What type of reward can hurt team cohesiveness?

A win-lose reward system creates a competitive environment where only one person or a select few can win, meaning others must lose. This structure pits team members against each other, incentivizing individual achievement often at the expense of group collaboration. Such internal competition can erode trust, hinder open communication, and create resentment, all of which are detrimental to building and maintaining team cohesiveness. The primary goal of a project team is to work collaboratively toward a common objective, a principle that win-lose rewards directly undermine.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute. Section 9.4.2.5, Recognition and Rewards. The guide states that rewards are effective when they satisfy a need and are valued by the individual. It emphasizes rewarding desirable behavior; a win-lose system promotes competition, which is often an undesirable behavior for team unity.

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute. Section 2.8, Team. This section emphasizes creating a "collaborative project team environment" and fostering "trust, respect, and transparent communication," all of which are compromised by a competitive win-lose reward structure.

3. Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Interaction Book Company. Chapter 3, "Interpersonal Interaction: The Basic Unit of Social Life," details how competitive (win-lose) goal structures promote opposition and obstructiveness among individuals, whereas cooperative structures promote mutual assistance and support, which are essential for cohesiveness.