Cooperation, Competition, and Team Performance: Toward a Contingency Approach.

This study examined whether the relationship between reward structure and team performance is contingent upon task dimension, team composition, and individual performance level. Seventy-five four-person teams engaged in a simulated interactive task in which reward structure was manipulated. A competitive structure enhanced one task dimension, speed, whereas a cooperative structure enhanced accuracy. Teams with extroverted and agreeable members performed better under the coopera-tive structure, whereas teams low on these orientations performed better under the competitive structure. Finally, reward structure had more impact on team members with low performance. The degree to which organizations should em-phasize cooperation or competition among the members of work teams is an age-old controversy. Competitive systems embody equity norms and emphasize performance differences among team members, typically rewarding individuals with