The blessings and curses of mutual dependency - a study of the intra-psychic conflicts which team-organization can initiate

Abstract

In this article we show how the organization of work and workers in teams can result in a series of disturbances in the workers attempt to pursue and balance their individual and collective interests. These disturbances manifest themselves in a variety intra-psychological conflicts as well as a variety of attempts to relief these conflicts that makes it difficult for a workers collective to thrive and fulfill its primary functions. Departing from an older case study we shed light, first on the disturbances and the intra-psychological conflicts in which they manifests themselves. Secondly we explore the attempts to relieve the conflicts and the consequences, which occurs as a result of these actions. In our description and theorizing of intra-psychological conflicts we apply self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987).