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Process Conflict

Definition

"Disagreements among group members about the logistics of task accomplishment, such as the delegation of tasks and responsibilities" (de Wit et al., 2012, p. 360)

Key References 

  • Greer, L. L., Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2008). Conflict Transformation. Small Group Research, 39(3), 278–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496408317793
    • Reported that, when occurring in the early phase, process conflict had the greatest extended negative effects on team interaction in comparison to relationship and task.
  • Behfar, K., Mannix, E. A., Peterson, R. T., & Trochim, W. M. K. (2011). Conflict in Small Groups: The Meaning and Consequences of Process Conflict. Small Group Research, 42(2), 127–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496410389194
    • Conducted three small group studies to explore process conflict and distinguish it from task conflict.
    • Developed a new scale exclusively for process conflict to remove issues of discriminate validity with task conflict in previous measures.
    • Found that process conflict negatively affects group performance.
  • O’Neill, T. A., Allen, N. J., & Hastings, S. E. (2013). Examining the “Pros” and “Cons” of TeamConflict: A Team-Level Meta-Analysis of Task, Relationship, and Process Conflict. Human Performance, 26(3), 236–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2013.795573
    • Meta analysis, used all three conflict types, determined that process conflict had the strongest relationship with team performance but this was dependent on performance measurement type.

Key Measurements

  • Jehn & Mannix 2001: often used in addition to Jehn 1995, adapted from Shah & Jehn 1993
  • Behfar et al 2011: scale exclusively for process conflict

Recent Articles

  • Fitzgerald, D. R., Mohammed, S., & Kremer, G. O. (2017). Differences in the way we decide: The effect of decision style diversity on process conflict in design teams. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 339–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.08.030
    • Extended the literature on the effects of decision making style diversity on process conflict.
    • Found that higher decision style diversity was associated with greater process conflict.
  • Parayitam, S., & Papenhausen, C. (2016). Agreement-seeking behavior, trust, and cognitive diversity in strategic decision making teams. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 13(3), 292–315. https://doi.org/10.1108/jamr-10-2015-0072
    • Examines the role of process conflict as a moderator between agreement-seeking behavior, trust, and cognitive diversity.
    • Found that process conflict acts as a moderator between agreement-seeking behavior and team effectiveness and decision commitment.
  • van den Berg, W., L. Curseu, P., & T.H. Meeus, M. (2014). Emotion regulation and conflict transformation in multi-team systems. International Journal of Conflict Management, 25(2), 171–188. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcma-05-2012-0038 
    • Tested emotion regulation in the transformation of task and process conflict into relationship conflict.
    • Found that when collective emotion regulation strategies are used effectively process conflict is less likely to transform into relationship conflict.