The Interplay between Internal and External Conflict: Managing Conflict between and within Teams for Trust in China

Abstract

Trusting relationships are increasingly considered vital for making teams productive but within organizations team members confront many obstacles and pressures that can interfere. This study proposes, in contrast to traditional theorizing about Chinese values, that the cooperative management of conflict can help Chinese team members deal with incompatibilities so that they become convinced that their teammates are trustworthy. Results also support the theorizing that the how teams manage conflict with each other affects within team conflict management. Specifically, the structural equation analysis supported the reasoning that cooperative conflict between teams helps teams manage their internal conflicts cooperatively that in turns builds trust. Results were interpreted as providing support for the universalistic aspirations of the theory of cooperation and competition and that managing conflict cooperatively is a foundation for strong trusting relationships in China as well as in the West.

Keywords: Chinese values, competitive conflict, cooperative conflict, relationships, teamwork