See discussions, s a s, and au ho p o iles o his publica ion a : h ps://www. esea chga e.ne /publica ion/288787622
The s udy o conflic in wo k eams. A ision o he scien ific con ibu ions
made in Spain
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STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS.
A REVIEW OF THE SPANISH SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION
Mi iam Bení ez, F ancisco J. Medina and Lou des Mundua e
Social Psychology Depa men , Se ille Uni e si y
In he las yea s, we ha e obse ed an inc easing in e es in he analysis o con lic and wo k eam e ec i eness. This g owing
in e es is shown in he many a icles om Spanish esea ch eams ocused on he phenomenon o con lic in wo k eams. This
pape p o ides a ho ough analysis and classi ica ion o he li e a u e on con lic a wo k, s essing he main esea ch s eams
de eloped by p es igious esea che s in he Eu opean and in e na ional scope. Ou main goal in his e iew was o iden i y
he mos impo an a iables in ol ed in he con lic p ocess in wo k eams, as well as he p ac ical implica ions o p o essionals
de i ed om his li e a u e. To his end, we i s ocused on he Inpu -P ocesses-Ou pu heo e ical model, dis inguishing be ween
wo ypes o con lic ( asks con lic s. ela ionship con lic ). Second, we adop ed a con ingen pe spec i e o examine bo h
posi i e and nega i e e ec s o hese di e en ypes o con lic . Finally, we p o ided sugges ions o u u e esea ch on con lic
o help he de elopmen o s udies in his opic s ill incipien in Spain.
Key wo ds: Rela ionship con lic , Task con lic , Wo k eams, Con ingen pe spec i e
En los úl imos años hemos asis ido a un c ecien e in e és po el análisis de las consecuencias del con lic o en la e icacia de los
equipos de abajo, e lejándose en la publicación de un impo an e núme o de a ículos ealizados po equipos de
in es igación españoles. Es e abajo ealiza un análisis y sis ema ización de es a li e a u a, pa iendo de líneas de abajo
consolidadas po p es igiosos in es igado es y desa olladas en el ámbi o eu opeo e in e nacional. Con es e obje i o se ponen
de mani ies o cuáles son los ac o es más impo an es que in e ienen en el p oceso del con lic o den o de los equipos de
abajo y las implicaciones p ác icas pa a el eje cicio p o esional que se de i an de es os es udios. Pa a ello: (a) nos hemos
cen ado en los modelos explica i os de la e icacia de los equipos u ilizando una ap oximación Inpu -P ocesos-Ou pu ; (b)
hemos hecho uso de la dis inción en e ipos de con lic os (con lic o de a eas s. con lic o de elaciones); (c) hemos adop ado
una pe spec i a con ingen e pa a de e mina los e ec os posi i os o nega i os de ambos ipos de con lic os. Finalmen e,
apo amos in o mación mos ando la exis encia de opo unidades pa a el desa ollo de u u os es udios en es a línea de
abajo aún incipien e en España.
Palab as cla e: Con lic o de elaciones, Con lic o de a eas, Equipos de abajo, Fac o es con ingen es
on lic i e ela ionships in he wo kplace and hei
ine icien managemen cons i u e one o he mos
impo an psychosocial s esso s o he quali y o
wo king li e and o ganiza ional p oduc i i y (Robe s,
2005). Clea e idence o his a e he indices o di e se
s udies ha show ha execu i es and eam leade s
dedica e mo e han 20% o hei ime managing hese
ypes o con lic s and looking o solu ions o p e en o
pallia e hei nega i e e ec s (U siny & Bolz, 2007).
Howe e , he p esence o con lic s in o ganiza ions is
conside ed o be an ine i able p ocess (Mundua e and
Ma ínez, 2004; Thomas, 1992) and, on occasion, a
necessa y elemen o he p oduc ion and eno a ion o
knowledge hus p e en ing he appea ance o g oup hink
(Medina, Mundua e, Ma ínez, Do ado, & Mañas, 2004;
Tu ne & P a kanis, 1994). The s udies ca ied ou in
Spanish o ganiza ions indica e, e ec i ely, ha cu en
o ganiza ions need c ea i e and inno a i e ideas ha a e
demanded by na ionwide and ansna ional ans e sal
sec o al policies o compe i i eness managemen
(González-Romá, 2008). In his con ex , he disc epancies
abou wo k aspec s a e ega ded as an oppo uni y o
he gene a ion o knowledge (Mañas & Díaz-Fúnez,
2009).
