People do not act like the plan
Look at incentives and alternatives.
Course library
See what you will learn
See the game inside the workplace decision.
A practical course for using game-theory ideas to reason about incentives, trust, leverage, and repeated collaboration.
Download Cadence free from the App Store, or request free Android testing access.
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, with early features and Android testing access
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.
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.
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Day 2
Find Each Person's Best Move
See how each person’s best move depends on what others do.
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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 / 04Map 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.
No sign-up needed.
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 access and choose Game Theory at Work. Your first practical move is ready when you open the app.
Download Cadence free from the App Store, or request free Android testing access.