PILAR: A Model of Collaboration to Encapsulate Social Psychology

This article presents an iterative examination of a grounded theory of collaboration in conjunction with social psychology literature. The resulting PILAR (Prospects, Involved, Liked, Agency, Respect) model of collaboration encapsulates over 30 social and group psychology (SGP) theories, including social identity theory, social network analysis, and psychological safety. Selected works of the early 20th-century scholars Lewin, Moreno, Simmel, and Foucault resonate with the PILAR model. We considered that, in constructing a generalized model of collaboration made possible by the availability of modern SGP theory, PILAR may represent advancement toward accomplishing these early scholars’ original intent. To validate PILAR, we proposed an empirical investigation for its consistency with organizational psychology, positive psychology, and appreciative inquiry, and for testing whether learning PILAR may improve collaboration skills for individuals lacking empathy.

When I Becomes We

Preference for in-groups over out-groups (intergroup bias) is a general and robust phenomenon. The personal self has been theorized to be a source of intergroup bias. In two studies, participants were categorized randomly without any-not even simulated-trait-based similarity between the personal self and the in-group. Findings demonstrate that the interplay of implicit personal self-esteem and group identification (i.e., associative self-anchoring) relates to implicit intergroup bias. We suggest that associative self-anchoring can be a process that establishes a balance between the concept of the self, the group, and traits.