International Journal of Conflict Management

Mediation: depolarizing responsibilities to facilitate reconciliation : Table of Contents

Jean Poitras — Sat Feb 06 08:00:23 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – Parties' respective share of responsibility in a conflict is a topic that many mediators have difficulty approaching from fear of radicalizing discussions. The present paper aims to propose a strategy to help mediators facilitate parties' acknowledgement of their role in the escalation of a conflict. Design/methodology/approach – The strategy is tested using a quasi-experimental design using real case mediation in partnership with Commission des normes du travail du Québec (CNT). Findings – The results indicate that it has a significant impact on the parties' acknowledgement of their share of responsibility, reconciliation and the settlement rate. Research limitations/implications – Although the research design has good external validity, the strategy should be tested in other settings such as family mediation. Practical implications – The results show that the parties' perceptions that they played no role in conflict escalation and that the other is responsible for the whole situation are at the heart of any conflict. Originality/value – This study empirically tests an interesting and valuable approach to mediation.

Team identification, trust and conflict: a mediation model : Table of Contents

Guohong (Helen) Han, P.D. Harms — Sat Feb 06 08:00:23 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – The current study aims to address the relationship between trust, team identification, and team conflict. Specifically, it aims to examine whether trust in peers mediates the relationship between team identification and team conflict. Design/methodology/approach – This is an empirical paper based on two field studies. In Study 1, 241 employees in a US Fortune 500 company distributed in various and mostly R&D teams were surveyed. In Study 2, 205 employees in a health care organization in the Midwest were surveyed. Findings – Team identification was related to lower levels of both task conflict and relationship conflict. This relationship, however, is mediated by the employees' trust in their peers. Research limitations/implications – This finding addresses concerns about the mechanisms by which employee attitudes contribute to work behaviors. Practical implications – This study highlights the importance of cultivating team members' sense of “we” rather than a sense of “I” in the team context, reinforced the crucial role of trust in organizational context. Further, by shedding light on the process by which teams come into conflict, our results suggest a means by which managers and organizations can work towards creating optimal levels of conflict in their work teams. Originality/value – As far as it is known, this is the first field study that has examined the mediating role of trust between team identity and team conflict.

Studying Chinese culture and conflict: a research agenda : Table of Contents

Canchu Lin — Sat Feb 06 08:00:23 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a research agenda for studying Chinese culture and conflict. Design/methodology/approach – Publications on Chinese culture and conflict are searched and reviewed to identify conceptualizations of Chinese culture and key findings on conflict. Findings – A review of the scholarly literature on Chinese culture and conflict suggests that Chinese culture has been mainly conceptualized as Confucianism and collectivism. Inadequacies of such conceptualizations and their negative effects on empirical research on Chinese culture and management and organization in China have been addressed. Research limitations/implications – Limitations were not being able to get an exhaustive list of research publications on Chinese culture and conflict. Practical implications – The paper helps to reduce stereotypes about Chinese conflict management stemmed from previous research Originality/value – On the basis of recognizing the importance of past research, new directions for researching Chinese culture and conflict that constitute a new research agenda have been proposed.

Task conflict, relationship conflict and agreement-seeking behavior in Chinese top management teams : Table of Contents

Satyanarayana Parayitam, Bradley J. Olson, Yongjian Bao — Sat Feb 06 08:00:23 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the effects task conflict has on agreement seeking behavior and interpersonal conflict. In addition, it seeks to examine the moderating role of trust on the effects of agreement seeking behavior and interpersonal conflict on the styles of handing conflict, namely, avoidance, collaboration, and third party intervention. Design/methodology/approach – Using a structured survey instrument, this paper gathered data from 252 senior executives from Mainland China and analyzed these using the regression technique to see how interpersonal trust between executives moderates the relationship between conflict and conflict response mechanisms. The study also investigates the relationship between task and relationship conflict as well as agreement-seeking behavior among Chinese executives in Mainland China. Findings – Results show that the presence of interpersonal trust among executives affects the conflict responses for the benefit of organization. The results show that task conflict in top management teams is positively related to relationship conflict and negatively related to agreement-seeking behavior. The data support the view that intra-group trust moderates the relationship between agreement-seeking behavior and collaborating responses such that high-trust groups will have greater collaboration than low-trusting teams. Results also support that intra-group trust moderates the relationship between agreement-seeking behavior and third party responses such that high-trust groups will have greater third-party responses than low-trusting teams. Research limitations/implications – Self-report measures may have some inherent social desirability bias. Despite this potential weakness, this study examines Chinese executives and therefore provides insights into top management team literature. Practical implications – This study contributes to both practicing managers as well as to strategic management literature. This study suggests that administrators need to focus on interpersonal trust while dealing with the outcomes of task and relationship conflict. Originality/value – Although the study is related to Chinese executives, the findings from the study, that task conflict has its affect on interpersonal conflict and agreement-seeking behavior, contribute to the strategic decision making literature.

Group communication and conflict management in an electronic medium : Table of Contents

Bolanle A. Olaniran — Sat Feb 06 08:00:23 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – This study aims to explore the use of a Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) system in-group conflict management, with specific attention directed toward analyzing the task effect on conflict management patterns of groups in CMC interaction. Design/methodology/approach – Two tasks are used in experimental design to analyze interactions and conflict management patterns within e-mail communication environment. Group composition and communication medium were kept constant. The group working relations coding system (GWRCS) was used to examine group interaction patterns that characterize the conflict management process. Findings – The results demonstrate that task type influences the group conflict management process and the extent to which a group employs different levels of confrontiveness strategy in its interaction and conflict management patterns. Specifically, intellective task conflict is best handled by a high confrontiveness while cognitive task conflict is best handled by a moderate confrontiveness strategy. Research limitations/implications – The study used small group size and did not take into account variation in group size. Thus, the degree to which a larger size groups might affect the results is unknown. The study showed that group effectiveness requires different conflict management and interaction patterns for different tasks even within the same communication medium. Originality/value – The study outlined the importance of task types in conflict management within the same group and within the same communication technology. It also stressed the fact that individuals apply technology differently to negotiate conflict based on tasks.