Goal congruence in project teams: Does the fit between members' personal mastery and performance goals matter?

Research on team goals rarely considers the impact of congruence in percept ions of personal goals of self versus other members. In this study of 324 m embers of 64 short-term project teams, polynomial regression analysis was u sed to explore how congruence in personal and perceived team Mastery and pe rformance goals affected individual outcomes. Results indicated that congru ence in perceived performance goals elicited greater individual satisfactio n and contributions, regardless of goal strength (i.e., high or low persona l performance goals). Conversely, perceived team mastery goals had a greate r effect on individual outcomes than did perceived congruence in self-other mastery goals. Congruent self-actual team goals showed weaker but similar relationships to individual outcomes, but contrary to hypotheses, this effe ct was not mediated by congruence in perceived self-other goals.