Abstract
The original research on conflict in organizations suggested that conflict was a negative
force, but some of the early theorizing also suggested some positive effects (e.g., idea
generation, constructive criticism, creativity). A resurgence of research on workgroup
conflict in the past 15 years indicates that conflict can be beneficial for workgroups
under certain conditions, but the debate is ongoing. We propose that the emerging
new perspectives on conflict (e.g., conflict asymmetry, proportional conflict; functional
relational conflict aspects) will enable future research to provide a clearer picture of
the benefits and detriments of workgroup conflict.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Sage handbook of organizational behavior, Vol. 1: Micro approaches |
| Editors | J. Barlings, C.L. Cooper |
| Place of Publication | Thousand Oakes (CA) |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Ltd |
| Pages | 262-276 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-4129-2385-9 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |