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Abstract:
A multi-faceted approach to process conflict is presented. In Study one, an exploratory analysis of qualitative data confirmed the existence of process conflict as separate from task conflict and relationship conflict. In addition, three distinct types of process conflict were found, including conflict surrounding work method or approach, scheduling or timing issues, and member contribution or workload distribution. Process conflict about member contribution or workload distribution was found to have the most negative performance consequences. A 2nd study was conducted to develop a three-factor process conflict scale. Results from that study confirmed the three-factor approach to process conflict.

Conflict, process, team-performance

Abstract:
Leaders often establish personal relationships with their subordinates. These relationships are quite useful to both leaders and their followers. Such personal connections allow leaders to better motivate their subordinates, more efficiently communicate with them, increase trust, and receive informal feedback. In exchange, subordinates receive more resources, job variety, promotions and compensation (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995). Despite these benefits of personal relationships, leaders are often unable to or fail to establish close relationships with all their subordinates. As a result, leaders create an inner circle of friends and an outer circle of excluded subordinates who are overlooked for their contributions and advice (Dansereau, Graen, & Haga, 1975). This pattern of leadership behavior is commonly referred to as the vertical dyad model of leadership also known as leader-member exchange (LMX) (Yukl, 1999).

Leader, relational status

Abstract:
Interdisciplinary teams have the potential for greater creativity in organizations. Interdisciplinary teams draw on a variety of functional expertise and divergent perspectives to facilitate the production of creative ideas. However, interdisciplinary teams do not necessarily produce creative work because members are reluctant to share their unique perspectives for fear of damaging their reputation, appearing incompetent, or simply to avoid conflict, in an effort to protecting intellectual turf. Thus, for interdisciplinary teams to produce creative work, members must actively voice their unique ideas with no fear of encroaching on interpersonal relationships, even if it means having to be aggressive and stubborn in defending dissenting perspectives to bring about change and improvement. Indeed, negative affective states provides a signal that all is not well and subsequently produces active persistence in pursuing creative responses to the existing dissatisfaction with the status quo. In this study, we collect data on team processes using conflict measures adapted from Jehn and Mannix (2001) from 15 interdisciplinary teams in a nanobiotechnology course. Specifically, we examine the effects both task conflict and emotional have on team creativity. Our findings indicate that emotional conflict is positively related to creativity in interdisciplinary teams whereas task conflict had no impact.

Abstract:
In this paper, we examine the mediating role of relationship, task, and process conflict in the much debated relationship between intra-group trust and group performance. We test these relationships with two different studies, including one longitudinal study of student workgroups. We propose and find that high levels of intragroup trust are negatively related to both potentially performance enhancing group processes (e.g., task conflict) and performance detracting group processes (e.g., process conflict) across two studies, providing a new explanation for the past contradictory effects of intra-group trust on performance. We also introduce the concept of diversity faultlines as a potential moderator in the relationship between trust and the intragroup conflict types, in order to better understand how group context may influence the relationship between trust and conflict. We propose and find across both studies that when faultlines are strong, trust is less likely to reduce potentially beneficial work-related debates and is more likely to reduce potentially harmful process conflicts.

Intragroup conflict, teams, faultlines, diversity