Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

The Effects Of Conflict Type And Conflict Expression Intensity On Conflict Management, Gergana Todorova, Kenneth T. Goh, Laurie Weingart

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: This paper aims to add to the current knowledge about conflict management by examining the relationships between conflict type, conflict expression intensity and the use of the conflict management approach. Design/methodology/approach: The authors test theory-based hypotheses using a field study of new product development teams in an interdisciplinary Masters program (Study 1) and an experimental vignette study (Study 2). Findings: Results show that people are more likely to respond to task conflict and conflicts expressed with less intensity using collectivistic conflict management approaches (i.e. problem-solving, compromising and yielding), and to relationship conflicts and conflicts expressed with higher intensity through …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

Identifying The Factors That Influence Conflict Management Behavior Of Human Resource Professionals In The Workplace: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Personality And Conflict Management Behavior, Gail Joyce Shapiro

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Effective conflict management in the workplace can reduce the negative consequences of conflict. These negative outcomes can include low productivity, health-related stress, increased employee turnover, or litigation. A Human Resource (HR) professional can help mitigate these negative outcomes in the workplace when using effective conflict management behavior with employees. However, there is a void in research pertaining to HR professionals’ use of conflict management behavior.

This quantitative, correlational research study examined whether personality has an impact on assertive or cooperative conflict management behavior of HR professionals in the workplace. Statistical testing found a significant relationship between the harmonious, people-person (a …

Bargaining And Influence In Conflict Situations, Edward J. Lawler, Rebecca Ford

Edward J Lawler

[Excerpt] This chapter examines bargaining as an influence process through which actors attempt to resolve a social conflict. Conflict occurs when two or more interdependent actors have incompatible preferences and perceive or anticipate resistance from each other (Blalock 1989; Kriesberg 1982). Bargaining is a basic form of goal-directed action that involves both intentions to influence and efforts by each actor to carry out these intentions. Tactics are verbal and/or nonverbal actions designed to maneuver oneself into a favorable position vis-a-vis another or to reach some accommodation. Our treatment of bargaining subsumes the concept of "negotiation" (see Morley and Stephenson 1977). …

Where Perception Meets Reality: The Effects Of Different Types Of Faultline Perceptions, Asymmetries And Realities On Intersubgroup Conflict And Group Outcomes, Lindred Greer, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

No abstract provided.

Not All Groups Are The Same: The Importance Of Connectedness For Workgroup Outcomes, Sonja Rispens, G Ruel, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

No abstract provided.

The Alignment Of Multiple Interdependencies And Workgroup Effectiveness: An Empirical Investigation, Sonja Rispens, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

No abstract provided.

When Subgroups Fuse And Divide: Effects Of Faultlines On Team Learning And Customer Satisfaction, Joyce Rupert, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

No abstract provided.

Persistence And Visibility Of Group Faultlines: The Effects Of Team Identity On The Group Faultlines-Conflict Link, Katerina Bezrukova, Karen Jehn, Madhan Grounder

Karen A. Jehn

We expand the group faultline theory by taking into account the relative importance of various demographics within the group that can trigger the formation of strong group faultlines. We draw on group faultline theory (Lau & Murnighan, 1998), social identity and categorization theories (Turner & Tajfel, 1986), social dominance theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999), and evolutionary psychology (Kurzban & Leary, 2001) to predict how group faultlines affect conflict. We propose that the visible demographic characteristics (age, race, and gender) will be more influential than the non-visible (education, tenure, and function) in determining the interaction patterns within the group (Thatcher & …

Conflict Management Education In Medicine: Considerations For Curriculum Designers, Jeffery Kaufman

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

It is important to address conflict in the medical field for a variety of reasons ranging from reducing turnover to increasing the quality of care received by patients. One way to assist with the management of medical conflict is by teaching resolution techniques to medical personnel. There is an opportunity for conflict management curriculum to address many of the issues facing physicians, administrators, staff and patients, however, it is also necessary for those developing that curriculum to understand the nature of the environment and appropriate conflict management tools to be used in that environment as part of the design process. …

Crooked Conflicts: The Effects Of Conflict Asymmetry In Mediation, Karen Jehn, Joyce Rupert, Aukje Nauta, Seth Van Den Bossche