The e o e, con lic , in ou con ex , is an in insic p ocess
in he dynamics o o ganiza ions, p esen as much a
in e pe sonal le els as a g oup and o ganiza ional le els
Special Sec ion
69
Papeles del Psicólogo, 2011. Vol. 32(1), pp. 69-81
h p://www.cop.es/papeles
Co espondence: Mi iam Bení ez. Social Psychology Depa -
men . Se ille Uni e si y Calle Camilo José Cela s/n. C.P. 41018-
Se illa. E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
............
Pa o his in es iga ion was suppo ed by he esea ch P ojec
PSI2008 00503/PSIC P oyec o de In es igación Fundamen al no
o ien ada I+D Minis e io de Ciencia e Inno ación
C
(Boz, Ma ínez, & Mundua e, 2009; Medina, Mundua e,
Do ado, Ma ínez, & Gue a, 2005). Employees in e ac
wi h colleagues, supe io s, clien s and employe s and
consequen ly, said in e ac ional p ocesses can become
con lic i e ela ionships (e.g., Bení ez, Gue a, Medina,
Ma ínez, & Mundua e, 2008a; Ma ínez-Pecino,
Mundua e, Medina, & Ewema, 2008). This phenomenon
implies an in e es ing pa adox: in spi e o ha ing been
empi ically demons a ed ha eam wo k is one o he mos
e icien ways o eaching high pe o mance le els – in
compa ison wi h hose ha can be achie ed wo king
indi idually (Wes , 2001) – i is also ue ha his new
wo k dynamic is in need o a change in he way o hinking
and high le els o coo dina ion and in e ac ion among i s
membe s (Pei ó, 2001), which omen s an inc ease in
in ag oup con lic s (De D eu & Gel and, 2008). In his
ega d, he s udies de eloped in Spain conside ha
con lic is a phenomenon ha is p esen in he daily
dynamics o wo k eams and is he key o unde s anding
he ela ionships among i s membe s (Gil, Rico & Sánchez-
Manzana es, 2008; González-Romá, 2008).
Consequen ly, he eme gence and ele ance o his
phenomenon has p o oked di e se na ional and
in e na ional esea che s o be in e es ed in knowing how
con lic a ises, wha consequences i has in he
de elopmen o wo k eams and, which ac o s and
s a egies could p e en nega i e consequences and
p omo e he bene i s o i s posi i e consequences.
Con ained in his heme, esea ch de eloped in ou
cul u al con ex has no made inno a ion possible on i s
own, bu i has been inco po a ed in o lines o esea ch
consolida ed by p es igious esea che s and p omo ed
om he Eu opean and in e na ional sphe es. In his
ega d, he s udy o eam wo k con lic has been
app oached aking he ollowing aspec s in o accoun o
i s analysis: (a) he conside a ion o con lic as ano he
p ocess o he heo e ical models explica i e o he
e icacy o wo k eams (e.g., Gil e al., 2008; González-
Romá, 2008); (b) he need o dis inguish be ween
di e en ypes o con lic (Jehn 1995; 1997); (c) he
adop ion o a con ingency pe spec i e in o de o
unde s and he dynamics o i s e ec s (Jehn & Bende sky,
2003).
Founded on p e ious lines, he p esen wo k will e ise
he mos ecen li e a u e on wo k eams, as well as he
p ac ical implica ions o p o essional p ac ice, making
special emphasis on Spanish con ibu ions.
FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT PROCESS
In o de o s udy he ac o s in ol ed in he con lic
p ocess, we will ollow he heo e ical models by Gil e al.
(2008) and González-Romá (2008), who, ounded on he
con ibu ions o di e se au ho s (e.g., Hackman, 2001;
Janssen, an de Vlie , & Wes , 2004), de eloped wo
explica i e models o wo k eam e icacy based on he
Inpu -P ocesses-Ou pu
model. In his amewo k, con lic
is conside ed o be a mo i a ional and a ec i e p ocess
ha in luences he ac ions and esul s o wo k eams.
Likewise, he models iden i y he composi ion o eams as
one o he key an eceden s in hei e icacy. Mo eo e ,
hey indica e ha o ganiza ional and si ua ional ac o s
in luence eam s uc u e as a whole a ec ing he es o
he a iables (see Gil e al., 2008). In cohe ence wi h
ecen li e a u e, in Figu e 1, a model designed o
s uc u e and o de he analysis o he mos impo an
ac o s in ol ed in he con lic p ocess in wo k eams is
p esen ed.
