When Task Conflict Becomes Personal

Abstract

Although potentially beneficial, task conflict may threaten teams because it often leads to relationship conflict. Prior research has identified a set of interpersonal factors (e.g., team communication, team trust) that help attenuate this association. The purpose of this article is to provide an alternative perspective that focuses on the moderating role of performance-related factors (i.e., perceived team performance). Using social identity theory, we build a model that predicts how task conflict associates with growth in relationship conflict and how perceived team performance influences this association. We test a three-wave longitudinal model by means of random coefficient growth modeling, using data from 60 ongoing teams working in a health care organization. Results provide partial support for our hypotheses. Only when perceived team performance is low, do task conflicts relate with growth in relationship conflict. We conclude that perceived team performance seems to enable teams to uncouple task from relationship conflict.

Reviewing Work Team Design Characteristics Across Industries: Combining Meta-Analysis and Comprehensive Synthesis

“…Similar to the current investigations of high-tech teams, this review was unfortunately unable to differentiate across different types of service sectors due to the limited number of studies that have been published. Building on past research and the specific studies currently reviewed (e.g., Carter & Mossholder, 2015; Guenter et al, 2016; Hannah et al, 2011), future research should be encouraged to undertake efforts to classify and understand the differences in necessary inputs and processes across different sectors such as health care, education, and hospitality services. For example, Marlow, Bisbey, Lacerenza, and Salas (2018) recently published a review of health care team performance measures to guide future health care focused research.…”

Do Interpersonal Conflict, Aggression and Bullying at the Workplace Overlap? A Latent Class Modeling Approach

“…For instance, moderate task-related conflicts can have positive outcomes as they improve group-decision making and prevent groupthink ( Janis, 1972 ; Nemeth, 1986 ; Cosier and Schwenk, 1990 ; Amason, 1996 ; Brodbeck et al, 2002 ). Such positive outcomes, however, are exclusive to task conflicts and not found for relationship conflicts ( Guenter et al, 2016 ).…”

Feeling negative or positive about fresh blood? Understanding veterans’ affective reactions toward newcomer entry in teams from an affective events perspective.

“…Fourth, the extant research on prior team performance has presented mixed findings about its impact on subsequent teamwork. Whereas some studies have reported that teams with better prior performance are more resourceful and resilient and thus face fewer interruptions and less uncertainty when changes occur (Guenter et al, 2016; Mathieu et al, 2008), other studies have found that better-performing teams are more hesitant about accepting changes (Choi & Levine, 2004; Schippers et al, 2013). Our research, therefore, provides one plausible solution to reconcile these seemingly contradictory findings by taking the particular feature of team changes into consideration, such as the extent to which these changes concern teams’ relational dynamics or functional profiles.…”

“…According to the team input–mediator–output–input model, team functioning is cyclical in nature, such that team outputs (e.g., performance) in one performance episode can serve as an important input and impact team functioning in future episodes (Mathieu et al, 2008). Moreover, research has shown that how well a team has performed in the past can influence how team members appraise their current and subsequent teamwork experiences, among which affective appraisals are likely a key component (e.g., Guenter et al, 2016; Schippers et al, 2013).…”