7.4.4 Conflict
We realized that goals could sometimes be in conflict. We found that intraindividual goal conflict undermined performance (Locke, et al., 1994). We also recognized that team members’ personal goal(s) could be in conflict with those of a work team. Latham’s Weld observations formed the basis for a laboratory simulation where students working in teams were put in a dilemma by being able to allocate money to a personal account or the group account (Seijts and Latham, 2000). High personal goals that were compatible with the group’s goal of maximizing performance enhanced group performance, but personal goals that conflicted with group goals had a detrimental effect on the group’s performance.