Friend and Foe

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

By: Adam D. Galinsky, Maurice E. Schweitzer

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

In Friend and Foe, researchers Galinsky and Schweitzer explain why this debate misses the mark. Rather than being hardwired to compete or cooperate, humans have evolved to do both. It is only by learning how to strike the right balance between these two forces that we can improve our long-term relationships and get more of what we want.

Galinsky and Schweitzer draw on original, cutting-edge research across the social sciences to show how to maximize success in work and in life by deftly navigating between cooperation and competition. They offer insights into topics ranging from how to get and keep power, how to recognize deception and build trust, how to turn our weaknesses into strengths, and when to begin a negotiation to get the best outcome - while ensuring that our counterparts walk away wanting to negotiate with us down the road.

And along the way, they pose and offer surprising answers to a number of perplexing puzzles: When too much talent undermines a team's or company's success; when acting less competently helps you gain status; why many gender differences in the workplace may simply be power differences in disguise; why ending an auction at 2:00 a.m. can get you the best outcome; how our best intentions can ironically make us appear racist; and why husbands gain weight during pregnancy. We perform at our very best when cooperation and competition are held in the right balance. This audiobook is a guide for better navigating our social world by learning when to cooperate as a friend and when to compete as a foe - and how to be better at both.

©2015 By arrangement with Crown Business, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Galinsky and Schweitzer are star researchers and teachers. Here, they use their talents to bring order to the often contradictory research on when to cooperate and compete, and they distill their insights into practical tips that anybody can use." (Chip Heath, coauthor of Made to Stick and Switch)

" Friend and Foe is a fascinating voyage through the science of cooperation and competition. Discover why we compare ourselves to our Facebook friends, many gender differences are really due to power differences, and it's usually best to make the first offer in a negotiation." (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Give and Take)

"A treasure trove of golden nuggets of information and gem-like insights into the processes that govern social exchange. We all have to cooperate and compete to succeed. Friend and Foe provides the best roadmap I've ever seen for doing so - by a mile." (Robert B. Cialdini, best-selling author of Influence)

Incredibly useful

The content is very matter of fact. The narrator is too. The material is very useful. This may seem dry to you. If you skip it, it is your loss. The unadulterated nature of both the material and the narration give ample opportunity to absorb the facts. Listen and learn.

Excellent guide for handling all interaction

Great insight into handling personal interactions. It help me understand having a competitive relationship and how to benefit from the interaction.

A lot of insights

There are still things I don’t necessarily agree with the author or I still have questions for him to clarify those points but overall this book provides maybe great insights. Some I absolutely agreed because they worked for me before in many occasions. Very helpful advice. I strongly recommend everyone reads this book. You may not agree to all but there’s still a lot of interesting information and great to consider.

Second Half of the Book is Insightful

Good One... Must read for negotiators,sales, Business development, HR & Startups. You really see who and when you can go against and for with your friends and family

It's a Winner

Very Informative and engaging book. I learned a few new ideas which I'm looking to try out.