Karen A. Jehn

Our main research question is how the asymmetry of conflict between two parties involved in mediation will affect the outcomes of the mediation. Conflict asymmetry is the difference in perceptions of conflict among the parties; that is, one person experiences high levels of conflict while the other person perceives that there is little or no conflict. In this multi-method study of 54 individuals involved in matched-pair mediations in an organizational setting, we examine the effects of conflict asymmetry on satisfaction with the process and results of the mediation, as well as their recommendation of mediation to others. We find that …

The Moderating Influence Of Nationalism On The Relationship Between National Diversity And Conflict, Naliah Ayub, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

To understand the relationship between national diversity and conflict types (relationship and task conflict) in nationally diverse workgroups, we examined group members’ nationalistic attitudes regarding outgroup derogation (nationalistic derogation) and ingroup preference (national ingroup preference). A sample of 131 employees in nationally diverse workgroups was used to examine our hypotheses. A moderating effect of nationalistic derogation was found on the relationship between national diversity and both task and relationship conflict, such that national diversity was more likely to lead to both task conflict and relationship conflict when members had negative attitudes based on nationality toward the outgroup members. National ingroup …

The Effects Of Conflict Asymmetry On Work Group And Individual Outcomes, Karen Jehn, Sonja Rispens, Sherry Thatcher

Karen A. Jehn

We examine the consequences of an often ignored aspect of work group conflict—asymmetric conflict perceptions—for the effectiveness of individuals and groups. Tests of our multilevel hypotheses using data on 51 work groups showed that group conflict asymmetry (the degree to which members differ in perceptions of the level of conflict in their group) decreased performance and creativity in groups. In addition, individual conflict asymmetry (a member perceiving more or less conflict than other group members) explained reported performance and satisfaction with a group. Social processes and a positive group atmosphere mediated this effect.

The Faultline Activation Process And The Effects Of Activated Faultlines On Coalition Formation, Conflict, And Group Outcomes, Karen Jehn, Katerina Bezrukova

Karen A. Jehn

This research examines the effects of group faultline activation on coalition formation, conflict, and group outcomes. We distinguish between dormant faultlines (potential faultlines based on demographic characteristics) and activated group faultlines (members actually perceive subgroups based on the demographic characteristics) and hypothesize that while dormant faultlines do not automatically turn into active group divisions, a group’s entitlement configuration can activate divisions among group members. Study 1 was a construct validity study to verify the psychometric properties of the activated group faultline measure and explain its connection to other process variables. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested our hypotheses and …

From The Outside In: The Negative Spillover Effects Of Boundary Effects Of Boundary Spanners’ Relations With Members Of Other Organizations, L. Ramarajan, K. Bezrukova, Karen Jehn, M. Euwema

Karen A. Jehn

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Faultline Conceptualization: Measuring Faultline Strength And Distance, Elaine Zanutto, Katerina Bezrukova, Karen Jehn

Karen A. Jehn

The purpose of this research is to develop a conceptually and methodologically sound measure of group faultlines (demographic alignment of members along multiple attributes within a group). This measure takes into account the concept of faultline strength (the extent of a demographic alignment across members within a group) and, thus far neglected in past work, the concept of faultline distance. This faultline distance measure reflects how far apart the emerging subgroups are on demographic characteristics. This new, more elaborate conceptualization of faultlines is validated by presenting a number of hypothetical examples that demonstrate the distinct properties of faultline measures. We …

Do Workgroup Faultlines Help Or Hurt? A Moderated Model Of Faultlines, Team Identification, And Group Performance, Katerina Bezrukova, Karen Jehn, Elaine Zanutto, Sherry Thatcher

Karen A. Jehn

In this study we examine a moderated model of group faultlines, team identification, and group performance outcomes. We extend research on faultlines by showing how different faultline bases (social category and information-based faultlines) may have differential effects on the performance of groups. In addition to faultline strength (the extent of demographic alignment across members within a group), we examine the distance between faultline-based subgroups (e.g., two members of age 20 are closer in age to two members of an opposing subgroup of age 25 than of two members of age 50). We test our model using an archival field methodology …

Cross-Cultural Differences In Conflict Management: An Inductive Study Of Chinese And American Managers, Lorna Doucet, Karen Jehn, Elizabeth Weldon, Xiangming Chen, Zhongming Wang