Con lic an eceden s in wo k eams
A good pa o he esea ch ca ied ou ega ding wo k
eam con lic has a emp ed o de e mine which
an eceden s p o oke i s appea ance. Resea ch on eam
composi ion h ough di e si y indica o s s and ou in his
ega d (Jehn, No hc a , & Neale, 1999). In his sphe e,
i has been demons a ed ha di e si y p o okes an
inc ease in con lic s among colleagues, conside ing his
ela ionship o be de imen al o he eam. Howe e , some
s udies indica e he need o elabo a e mo e complex
models ha no only analyze he di ec e ec s o di e si y
on con lic bu also ake in o accoun di e si y ypes and
o he g oup aspec s in o de o de e mine he na u e o i s
consequences ( an Knippenbe g & Schippe s, 2007).
In his ega d, esea che s in ou cul u al sphe e
coincide in poin ing ou ha i is necessa y o dis inguish
be ween
social
o
demog aphic
di e si y – di e ences in
supe icial aspec s – and
unc ional
o
in o ma ion
di e si y – di e ences owing o wo k ela ed
cha ac e is ics – in o de o de e mine he e ec s (posi i e
o nega i e) o di e si y (Osca & Ga cía-Salmones,
2010). I had long been hough ha he di e si y o
supe icial a iables o he eam membe s was wha mos
in luenced psychosocial a iables such as con lic .
Howe e , in ecen yea s, i has been obse ed ha
employees’ non- isible o in e nal a iables a e hose ha
ha e g ea e impac on in ag oup con lic . Al hough i is
ue ha he con e gence o di e en skills, ap i udes, and
STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS
70
Special Sec ion
s yles o hough may ep esen po en ial weal h o
p oblem analysis, decision making and he ca ying ou
o asks o di e en na u es, p ac ice has shown ha i is
equally p obable ha , aced wi h his ype o di e si y,
phenomena such as con lic , loss o eam con idence,
weakening o he social ne wo k and ailu e in ask
a ainmen appea (A ciniega, Woeh , & Poling, 2008)
Based on his e idence, he impo ance o explo ing
which condi ions de e mine he success o ailu e o
unc ional di e si y in wo k eams is emphasized,
highligh ing ask cha ac e is ics. Thus, i has been shown
ha di e si y o expe iences and skills, as well as he
con lic s gene a ed by hem, a e necessa y in o de o he
eam o be able o sol e complex asks equi ing
inno a ion and c ea i i y (Gil e al., 2008). Following his
line o wo k, i has been shown ha he use o i ual
means (e.g., ideo con e ences o compu e -media ed
ela ionships), signi ican ly al e s in e ac ions among
g oup membe s, educes communica ion e icacy,
gene a es mo e p oblems o con idence building among
i s membe s, and as a esul , p omo es he de elopmen o
eam con lic s (Ma ínez-Mo eno, González-Na a o, &
O engo, 2005). Howe e , i appea s ha hese i ual
e ec s, in u n, depend on he demands o he ask; only
when eams ca y ou complex and/o in e dependen
asks is i ecommendable o educe i ual le els (using
mo e adi ional communica ion means) (Gil e al., 2008).
Consequences o con lic and con ingen ac o s
The s udy o he consequences o con lic has basically
been app oached unde wo g ea o ally opposing
heo e ical pe spec i es: he
pessimis ic
pe spec i e o
con lic (e.g., De D eu & Weinga d, 2003; De D eu,
2008) and he
op imis ic
pe spec i e o con lic (e.g., Jehn
& Bende sk, 2003; Tjos old, 2008). While in he
op imis ic
pe spec i e, con lic in wo k eams is conside ed
o be a powe ul means o gene a ing g ea e
pe o mance; mo e
pessimis ic
and c i ical ocuses belie e
ha he bene icial e ec s o con lic will only be gi en in
excep ional ci cums ances, conside ing i o be mo e o a
limi a ion han an ad an age.
