Competing Conversations: An Examination of Competition as Intrateam Interactions.

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Social Psychology
• Team Dynamics

Background:

• Intrateam competition is often studied as an individual state, overlooking its social and interactional nature.
• Existing research frequently assumes uniform team outcomes across competition types, neglecting constructive competition's role.
• Constructive competition focuses on social comparison and competence assessment rather than solely on winning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interpersonal dynamics of constructive competition within teams.
• To examine the impact of intrateam competition on task conflict, perceived performance, and team satisfaction.
• To understand the mediating role of task conflict in the competition-satisfaction relationship.

Main Methods:

• Recorded and analyzed conversations of 24 student project teams over 4 weeks.
• Operationalized competition as attempts to exert control and influence within the team.
• Collected sociometric ratings on perceived performance, task conflict, and team satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Found a negative direct effect of competition on the range of perceived performance ratings.
• Identified a positive indirect effect of competition on team satisfaction, mediated by task conflict.
• Demonstrated that competition's impact on team outcomes is complex and context-dependent.

Conclusions:

• Broadens the understanding of intrateam competition as a social and interactional process.
• Highlights the potential for constructive competition to foster positive team outcomes, particularly team satisfaction.
• Underscores the importance of considering task conflict when examining competition's effects on team dynamics and performance.