Current issue
Archive
About the Journal
About
Editorial Office
Scientific Board
Abstract & Indexing
Contact
Reviewers list
Editorial Policies
Authorship & COI
Ethical principles
Crossmark
Principles of Transparent Checklist
Open access
Reviewing procedure
For Authors
Guidelines for Authors
Manuscript Types
Manuscript structure
How to submit
Conference collaborations
SCIENCE ARTICLE
Competition in shaping the engagement of teams within an organization
1
Organizational Behavior, Krakow University of Economics, Poland
2
Institute of Management and Quality Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Poland
Submission date: 2026-06-29
Final revision date: 2026-07-29
Acceptance date: 2026-08-20
Online publication date: 2026-09-28
Publication date: 2026-09-17
Corresponding author
Renata Winkler
Organizational Behavior, Krakow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 30-510, Kraków, Poland
Organizational Behavior, Krakow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 30-510, Kraków, Poland
Management 2026;(2):131-160
KEYWORDS
JEL CLASSIFICATION CODES
M12
D23
D74
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Research background and purpose:
Considering the importance of work engagement, attention was paid to the possibilities of shaping it. Since the need to belong is important for engagement and, at the same time, it is competition that triggers activity, the aim of the article was to examine how competition affects team work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach:
Twelve teams from different industries participated in the survey. Because rivalry can have different reasons as well as take place under different conditions, attention was paid to: (1) the competitive environment in the organisation, (2) the quality of the rivalry and (3) the trait competitiveness of the team members
Findings:
According to the results of the study, the high quality of competing should be considered important for team work engagement. The motive for competing is also significant: the superiority of achievement orientation over egoistic orientation was established.
Value added and limitations:
This study contributes to the limited literature on team work engagement by focusing explicitly on team-level competition and by jointly examining three aspects of competition: employees’ trait competitiveness, the competitive environment created by organizational rules and practices, and the quality of competition in terms of its constructiveness. The findings highlight the importance of high-quality, achievement oriented competition for maintaining a high level of team work engagement in teams operating in different industries. However, the exploratory nature of the research, the purposive sampling of twelve teams of different sizes, and the omission of factors such as formalization, centralization and psychological competitive climate limit the generalizability of the results and indicate directions for further studies.
Considering the importance of work engagement, attention was paid to the possibilities of shaping it. Since the need to belong is important for engagement and, at the same time, it is competition that triggers activity, the aim of the article was to examine how competition affects team work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach:
Twelve teams from different industries participated in the survey. Because rivalry can have different reasons as well as take place under different conditions, attention was paid to: (1) the competitive environment in the organisation, (2) the quality of the rivalry and (3) the trait competitiveness of the team members
Findings:
According to the results of the study, the high quality of competing should be considered important for team work engagement. The motive for competing is also significant: the superiority of achievement orientation over egoistic orientation was established.
Value added and limitations:
This study contributes to the limited literature on team work engagement by focusing explicitly on team-level competition and by jointly examining three aspects of competition: employees’ trait competitiveness, the competitive environment created by organizational rules and practices, and the quality of competition in terms of its constructiveness. The findings highlight the importance of high-quality, achievement oriented competition for maintaining a high level of team work engagement in teams operating in different industries. However, the exploratory nature of the research, the purposive sampling of twelve teams of different sizes, and the omission of factors such as formalization, centralization and psychological competitive climate limit the generalizability of the results and indicate directions for further studies.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge Joanna Janus-Wiśniewska for her help in collecting
the data and Waldemar Glabiszewski and Dorota Grego-Planer for contributing to the
collective analysis of data on the comparison of competition and comparison of team
work engagement.
The publication was financed from the subsidy granted to the Krakow University of
Economics - Project nr 049/ZZZ/2025/POT.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
During the research process to writing the article, the authors did not use AI.
REFERENCES (44)
1.
Ayers, K. (2009). Why Engagement Is Not Enough. Training and development in Australia, 36, 10-11.
2.
Baer, M., Leenders, R. T. A. J., Oldham, G. R., & Vadera, A. K. (2010). Win or lose the battle for creativity: The power and perils of intergroup competition. Academy of Management Journal, 53(4), 827–845. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.20....
3.