In his heo e ical amewo k, we canno igno e he
con ibu ions o ele an esea che s indica ing he need
o dis inguish be ween ypes o con lic and he adop ion
Task cha ac e is ics
Complexi y
Vi uali y
G oup P ocesses
Con lic s
Task
Con lic Rela ionship
Con lic
Social suppo o supe iso
Wo k- amily con ex
Con lic managemen s yles
Thi d-pa y media ion
Hypo he ical consequences
Well-being a wo k
G oup e ec i eness
Job sa is ac ion
Bu nou
Team/o ganiza ional clima e
G oup po ency
Con ex i uali y
Con lic managemen s yles
Social suppo o supe iso
T us among wo kma es
Social in e ela ions among wo kma es
Inpu
G oup Composi ion
Homogenei y
He e ogenei y
FIGURE 1
MAIN FACTORS THAT INTERVENE IN THE CONFLICT PROCESS IN WORK TEAMS
MIRIAM BENÍTEZ, FRANCISCO J. MEDINA AND LOURDES MUNDUATE
71
Special Sec ion
STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS
Special Sec ion
72
o a con ingen pe spec i e in o de o unde s and he
dynamics o i s e ec s (Jehn & Bende sky, 2003). The
adi ionally accep ed classi ica ion has been ha
p oposed by Jehn (1995; 1997). This au ho es ablishes
a di e en ia ion be ween wo ypes o con lic s: ask
con lic and ela ionship con lic . Task con lic is de ined
as “disag eemen s among he g oup membe s abou ask
con en o he way o pe o ming i , including di e ences
in iewpoin s, ideas and opinions”. Howe e , ela ionship
con lic is unde s ood as “ he disc epancies and
incompa ibili ies ha a ise among he g oup membe s
due o pe sonal p oblems un ela ed o wo k, as es, ideas
o alues, which ypically include pe sonal ension,
animosi y and annoyance” (Jehn, 1994, p. 224; Jehn,
1995, p. 258).
The hypo hesis ha ela ionship con lic is de imen al,
independen ly o he ci cums ances, has ecei ed wide
suppo om bo h pe spec i es and in di e se na ional
and in e na ional con ex s (e.g., Beni ez e al. 2008a; Boz
e al., 2009; De D eu & Weinga , 2003). Ne e heless,
he con adic o y esul s on he consequences (posi i e o
nega i e) o ask con lic p omp ed an impo an deba e
ha is ongoing in cu en esea ch. This has led s udies
g ouped unde he
pessimis ic
pe spec i e o igno e he
dis inc ion be ween ypes o con lic s and o ocus on he
de imen al e ec s o ela ionship con lic . On he o he
hand, he
op imis ic
pe spec i e has ad oca ed o he
conside a ion o ask con lic as a necessa y and
bene icial p ocess o wo k eams. In Spain, a e iew o
esea ch on his opic e eals ha hei au ho s ha e
based hei wo k on hese wo adi ional lines o con lic ,
emphasizing ha al hough bo h lines o wo k a e
equen ly sepa a e, in ou cul u al con ex hey ha e
mo ed wi h no able in e ac ion.
The pessimis ic pe spec i e o con lic . F om his
pe spec i e, con lic is conside ed o be a limi a ion o
wo k eams and does no comp ehend di e ences based
on hei na u e. Con lic is app oached as a dynamic
p ocess ha occu s be ween pa ies who su e nega i e
emo ional eac ions on pe cei ing disc epancies and
in e e ences in he a ainmen o hei goals (Ba ki &
Ha wick, 2004). The e o e, in his cu en con lic heo y,
con lic - abou pe sonal o labo al aspec s - canno be
unde s ood in he absence o emo ions o nega i e
eac ions be ween eam membe s (Bod ke & Jameson,
2001).
In his sense, di e se s udies ha e conside ed
ela ionship con lic as one o he mos impo an sou ces
o s ess in he wo k con ex (Giebels & Jansen, 2005;
Spec o & Jex, 1998). The me e expe ience o
disco dance, disc epancies in pe cep ions, alues, o
belie s, in ol es emo ional and a ec i e p ocesses ha
likely p o oke emo ional s a es o ange , disgus ,
agg essi eness, esen men and ep oaches (F one,
2000). In his si ua ion, s ess and anxie y le els inc ease
(Jehn & Mannix, 2001), p osocial beha io is educed
and demons a ions o mu ual suppo a e a enua ed (De
D eu & an Viannen, 2001). Thus, like any o he s esso ,
con lic equi es he gene a ion o esou ces in o de o
mi iga e he disc epancy si ua ion ha is p oduced
(Spec o & Jex, 1998). Tha is o say, an adap i e
esponse is necessa y when aced wi h a con lic si ua ion.
In his ega d, when membe s o a wo k eam disag ee
and he app op ia e esou ces o cope wi h hese
cogni i e demands a e una ailable, con lic becomes an
impo an sou ce o s ess o he wo k eam (Bení ez,
Medina, & Mundua e, 2011a, 2011b).
The conside a ion o con lic as a wo k s esso and i s
nega i e epe cussions on wellbeing, p oduc i i y and
eam heal h has no gone unno iced by Spanish
esea che s. In he pas ew yea s, unde a
pessimis ic
pe spec i e, he e has been a esu gence o in e es in
ela ionship con lic gene a ing di e se s udies ha
con ibu e knowledge abou ce ain con ingen elemen s
p oposed as p o ec i e ac o s o he ha m ul e ec s o his
ype o con lic . Among hese ac o s, he impo ance o
he ollowing a e unde lined: (a) supe iso social suppo
(Boz e al., 2009); (b) he adop ion o concilia ion
measu es o he wo k- amily li e in he wo k con ex (Boz
e al., 2009); (c) con lic managemen s yles (Beni ez e
al., 2011a, 2011b); and (d) hi d-pa y media ion
(Ma inez-Pecino e al, 2008).
