Chapter 2 The Pivotal Role of Negative Affect in Understanding the Effects of Process Conflict on Group Performance

Abstract

In this chapter, we attempt to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of process conflict on team performance by exploring the role of negative affect in explaining the negative effects of process conflict on performance. Our findings show that negative affect does fully mediate the relationship between process conflict and group performance. Additionally, we investigate a set of conditions relating to fairness concerns and group context, which may have an influence on the relationship between process conflict and negative affect. We find that when voice is high and perceived goal obstruction and subgroup existence are low, the relationship between process conflict and negative affect is ameliorated, thus allowing for more positive effects of process conflict to emerge.

Citation

Greer, L.L. and Jehn, K.A. (2007), "Chapter 2 The Pivotal Role of Negative Affect in Understanding the Effects of Process Conflict on Group Performance", Mannix, E.A., Neale, M.A. and Anderson, C.P. (Ed.) Affect and Groups (Research on Managing Groups and Teams, Vol. 10), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1534-0856(07)10002-5