THE DIRECTNESS AND OPPOSITIONAL INTENSITY OF CONFLICT EXPRESSION

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Weingart, Laurie R.; Behfar, Kristin J.; Bendersky, Corinne; Todorova, Gergana; Jehn, Karen A.
• 署名单位: Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon University; University of Virginia; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of Miami; University of Melbourne
• 刊物名称: ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0363-7425
• DOI: 10.5465/amr.2013-0124
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 235-262
• 关键词: TASK CONFLICT; intragroup conflict; ORGANIZATIONAL-BEHAVIOR; INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT; individual-differences; STIMULUS-INTENSITY; TEAM EFFECTIVENESS; thin slices; WORK GROUP; GENDER

摘要

Conflicts in the workplace have been characterized by their type (task, process, relationship), but little attention has been paid to how conflicts are expressed. We present a conceptual framework of conflict expression and argue that understanding how conflicts are expressed can help us gain new insights about the effects of conflict. We propose that conflict expressions vary in their directness and oppositional intensity and that these differences directly influence how people experience and react to conflict, resulting in dynamic escalatory or de-escalatory conflict spirals. We argue that directness of conflict expression is a function of the ambiguity of expression and who is involved (antagonists versus involving other people). Oppositional intensity of conflict expression is indicated by the communicated entrenchment in positions and subversiveness of actions. We argue that while oppositional intensity and directness are universal dimensions characterizing conflict expression, the cultural context and characteristics of the disputants will influence how conflict is expressed and perceived. We consider the implications of our conceptual framework for related research examining conflict.