Beersma, B., Hollenbeck, J. R., Humphrey, S. E., Moon, H., Conlon, D. E., & Ilgen, D. R. (2003). Cooperation, competition, and team performance: Toward a contingency approach. Academy of Management Journal, 46(5), 572–590. https://doi.org/10.5465/300406....
4.
Benard, S., & Barclay, P. (2020). Democratic competition for rank, cooperation, and deception in small groups. Social Science Quarterly, 101(7), 2413–2436. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.1....
5.
Birkinshaw, J. (2001). Strategies for managing internal competition. California Management Review, 44(1), 21–38. https://doi.org/10.2307/411661....
6.
Bornstein, G. (2003). Intergroup conflict: Individual, group, and collective interests. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(2), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327....
7.
Bornstein, G., Gneezy, U., & Nagel, R. (2002). The effect of intergroup competition on group coordination: An experimental study. Games and Economic Behavior, 41(1), 1–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S089... (02)00012-X
8.
Brown, S.P., Cron, W. L., & Slocum, J. W. (1998). Effects of trait competitiveness and perceived intraorganizational competition on salesperson goal setting and performance. Journal of Marketing, 62(4), 88–98. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/002224299806200407.
9.
Buckley, E., Cooke, J., Whelton, H., & Barrett, A. (2024). Rules of engagement: Does competition drive engagement in faculty development? The Clinical Teacher, 21(6), e13737. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13....
10.
Chang, K.-I., & Chen, H.-J. (2012), Effects of a rival’s perceived motives on constructive competition within organizations: A competitive dynamics perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 15, 167-177. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467....
11.
Chen, M.-J., & Miller, D. (2015), Reconceptualizing competitive dynamics: A multidimensional framework. Strategic Management Journal, 36, 758-775. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.22....
12.
Cotton, C., McIntyre, F., & Price, J. (2015). Which explanations for gender differences in competition are consistent with a simple theoretical model? Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 59, 56–67. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.socec.2015.09.005
13.
Enns, J. R., & Rotundo, M. (2012). When competition turns ugly: Collective injustice, workgroup identification, and counterproductive work behavior. Human Performance, 25(1), 26–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 08959285.2011.631646
14.
Fletcher, T. D., & Nusbaum, D. N. (2010). Development of the Competitive Work Environment Scale: A multidimensional climate construct. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(1), 105–124. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0013164409344492
15.
Flory, J. A., Leibbrandt, A., & List, J. A. (2015). Do competitive workplaces deter female workers? A large-scale natural field experiment on job entry decisions. The Review of Economic Studies, 82(1), 122–155. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud....
16.
Gerbeth, S., & Mulder, R. H. (2023). Team behaviors as antecedents for team members’ work engagement in interdisciplinary health care teams. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1196154. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2023.1196154
17.
Ginting-Szczesny, B. A., Kibler, E., Cardon, M. S., Kautonen, T., & Hakala, H. (2024). The role of passion diversity, compassion, and self-compassion for team entrepreneurial passion. Small Business Economics, 62(3), 987–1007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187....
18.
Green, V. A., & Rechis, R. (2006). Children’s cooperative and competitive interactions in limited resource situations: A literature review. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 27(1), 42–59. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.appdev.2005.12.002
19.
Gunnthorsdottir, A., & Rapoport, A. (2006). Embedding social dilemmas in intergroup competition reduces free-riding. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 101(2), 184–199. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.obhdp.2005.08.005
20.
Hargreaves-Heap, S. P., Ramalingam, A., Ramalingam, S., & Stoddard, B. V. (2015). “Doggedness” or “disengagement”? An experiment on the effect of inequality in endowment on behaviour in team competitions. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 120, 80–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo....
21.
Howell, R. (2025). Quest: Journey through the lifespan: Gamified learning for engagement, empathy, and real-world application. In H. D. I. Sigurdardottir i R. I. Munkvold (Eds.), The proceedings of the 19th European Conference on Games Based Learning (Vol. 1, pp. 414–419). Academic Conferences & Publishing International. https://doi.org/10.34190/ecgbl...
22.
Jiang, Z., Hu, X., Wang, Z., & Griffin, M. A. (2024). Enabling workplace thriving: A multilevel model of positive affect, team cohesion, and task interdependence. Applied Psychology, 73(1), 323–350. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/apps.12481
23.
Jones, J. L., Davis, W. D., & Thomas, C. H. (2017). Is competition engaging? Examining the interactive effects of goal orientation and competitive work environment on engagement. Human Resource Management, 56(3), 389–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21....