Supe iso social suppo .
The ole o he supe iso ,
in pa icula he social suppo o e ed by he leade o
eam membe s, has been highligh ed as a undamen al
sou ce o diminishing he ha m ul e ec s o ela ionship
con lic in he a ec i e esponses o employees (Thomas,
Bliese, & Jex, 2005). The esul s o hese s udies a e
sus ained by he in luence leade s exe on pe cep ions,
a ec i e esponses, and he beha io o eam membe s
(González-Romá, Pei ó, & To de a, 2002; Schaub oeck,
Lam, & Cha, 2007). Boz e al. (2009) emphasized he
ole o supe iso social suppo as a s ess inhibi o
caused by ela ionship con lic . Exp essly, he esul s o
his s udy e ealed ha in eams whe e membe s
pe cei ed ha he supe iso suppo ed hem (emo ionally

Special Sec ion
73
and ins umen ally) wo k sa is ac ion was no hu by his
ype o con lic . On he con a y, sa is ac ion dec eased
when ela ionship con lic was combined wi h he lack o
immedia e supe iso social suppo .
The econcilia ion o wo k-pe sonal- amily li e in he
wo k con ex .
The social and poli ical changes in he
business sphe e, among which he inco po a ion o
women in o he labo o ce s ands ou , has a o ed he
inc emen in amily-wo k con lic in he pas wen y yea s
(Siegel, Pos , B ockne , Fishman, & Ga den, 2005).
Faced wi h his si ua ion, cu en esea ch has ecognized
he c i ical ole o he o ganiza ion in he c ea ion o a
lexible wo k con ex adap ed o amily needs ha
p omo e balance be ween amily and wo k (And ade-
Boz, Ma ínez, & Mundua e, 2007; G eenhaus & Powell,
2006), being conside ed a esou ce ha can mi iga e he
nega i e e ec s o s ess (F one, 2002) and a ele an
ac o in he educ ion o he nega i e e ec s o con lic
(Ro ondo & Kinkaid, 2008). The s udy by Boz e al.
(2009) suppo s he p oposed ela ionships, gi en ha
hese au ho s obse ed ha he ela ion be ween
ela ionship con lic and wo k sa is ac ion was modula ed
by he pe cep ion o a wo k con ex ha acili a ed amily-
wo k econcilia ion. Tha is o say, when employees
pe cei ed ha hei o ganiza ion o e ed hem pe sonal,
ins umen al and a ec i e esou ces o concilia e hei
amily-wo k ace s, wo k sa is ac ion was no hu by he
disc epancies ha a ose be ween eam membe s abou
pe sonal aspec s.
Con lic managemen s yles.
F om a s ess and
indi idual heal h pe spec i e, i has been demons a ed
ha he manne con lic is managed can be a way o
mi iga ing he nega i e e ec s o he s esso (De D eu,
an Die endonck, & Dijks a, 2004). Thus, di e se s udies
show ha he consequences o con lic depend on how he
opposing pa ies esol e he dispu es (Tjos old, 2008). In
ou con ex , wo ecen s udies (Bení ez e al., 2011a,
2011b) ha e demons a ed he impo ance o conside ing
con lic managemen s yles (in eg a ing, comp omising,
a oiding, yielding and domina ing) o de e mine he
consequences o ela ionship con lic . On he one hand, in
he i s s udy, he ha m ul ole o ela ionship con lic in
he c ea ion o a
se ice clima e
in wo k eams became
e iden ; ha is, o he p omo ion o a wo k eam clima e
whe e membe s had a sha ed ision ega ding he
policies, p ac ices and p ocedu es ha a e ewa ded,
suppo ed and expec ed by he o ganiza ion wi h espec
o he quali y o se ice o e ed o he cus ome . On he
o he hand, he mode a ing ole o in eg a ing in his
ela ionship was demons a ed. When aced wi h a
ela ionship con lic , an ele a ed use o he in eg a ion
s yle in he eams did no lead o a dec ease in se ice
clima e, showing ha i was in eg a ion and no a oiding
ha was he mos e ec i e managemen s yle o educing
he nega i e e ec s o ela ionship con lic on se ice
clima e.
In he second s udy by Bení ez e al. (2010b), he
mode a ing ole o con lic managemen s yles in he
ela ion be ween ela ionship con lic and emo ional
exhaus ion was examined. Taking he wo k eam as he
le el o analysis, he indings con i med, on he one hand,
he nega i e e ec o ela ionship con lic on emo ional
exhaus ion in his g oup case. On he o he hand and in
acco dance wi h esul s ound by G oss & Gue e o
(2000), he e ec i e ole o in eg a ing in diminishing he
nega i e e ec s o his ype o con lic was demons a ed.
I appea s ha beha io s in sea ch o solu ions ha bene i
he in e es s o all eam membe s end o p omo e a
posi i e wo k ambience whe e mu ual aid, empa he ic
lis ening, and he accep ance o opposing poin s o iew
a e alued, educing emo ional exhaus ion (G oss &
Gue e o, 2000). Likewise, he mode a ing ole o he
a oiding s yle was shown, empi ically suppo ing wha
was de ended by De D eu a& an Vianen (2001) and
sus ained by Zap & G oss (2001). E ec i ely, hese
au ho s a gued ha a oiding could be conside ed o be
he mos success ul managemen s yle in he ace o
ela ionship con lic s, especially when con lic in ensi y is
high. While in eg a ing and a oiding appea o exe cise
a posi i e e ec , esul s showed ha he use o
comp omising in eams is ine ec i e and ha m ul when
aced wi h pe sonal con lic s. Comp omising equi es a
g ea deal o e o o sol e disc epancies, supposes he
ejec ion o some in e es s in exchange o he accep ance
o o he s, and implies he sea ch o quick solu ions
p e en ing he o mula ion o in eg a i e solu ions and
inc easing he le el o emo ional exhaus ion in wo k
eams (G oss & Gue e o, 2000). These esul s suppo
he di icul y o pu e nego ia ing s yles o
gi e and ake
,
such as comp omising, in he nego ia ion o issues
associa ed wi h pe sonal ela ionships, inding in eg a i e
s yles which sea ch o new poin s o encoun e whe e
pa ies can sa is y hei in e es s in he dispu e o be
e ec i e.
Thi d pa y media ion.
Among he ypes o hi d pa y
in e en ions is media ion, which has been he objec o
MIRIAM BENÍTEZ, FRANCISCO J. MEDINA AND LOURDES MUNDUATE
STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS
he g ea es a en ion as an al e na i e o labo con lic s
(Mundua e, Cisne os, Do ado, & Medina, 1999; Se ano,
2003). In his ega d, p esen day o ganiza ions ha e
begun o use media ion as an e ec i e p ocess in con lic
esolu ion (Ma ínez-Pecino e al, 2008; Se ano, 2008),
and he need o aining e icien media o s in con lic
esolu ion, in bo h amily and wo kplace, has been shown
(Se ano, Lopes, Rod íguez, & Mi ón, 2006). Media ion
pe mi s he con lic ing pa ies o enjoy a ce ain deg ee o
eedom and hey can coope a e mu ually. Thei esul s
mean a mo e equi able pe cep ion o he esul s, g ea e
commi men o hem and mo e sa is ac ion o he pa ies
in ol ed (Mundua e e al, 1999) and o e he possibili y
o going beyond an isola ed con lic esolu ion, becoming
a mode a ing ool in ela ionships and p e en i e o u u e
wo k eam ensions (Mundua e, 2008).
The op imis ic pe spec i e o con lic . Unde his
pe spec i e, i is a gued ha con lic
pe se
does no ha e
o ha e nega i e consequences, highligh ing he
bene icial e ec s o ask con lic (Jehn & Bende sky, 2003;
Tjos old, 2008). Thus, his school o hough ad oca es
he conside a ion o ask con lic as a sou ce which
gene a es new knowledge, indica ing he impo ance o
knowing which con ingen ac o s p omo e i s bene icial
e ec s and unde which condi ions hei consequences
can be p ejudicial.
The wo k ca ied ou in he Spanish sphe e unde his
pe spec i e sus ains ha he nega i e esul s o ask
con lic can be explained by h ee mo i es: (a) by he high
exis ing co ela ion be ween ask con lic and ela ionship
con lic (e.g., Bení ez, Gue a, Medina, & Mundua e,
2008b; Game o, González-Romá, & Pei ó, 2008); (b) by
no aking in o conside a ion he con ex ual ac o s whe e
ask con lic s a ise and de elop (Gue a e al, 2005; Li a,
Ripoll, Pei ó, & González, 2007; Medina, Mundua e,
Ma inez, Do ado, & Mañas, 2003a); and (c) by an
inapp op ia e app oach o he s udy o managing hese
ypes o con lic s (Medina, Do ado, Cisne os, A é alo, &
Mundua e, 2003b; Mundua e, Ganaza, Pei ó, &
Euwema, 1999). We will now b ie ly analyze hese h ee
mo i es.
