Psychology Commons^™

Agree Or Not Agree? The Role Of Cognitive And Affective Processes In Group Disagreements, Matthew A. Cronin, Katerina Bezrukova, Laurie R. Weingart, Catherine Tinsley

Psychology

We develop and test a theoretical framework for understanding how cognitive and affective processes (cognitive and affective integration) influence the way in which disagreements (task and process) among group members affect their performance (individual and group level performance). We use this framework to explain how and why diversity may be either beneficial or detrimental to group process and outcomes. Specifically, we examine how group faultlines may hinder members' ability to create a shared understanding of the problem (cognitive integration) and a shared motivation to synthesize their knowledge (affective integration). If this happens, then groups will fail to share and process …