24.
Karolczak-Biernacka, B. (1981). Współzawodnictwo, współpraca, wynik [Competition, Cooperation, and Performance]. Instytut Wydawniczy Związków Zawodowych.
25.
Kato, T., & Shu, P. (2016). Competition and social identity in the workplace: Evidence from a Chinese textile firm. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 131(PA), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo....
26.
Kilduff, G. J., Elfenbein, H. A., & Staw, B. M. (2010). The psychology of rivalry: A relationally dependent analysis of competition. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 943–969. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.20....
27.
Lavy, V. (2013). Gender differences in market competitiveness in a real workplace: Evidence from performance-based pay tournaments among teachers. The Economic Journal, 123(569), 540–573. https://doi.org/10.1111 /j.1468-0297.2012.02542.x
28.
Marino, A. M., & Zábojník, J. (2004). Internal Competition for Corporate Resources and Incentives in Teams. The RAND Journal of Economics, 35(4), 710–727. https://doi.org/10.2307/159376....
29.
Moczulska, M. (2023). Zaangażowanie pracowników. Perspektywa koopetycji w organizacji [Work Engagement. A Perspective on Coopetition in the Organization]. Oficyna Wydawnicza Uniwersytetu Zielonogórskiego.
30.
Murayama, K., Elliot, A. J., & Jury, M. (2021). Motivational dynamics underlying competition: The opposing processes model of competition and performance. In S. M. Garcia, A. Tor, & A. J. Elliot. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Competition (pp. 189-209). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/ oxfordhb/9780190060800.013.8
31.
Pap, Z., Tisu, L., & Vîrgă, D. (2025). Can We Have Fun at Work and Still Be Competent and Engaged? Multilevel Pathways from Playful Climate to Work Engagement. Journal of Business and Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869....
32.
Pezzoni, M., & Visentin, F. (2024). Gender bias in team formation: The case of the European Science Foundation’s grants. Science and Public Policy, 51(2), 247–260.
33.
Riechmann, T., & Weimann, J. (2008). Competition as a coordination device: Experimental evidence from a minimum effort coordination game. European Journal of Political Economy, 24(2), 437–454. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2007.09.004
34.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/job.248
35.
Stanisz, A. (2006). Przystępny kurs statystyki z zastosowaniem Statistica PL na przykładach z medycyny. T. 1, Statystyki podstawowe [An Accessible Course in Statistics Using STATISTICA PL with Medical Examples. Volume 1: Basic Statistics]. StatSoft Polska.
36.
Stanisz, A. (2007). Przystępny kurs statystyki z zastosowaniem Statistica PL na przykładach z medycyny. T. 3, Analizy wielowymiarowe [An Accessible Course in Statistics Using STATISTICA PL with Medical Examples. Volume 3: Multivariate Analyses]. StatSoft Polska.
37.
Strese, S., Meuer, M. W., Flatten, T. C., & Brettel, M. (2016). Organizational antecedents of cross-functional coopetition: The impact of leadership and organizational structure on crossfunctional coopetition. Industrial Marketing Management, 53, 42–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indm....
38.
Tauer, J. M., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2004). The effects of cooperation and competition on intrinsic motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(6), 849–861. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3...
39.
Tjosvold, D., Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Sun, H. (2003). Can interpersonal competition be constructive within organizations? The Journal of Psychology, 137(1), 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/002239....
40.
Tjosvold, D., Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Sun, H. (2006). Competitive motives and strategies: Understanding constructive competition. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(2), 87–99. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/1089-2699.10.2.87
41.
Torrente, P., Salanova, M., Llorens, S., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2012). Teams make it work: How team work engagement mediates between social resources and performance in teams. Psicothema, 24(1), 106–112.
42.
Victor, J., & Hoole, C. (2017). The influence of organisational rewards on workplace trust and work engagement. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 15, a853. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm....
43.
Walters, A. E., Stuhlmacher, A. F., & Meyer, L. L. (1998). Gender and negotiator competitiveness: A meta-analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 76(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1....
44.
Yue, C., Fong, P. S., & Li, T. (2019). Meeting the challenge of workplace change: Team cooperation outperforms team competition. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(7), e7997. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.79....
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 2299-193X |
| ISSN: | 1429-9321 (1997-2019) |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