Task con lic and ela ionship con lic .
The me a-
analysis by D eu & Weinga (2003) and he s udy by
Simons & Pe e son (2001) demons a e he posi i e
associa ion be ween ask con lic and ela ionship con lic ,
he s eng h o said co ela ion anging be ween .34 and
.88. These esul s sugges ha he ela ionship be ween
bo h ypes o con lic may depend on he condi ions in
which hese a ise and de elop. Tha is o say, he e may
be con ingen a iables ha explain such a iabili y. In
his way, ecen s udies ha e shown how ce ain g oup
ac o s modula e he ela ionship be ween bo h ypes o
con lic s in wo k eams, such as social suppo by he
supe iso (Bení ez e al, 2008b), social in e ac ion and
us be ween wo k eam membe s (Game o e al., 2008;
Pe e son and Beh a , 2003) and he eam’s skills in
managing emo ions (Yang & Mossholde , 2004), among
o he s. We highligh he s udy by Game o e al, (2008) in
which, besides showing he modula ing ole o social
in e ac ion in he ela ionship be ween bo h ypes o
con lic , he media ing ole o ela ionship con lic in he
dynamics o he ela ionship be ween ask con lic and
a ec i e clima e was obse ed. This implies ha he
p ejudicial e ec s o ask con lic on employees’ a ec i e
esponses a e only p oduced when eams, in addi ion o
pe cei ing a ask con lic , also expe ience a ela ionship
con lic . These esul s a e consis en wi h he s udy by
Medina e al. (2005), in which he media ing o
modula ing ole o ela ionship con lic in he associa ion
be ween ask con lic and he a ec i e a iables o wo k
sa is ac ion, wellbeing and he p opensi y o lea e he job
was con as ed. In a sample o 169 se ice o ganiza ion
employees, hese au ho s obse ed ha , in addi ion o he
media ing e ec o ela ionship con lic , i was ele an o
conside he in ensi y le els o bo h ypes o con lic s in
o de o de e mine he posi i e o nega i e consequences
o ask con lic . In his sense, i was shown ha ask con lic
had a dys unc ional e ec on a ec i e a iables only
when bo h ypes o con lic s p esen ed high in ensi y
le els.
G oup clima e and o ganiza ional cul u e.
One o he
easons ha wo k eams a e able o wo k e ec i ely
oge he is ha hey c ea e a posi i e g oup clima e based
on he pe sonal ela ionships es ablished among
hemsel es and on ce ain no ms and p inciples sha ed by
all (Zande , 1993). In his ega d, some au ho s sugges
ha eams could bene i om ask con lic when hey
cul i a e a clima e ha is ole an o di e en poin s o
iew and whe e disag eemen s abou he ways o
pe o ming a job a e conside ed by he wo ke s as a
manne o imp o ing i and o eaching eam objec i es
(Jehn, 1995, Lo elace, Shapi o, & Weinga , 2001).
Based on said conside a ions, Medina e al., (2003a;
2004) Medina, Gue a e al., (2005) ound ha ask
con lic was e ec i e o he sa is ac ion and well-being o
employees o he ex en ha in bo h eams and
74
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MIRIAM BENÍTEZ, FRANCISCO J. MEDINA AND LOURDES MUNDUATE
o ganiza ions a cul u e o goals was p omo ed. Tha is o
say, when ac i i ies and communica ions a e o ien ed o
he achie emen o p e iously es ablished goals making
e e ence o a ionali y, pe o mance indica o s, goal
achie emen , and ewa ds con ingen on wo k and e o ,
con lic s cen e ed on wo k issues a e bene icial o wo k
eams.
G oup po ency
Ano he con ingen mo i a ional and
a ec i e p ocess o emphasize in wo k eams is g oup
po ency. Gil e al. (2008) indica ed ha when eam
membe s sha e a belie in g oup e iciency, hey a e
willing o make an e o o wo k ha d o each a common
goal ins ead o aiming o pe sonal goals. The s udy by
Li a e al., (2007) suppo s said conside a ion. In a
longi udinal s udy, hese au ho s showed he modula ing
ole o g oup po ency in he ela ionship be ween ask
con lic and g oup e ec i eness. The eams ha wo ked
unde di e en expe imen al condi ions based on he
means o communica ion employed ( adi ional ace- o-
ace
s
. compu e media ed communica ion) showed ha ,
independen om he i uali y o he ela ionship, when
high le els o g oup po ency we e pe cei ed in he eams,
hey we e able o bene i om he posi i e e ec s o ask
con lic . On he con a y, i was de imen al o eams ha
had a low belie in hei g oup e icacy.
