QUALITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF CONFLICT TYPES AND DIMENSIONS IN ORGANIZATIONAL GROUPS

This paper presents a multifaceted qualitative Investigation of everyd ay conflict in six organizational work teams. Repeated interviews and on-site observations provide data on participants' perceptions, behavi ors, and their own analyses of their conflicts, resulting in a general ized conflict model. Model evaluation indicates that relationship conf lict is detrimental to performance and satisfaction; process conflict is also detrimental to performance; and task conflict's effects on per formance depend on specified dimensions. In particular, emotionality r educes effectiveness, resolution potential and acceptability norms inc rease effectiveness, and importance accentuates conflict's other effec ts. Groups with norms that accept task but not relationship conflict a re most effective. The model and the findings help to broaden understa nding of dynamics of organizational conflict and suggest ways it can e ither be alleviated or wisely encouraged.