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The goal of this study was to examine individual, relational, and organizational determinants of negotiation behavior (problem solving, contending, yielding, and avoiding) between planning and marketing departments in manufacturing organizations. Results from a study among 41 managers and 85 planning and marketing employees within 11 firms showed that individual personality, perceived interdepartmental interdependence, and organizational strategy were each related to the negotiation behavior of department members. Desirable negotiation behavior—specifically, the problem‐solving approach—was more likely when individuals were extraverted and agreeable, when employees perceived high interdepartmental interdependence, and when organizations did not have a low‐cost strategy. Contending was more likely when individuals were extraverted and disagreeable, and yielding was more likely when department members perceived a power advantage vis‐à‐vis the other department. All four styles of negotiation behavior were more likely the less the organizations had a low‐cost strategy. These findings provide guidance to organizations in their efforts to encourage constructive negotiation behavior between departments.

This paper seeks to explore the question of how to investigate the contribution of the operational network (comprising sales service, logistics, planning, production, etc.) to operational performance. In doing so, the paper aims to link concepts from organisational and social psychology to production planning and control.

The paper introduces the concept “operational network”, e.g. the network of people involved in customer and production order processing. Members of the operational network need some autonomy, but this autonomy may also lead to dysfunctional behaviour, due to conflicts of interest, ambiguities and individual preferences. The contribution of the operational network seems difficult to investigate. This is illustrated by an empirical study of the role of operational people in a semi‐process industry. This study shows that concepts of organisational psychology are very applicable here. However, most results relate perceived behaviour to perceived performance; it appeared to be difficult to relate actual organisation characteristics to actual performance. This paper discusses the research approach that is necessary to be able to fill the gap between “perceived” and “actual”.

To fill the gap between “perceived” and “actual” behaviour, it is necessary to formalize the behaviour of the members of the operational network by adopting an adequate planning and control framework. In most situations such a planning and control framework is not available. Therefore, a study of the role of the operational network needs to be accompanied by a participative design of the planning and control framework.

This paper conducts a convincing investigation into the contribution of the operational network to operational performance, a subject which hitherto has been only marginally addressed.

This paper seeks to link conflict and mediation theory to practice using an asymmetry framework. Past conflict research often assumes that conflict parties perceive the same amount of conflict, neglecting that members may have different perceptions.

This study conducted surveys and interviews with 30 conflict parties involved in mediation and examined the effects of asymmetry of parties' perceptions of task and relationship conflict on absenteeism, motivation, and satisfaction with the mediation. In addition, mediator bias was considered as another asymmetry variable that influences mediation success.

Using quantitative and qualitative data it was found that these perceived asymmetries were negatively associated with work motivation and satisfaction, and positively associated with absenteeism.

Recommendations for mediators and organizations are provided.

To enhance the quality of group decision making, to promote affective acceptance of decisions by all participants involved, or to increase joint outcomes, a principal party or a third party may stimulate social conflict. We argue that when conflict focuses on identity issues, when tension level is high, and when disputants' goals are negatively interdependent, conflict stimulation generally decreases joint performance. However, conflict stimulation enhances performance when conflict focuses on task issues, when tension level is low, and when disputants' goals are positively interdependent. We conclude by arguing that conflict may be stimulated either by creating or extending conflict issues, or by promoting contentious conflict behaviors.

Groups’ perceptions of their supervisors’ conflict management styles (CMSs) can have important implications for well-being. Rather than being examined in isolation, supervisor CMSs need to be considered in the context of supervisors’ emotional ability and the amount of conflict in workgroups. This paper aims to investigate the three-way interactions between group-level perceptions of supervisor CMSs (collaborating, yielding, forcing), supervisor emotion recognition skills and group relationship conflict in predicting collective employee burnout.

Group-level hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted with 972 teaching professionals nested in 109 groups.

The positive association between supervisor yielding climate and collective employee burnout was evident when supervisor emotion recognition was low but absent when supervisor emotion recognition was high. Groups with high supervisor forcing climate and high supervisor emotion recognition experienced lower group burnout, an effect evident at high but not low relationship conflict.

Supervisors have a critical – and challenging – role to play in managing conflict among group members. The detrimental effects of supervisor yielding and forcing climates on collective employee burnout are moderated by personal (supervisor emotion recognition) and situational (the level of relationship conflict) variables. These findings have practical implications for how supervisors could be trained to handle conflict.

This research challenges traditional notions that supervisor yielding and forcing CMSs are universally detrimental to well-being.