Cooperative or competitive style of conflict management? Effects on information sharing and agricultural cooperatives’ performance

Abstract

This study examines the influence of conflict management styles, both cooperative and competitive, on information sharing and, in turn, on organizational performance. The mediation of information sharing in the relationship between conflict management styles and organizational performance is also examined. The effects of conflict management styles were analyzed at the intragroup level in a field that presupposes cooperation through a survey carried out with professionals who work in agricultural cooperatives. For the analysis of the 91 valid answers, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used. The results indicate a relationship between conflict management styles and information sharing, which is positive for the cooperative style and negative for the competitive style. Furthermore, a positive relationship was observed between information sharing and organizational performance. However, no mediating effect of information sharing on the relationship between cooperative and competitive conflict management styles and organizational performance was found. Based on the results, it is concluded that the cooperative style of conflict management promotes the sharing of information and improves organizational performance. The same was not found for the competitive style of conflict management in the researched cooperatives. This broadens discussions about the possible benefits of conflicts in organizations, contrasting with the approaches about their harmful effects on organizational performance.