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goals or no goals. Participation in goal setting can lead to high goal commitment, which is necessaiy for goals to enhance performance.

Employee cooperation can also be a powerful motivator. People often join together to form groups that are structured around mutual goals. Social interdependence is created when each individual's outcome is affected by the actions of others. Improvement teams generally fit into a larger mosaic of groups working toward common goals. Johnson and Johnson (1989) describe a system with layers of cooperation which is characterized by layers of positive interdependence that stretch from the interpersonal to the intemational.

Johnson and Johnson endorse cooperation over competition. Their research shows that in cooperative situations there is high intrinsic motivation, high subjective probability of success based on the combined abilities of group members, and an incentive system based on benefiting one's group members as well as oneself. Long-term, persistent efforts to achieve come from the heart, not from the head. An individual's perseverance depends upon intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation, and productivity largely depends on the physical and psycbological energy individuals are willing to commit towards achievement. The morę pressure an organization places on employees to achieve, the morę necessary it becomes to provide social supports. Challenge and support must be balanced if employees are to cope with the stresses that accompany long-term continuous improvement efforts.

It is generally accepted that people work for rewards that they personally value. It has also been proposed that over and above self interest, people truły want to be part of something larger than themselves ~ they want to contribute toward building something important (Senge, 1990). Dęci and Ryan (1985) support this position in their discussions of intrinsic motivation. They observe that adults are intrinsically motivated to do a variety of things. Primary motivators include the spontaneous, intemal experiences that accompany the behavior. The intrinsic needs for competence and self-determination motivate an ongoing process of seeking and attempting to conquer optimal challenges. People seek situations that interest them and reąuire use of their creativity and resourcefulness. They seek challenges that are suited to their competencies, that are neither too easy, nor too difficult. When they find optimal challenges, people work to conąuer them, and they do so persistently. When people are intrinsically motivated they experience interest and enjoyment, and they feel competent and self-determining.

Coalition formation, consensus building, debate, and negotiation are valuable social processes which can provide a basis for commitment to action. Teamwork and empowerment enhance implementation efforts, therefore, there is a great need for tools for teams and team alignment. Senge (1990) observes