different perspective. I investigate dynamics between representatives and on the one hand their constituencies, who expect their (often mixed) interests to be represented, but on the other hand the representative of the other group, with whom an agreement needs to be reached. Here, I have investigated how cooperative vs. competitive communication from the constituency affects negotiated agreements (Aaldering & De Dreu, 2012; Aaldering & Ten Velden, 2018). I am additionally interested in understanding how representatives balance different interests within their constituency with their own interests (Aaldering, Van Kleef, Greer, & De Dreu, 2013) and how they gain approval from their constituency after an agreement has been reached. 

General Research Interests 

Intra- and Inter-group Conflict, Cooperation and Competition, Negotiation, Social Decision Making, Social Dilemmas, Experimental Games

Teaching

- Conflict and cooperation (Mastertrack Consultancy and Organizational Development; elective in Mastertrack Coaching and Vitality in Organizations)

- Judgment and Decision Making (elective in Mastertrack Consultancy and Organizational Development, elective in Mastertrack Human Resource and Career Management, elective in Research Master)

-  Motivation and work behavior practicals (Motivatie en Arbeidsgedrag; work and organizational psychology  bachelor specialization course)- until 2018

-  SOAP practicals (Academic writing and research, work and organizational psychology master   specialization course) - until 2014

-  Bachelor projects for work and organizational psychology students

-  (Research) Master theses for work and organizational psychology students

- (Research) Internships for work and organizational psychology students

If you are a motivated and hard working (research) master student and you have a specific interest in the described research areas for your master thesis, feel free to contact me (in Dutch or English)!