Teams are increasingly engaged in networked interaction across both team and organizational boundaries in order to achieve complex, higher order goals. In contrast to theoretical work on goal pursuit within isolated teams, there is an absence of theoretical models focused on systems composed of such teams. In response, we propose a predictive model to improve understanding of the nature of motivational processes leading to performance in interdependent systems of teams. This model is grounded on goal hierarchy characteristics (goal level, priority, and degree of compatibility) and functional process interdependence (sequential, reciprocal, intensive) that differentially affect both goal setting and goal striving processes across component team and multiteam levels. The model also illustrates how goal choice and goal striving in multiteam systems (MTSs) can be viewed from multilevel and multiphasic perspectives. We discuss the implications of the model for understanding, researching, and effectively managing the motivational mechanisms underlying MTSs performance.
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