Reciprocity Tracking
Track contributions each member makes and benefits each member receives.
Coalition formation works when reciprocity tracking is accurate and time horizons are long. Baboon female coalitions (Silk et al., 30-year study) demonstrate: Coalition support frequency of 0.3 interventions per conflict (30% of conflicts receive help), Reciprocity correlation of 0.73 (if A helps B frequently, B helps A with same frequency), Time lag where support can be returned months or years later (long-term reciprocity), Fitness benefit where females with strong coalitions have 23% higher offspring survival.
The investment-to-return calculation: Cost of supporting ally includes risk of injury (5% per intervention) and energy expenditure. Benefit of receiving support: 67% increased win rate in conflicts. Break-even point: Need support 1.5 times to justify giving support once. Actual rate: Support given and received balances to 1:1 over years.
Business Application of Reciprocity Tracking
Track contributions each member makes and benefits each member receives. Calculate Benefit received / Contribution made ratio. Healthy range: 0.8-1.2 (within 20% of balance). Warning: 0.5-0.8 or 1.2-1.5 (imbalance building). Crisis: <0.5 or >1.5 (one party extracting, other resentful). OPEC's 23% quota violations demonstrate what happens when reciprocity tracking breaks down.