Strategy course Course 12 of 24

See the game inside the workplace decision.

Look at a workplace decision from each participant's position: what choices do they have, what do they value and how does one person's choice affect the other? A simple model can clarify a coordination problem without predicting what colleagues will do.

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I want to use game theory to understand incentives and coordination at work.

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Game pieces positioned on a geometric decision board. — Strategy **Game theory at work**
30 short lessons. Day 1 is ready.

Best for: Strategy & decisions
Prerequisites: No formal prerequisites
Course length: 30 daily lessons
Lesson pace: About 10 minutes a day
Total learning time: About 5 hours in total
Access: Available on the App Store and Google Play, with an optional early testing list

An original website exercise

Spot when agreeing matters more than winning.

Imagine two teams exchanging reports. Both can use format A or B. For this example only, either shared format works equally well; different formats create extra conversion work for both.

01

List the choices

Team One can choose A or B, and Team Two can choose A or B. That gives four pairs: AA, AB, BA and BB.
02

Compare the outcomes

Under the stated assumptions, AA and BB avoid conversion work. AB and BA do not. Each team's result depends on the other team's choice as well as its own.
03

Check the real preferences

Before recommending a shared format, ask whether one team has a genuine tool, access or compliance constraint. That would change the example's assumptions and the choice.

Worked example, not a learner result

If both formats are equally usable, agreeing on A together can be better for both than each choosing independently and ending up with different formats. The useful next step is to confirm constraints and agree on a standard.

Change one assumption: Team Two cannot export A. Which outcomes are still possible? This is an invented coordination exercise, not a psychological test, a claim about colleagues' motives or proof that cooperation always resolves conflict.

Want a guided learning path? Start free in Cadence and look for Game Theory at Work, the in-app name for this course. This website exercise is an introduction, not an excerpt from an app lesson.

Right for now

If any of this sounds familiar, start here.

Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons.

People do not act like the plan

Look at incentives and alternatives.

Negotiations feel personal

See the structure underneath the conversation.

You need better leverage

Understand options, commitments, and repeated interaction.

You work cross-functionally

Design collaboration around incentives, not wishes.

Inside the course

Your first three days are already mapped.

The course follows a daily sequence, so the next practical move is waiting when you come back.

Player mapping

Know what each side wants and can do.

Incentive clarity

Explain behavior through payoffs and alternatives.

Commitment design

Make promises easier to trust.

Repeated-game judgment

Protect relationships without ignoring incentives.

Course preview 30 short lessons

Game Theory at Work

Day 1 See the Players, Choices, and Payoffs

Map a work situation into players, choices, and outcomes.

Day 2
Find Each Person's Best Move

See how each person’s best move depends on what others do.
Day 3
Spot When No One Will Budge

Recognize when no one wants to change course unilaterally.

Course arc

From vague intention to repeatable moves.

Cadence turns the course into a returnable habit: short lesson, quick check, review, and the next useful step.

01 / 04

Map the players

Identify goals, alternatives, and constraints.

Read incentives

Predict behavior from payoffs.

Build commitment

Make cooperation credible.

Use the frame

Apply the model to meetings, negotiations, and tradeoffs.

Full syllabus

30 lessons, arranged as one clear path.

Build a practical game-theory lens for work: spot the incentives, coordination failures, and repeated-interaction dynamics behind behavior. Apply it to team decisions, negotiations, and org design to explain what's happening and improve outcomes.

Module 01

Game Theory Basics

Define players, payoffs, beliefs, and equilibrium in workplace settings.

Day 1 See the Players, Choices, and Payoffs
Day 2 Find Each Person's Best Move
Day 3 Spot When No One Will Budge
Day 4 Read Payoff Tables at a Glance
Day 5 Separate Dominance From Robustness
Day 6 Checkpoint: Map the Incentives

Module 02

Incentives and Misalignment

Diagnose how metrics, hidden effort, private information, and delegated authority distort behavior.

Day 7 See How Bonuses Bend Behavior
Day 8 Catch Effort No One Can See
Day 9 Spot When a Metric Gets Gamed
Day 10 Separate Signals, Evidence, and Showmanship

Module 03

Coordination and Cooperation

Analyze trust, conventions, and repeated interactions that stabilize teamwork.

Day 11 Diagnose a Coordination Failure
Day 12 Use Focal Points to Coordinate
Day 13 Turn One Good Turn Into Trust
Day 14 Respond to a Broken Agreement
Day 15 Checkpoint: Name the Team Problem

Module 04

Bargaining and Commitments

Use alternatives, information, sequencing, and credible commitments to read bargaining moves.

Day 16 Map Alternatives and the Bargaining Range
Day 17 Read a Sequence Backward
Day 18 Make Commitments Credible
Day 19 Separate Signaling From Screening
Day 20 Create Value, Then Decide How to Split It
Day 21 Checkpoint: Read the Strategic Sequence

Module 05

Redesign the Game

Change rules, information, incentives, and coordination points instead of blaming personalities.

Day 22 Diagnose the Principal-Agent Gap
Day 23 Prevent Free Riding in Shared Work
Day 24 Redesign the Handoff Game
Day 25 Map Coalitions and Veto Players
Day 26 Change the Rules, Defaults, or Information
Day 27 Checkpoint: Redesign a Mixed-Motive Case

Module 06

Your Workplace Case Analysis

Synthesize a full game-theory explanation and intervention for one work problem.

Day 28 Frame Your Real Workplace Game
Day 29 Design and Stress-Test the Intervention
Day 30 Ship Your Workplace Game Redesign

How learning works

Read, listen, check your understanding, then keep going.

Short daily lessons

Each lesson is designed around about 10 minutes of focused learning.

Reading and audio

Read the lesson or play its audio when listening fits your day better.

Checks when useful

Lessons can use quizzes, written responses, or guided practice. A lesson can also teach without adding a forced exercise.

Progress and support

Track completed lessons, keep a streak, set reminders, and ask the in-lesson coach for help.

Know the limits. Cadence supports guided self-learning. It does not award an accredited degree or professional certificate, and important AI-generated claims should be checked against reliable sources.

Free to read first

Guides on the same skill.

Course questions

What to know before you start.

Who is Game Theory at Work for?

Every lesson connects to a conversation, decision, or habit you can change between lessons. It is listed in the strategy & decisions part of the Cadence course library.

Do I need any prior experience?

No formal prerequisites are required. The course is designed for guided self-learning, and it is most useful when you bring a real situation or goal to the lessons.

How long does the course take?

Game Theory at Work contains 30 lessons designed around 10 minutes each. You open lessons in sequence and can move at your own pace.

What is the learning format?

Lessons can be read or played as audio. The course includes quizzes or practical checks where the lesson calls for them, plus progress tracking and Ask Coach inside lessons.

Does this course award a certificate or degree?

No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.

Start today

Day 1: See the Players, Choices, and Payoffs

Get Cadence and type the sentence above when it asks what you want to learn, or choose Game Theory at Work ready-made under Browse starter courses. Day 1 is already written.