Using Conflict in Organizations

by Carsten K W De Dreu; Evert Van de Vliert

• ISBN13: 9780761950912
• ISBN10: 0761950915
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-11-24
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

Challenging the common belief that conflict in groups and organizations should be prevented or resolved to maintain or enhance performance, Using Conflict in Organizations offers an alternative perspective by presenting the increasing knowledge on how conflict can enhance individual achievement, the quality of group decision-making and productivity in organizations.Part One provides a general framework which links conflict management to performance and shows how this relationship can be understood. The second and third parts develop and illustrate this framework in a series of thematic chapters. Part Two focuses on performance following intragroup conflict, covering topical areas such as dissent, groupthink and strategic decision-making. Part Three deals with the performance-enhancing effect of intergroup conflict and competition, and addresses contemporary issues such as intergroup competition, collective negotiation and diversity management. The final section focuses on applications and intervention strategies that can stimulate conflict in ways that improve performance in groups and organizations.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Conflict and Performance: Benefits for Groups and Organizations

PART ONE: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Productive Conflict - Carsten K W de Dreu

The Importance of Conflict Management and Conflict Issue

Conflict within Interdependency - Dean Tjosvold

Its Value for Productivity and Individuality

The Effectiveness of Mixing Problem Solving and Forcing - Evert van de Vliert et al

PART TWO: WITHIN-GROUP CONFLICT AND PERFORMANCE

Mitigating Groupthink by Stimulating Constructive Conlflict - Marlene E Turner and Anthony R Pratkanis

Minority Dissent in Organizations - Carsten K W de Dreu and Nanne K De Vries

Affective and Cognitive Conflict in Work Groups - Karen A Jehn

Increasing Performance through Value-Based Intragroup Conflict

The Effects of Conflict on Strategic Decision Making Effectiveness and Organziational Performance - Allen A Amason and David M Schweiger

PART THREE: BETWEEN-GROUP CONFLICT AND COMPETITION

The Enhancing Effect of Intergroup Competition on Group Performance - Gary A Bornstein and Ido Erev

Good News about Competitive People - Peter J D Carnevale and Tahira M Probst

Productive Conflict - Linda L Putnam

Negotiation as Implicit Coordination

Constructive for Whom? The Fate of Diversity Disputes in Organizations - Anne Donnellon and Deborah M Kolb

PART FOUR: DESIGNING INTERVENTIONS: TOWARDS APPLICATIONS

Positive Effects of Conflict - Robert A Baron

Insights from Social Cognition

Third Party Consultation as the Controlled Stimulation of Conflict - Ron Fisher

Enhancing Performance by Conflict-Stimulating Intervention - Evert van de Vliert