Karen A. Jehn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare conflict management behaviors of American and Chinese managers. Its main aim is to uncover cultural differences in the way Chinese and American managers approach conflict – thereby developing a more thorough understanding of conflict management across cultures. Design/methodology/approach – Inductive analysis is used to uncover conflict management constructs that are unique to each culture. Structured interviews and multidimensional scaling techniques are used. Findings – Results show that the conflict management behaviors suggested by American and Chinese managers are different. For Chinese managers alone, embarrassing the colleague and teaching a moral …

The Effects Of Conflict Types, Dimensions, And Emergent States On Group Outcomes, Karen Jehn, Lindred Greer, Sheen Levine, Gabriel Szulanski

Karen A. Jehn

In this study, we examine three types of conflict (task, relationship, and process) and four dimensions of conflict (emotions, norms, resolution efficacy, and importance) in decision making groups. We also investigate emergent states (e.g., trust, respect, cohesiveness; Marks et al. 2001; Acad Manag Rev 26: 530–547) as mediating the effects of the conflict types and dimensions on group outcomes (productivity and viability). All three types of conflict decreased positive emergent states in groups and this led to a decrease in group viability (the ability of a team to retain its members through their satisfaction and willingness to continue working together; …

Conflict Transformation: A Longitudinal Investigation Of The Relationships Between Different Types Of Intragroup Conflict And The Moderating Role Of Conflict Resolution, Lindred Greer, Karen Jehn, Elizabeth Mannix

Karen A. Jehn

In this longitudinal study, the authors examine the relationships between task, relationship, and process conflict over time. They also look at the role of conflict resolution in determining whether certain forms of intragroup conflict are related to the appearance of other forms of conflict over time. Their findings indicate a negative and long-lasting impact of process conflict occurring early in the team's interaction. Specifically, they find that process conflict, but not task or relationship conflict, occurring early in a team's interaction leads to higher levels of all other conflict types for the remaining interactions of the team. In addition, the …

Towards A Model For Team Learning In Multidisciplinary Crisis Management Teams, Selma Van Der Haar, Karen Jehn, Mein Segers

Karen A. Jehn

Crisis management teams have the duty to perform immediately, reliably and effectively in case of an emergency, crisis or disaster. The teams are composed of members who are diverse in expertise, experience, parent organisation and familiarity. This makes these teams ad hoc multidisciplinary action teams that have to function as a team and perform in a reliable and effective way as quickly as possible. Our expectation is that team learning is very important for establishing this team performance. In this paper, we develop a broad model of how this team learning occurs in crisis management teams, especially in the operational …

Perceptions Of Deception: Making Sense Of Responses To Employee Deceit, Karen Jehn, Elizabeth Scott

Karen A. Jehn

In this research, we examine the effects that customer perceptions of employee deception have on the customers’ attitudes toward an organization. Based on interview, archival, and observational data within the international airline industry, we develop a model to explain the complex effects of perceived dishonesty on observer’s attitudes and intentions toward the airline. The data revealed three types of perceived deceit (about beliefs, intentions, and emotions) and three additional factors that influence customer intentions and attitudes: the players involved, the beneficiaries of the deceit, and the harm done by the perceived lie. We develop a model with specific propositions to …

Work And Family Conflict: A Review Of The Theory And Literature, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Work and family issues and challenges have substantially changed during the past few decades. One specific concern is related to the continuous rise in reported work-family conflict. The purpose of this review is to explore the literature related to work and family conflict and its possible implications to human resource management theory and practice. It defines work-family conflict and discusses its relevance to human resource practitioners and researchers. It presents four existing theoretical frameworks and reviews the literature related to antecedents/determinants and possible outcomes of work-family conflict. Finally, it provides recommendations and contributions to management and human resource professionals.

Work And Family Conflict: A Review Of The Theory And Literature, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this review is to explore the literature related to work and family conflict and its possible implications to HRD theory and practice. The following questions were investigated: 1) What are the existing WFC theoretical frameworks?; 2) What are antecedents/determinants and possible outcomes WFC?; 3) What does the literature recommend?; and 4) How does this information contribute to new knowledge in HRD? This review is a content analysis of scholarly literature located in various business, psychology, and family databases. Among the hundreds of articles located, the thirty-three that appeared to have the most applicable theoretical frameworks and HRD …