The Impact of Collaboration and Competition on Project Performance

Abstract

This study explores the role of collaboration and competition among teammates in the context of IT development. Collaboration and competition has often considered as two ends of a common spectrum of group behavior. In contrary, this study conceptualizes intra-team collaboration and competition as two distinct and independent constructs in an attempt to assess the unique effect of each on project performance. In this study, 176 IT projects from Motorola and some of its partner firms were analyzed using quantitative methods. The results suggest a strong influence of collaboration on project performance while only a limited influence from competition. The study findings are then synthesized as guidelines for understanding effective project teams.