Vi ual Con ex .
The modula ing ole o i uali y was
no app eciable in he p e ious s udy. Howe e , i has
been demons a ed ha he use o i ual means o ca y
ou ce ain asks signi ican ly al e s in e ac ions be ween
eam membe s, so ha communica ion is less e icien and
he appea ance o con lic s is mo e equen . In suppo o
his conside a ion, he s udy elabo a ed by Ma ínez-
Mo eno, González-Na a o, Zo noza, & Ripoll (2009)
a i med he modula ing ole o i uali y. Th ough a
longi udinal design, i was obse ed ha a e a pe iod o
eamwo k, con lic s ha med g oup pe o mance o a
g ea e deg ee when g oup membe s used i ual
communica ion means ( ideo con e ence and compu e -
media ed communica ion) compa ed o hose who
communica ed in a adi ional way ( ace- o- ace).
Con lic managemen s yles.
The s udy by Chen, Liu,
& Tjosold (2005) b ough o ligh he impo ance and
e icacy o a coope a i e app oach o con lic
managemen . In a coope a i e app oach, he
achie emen o common goals and he o ien a ion owa d
mu ual bene i is sough , in such a way ha he con lic ing
pa ies make an e o o unde s and he opinions o
o he s and o elabo a e solu ions ha inco po a e di e se
poin s o iew. On he con a y, he use o compe i i e
s a egies implies ha he pe cep ion o con lic is a win-
lose si ua ion in which he e is a endency o use p essu e
and in imida ion beha io s o ob ain sel -in e es s. In he
same ein, in eg a ing o p oblem sol ing has been
conside ed o be mos e ec i e when acing con lic s on
aspec s ela ed o wo k ( an de Vlie , Euwema, &
Huismaus, 1995). One cha ac e is ic o hese s udies on
managemen con lic has been he endency o analyze
s yles sepa a ely adop ing an analy ical pe spec i e in
which di e se s yles a e compa ed as i hey we e
independen . Ne e heless, as Mundua e e al. (1999)
indica ed, con lic is p oduced h oughou an in e ac ion
p ocess du ing which pa ies equen ly change om one
beha io o ano he in he same con lic episode. Thus, i
was shown ha i is no in eg a ing i sel ha is he mos
e ec i e beha io , bu a combina ion o di e se s yles ha
lead o he a ainmen o he bes esul s (Luque, Medina,
Do ado, & Mundua e, 1998; Mundua e, Ganaza, Pei ó,
& Euwema, 1999). Along he same lines, Medina e al.
(2003b) analyzed he e ec i eness o he combina ion o
ce ain con lic managemen beha io s, s udying in dep h
how hese beha io al combina ions occu ed du ing he
in e ac ion p ocess. P ecisely, beha io s p oduced by
con lic ing pa ies in an escala ing si ua ion we e
analyzed as well as hei a icula ion wi h he e ec i eness
o he nego ia o s. The esul s showed ha he
e ec i eness o managemen s yles depends bo h on he
momen o con lic escala ion and on he ecip oci y o he
o he pa y wi h espec o he beha io p oduced.
Howe e , when acing escala ing con lic s, bo h p oblem
sol ing beha io s and accommoda ion beha io s had a
g ea ad an age wi h espec o o he managemen
beha io s: hey we e able o educe he con lic in ensi y
and, consequen ly, i s escala ion. In sum, he p esen s udy
demons a ed ha , on making p oposals, e ec i e
nego ia o s mus ake in o conside a ion he in e es s o
he o he pa y in spi e o he ac ha he esponse o he
ad e sa y is aimed a he a ainmen o pe sonal in e es s.
PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES WHEN
FACING CONFLICT PHENOMENON
In he business wo ld, he g adual demand o ain
wo ke s and eam leade s in e icien con lic esolu ion
s a egies (Nussbaum, 2009) exac s he awa eness o
socie y and u u e p o essionals abou he impo ance o
his phenomenon and he consequences o i s de icien
managemen . Fo his eason, and in ag eemen wi h he
75
Special Sec ion
STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS
aining ecommenda ions o he Eu opean Highe
Educa ion A ea, i is necessa y o begin he i s aining
s eps a uni e si y wi h he p esen a ion o science-
manuals (applied a he same ime) ha explain he basic
con en o his phenomenon, o i s unde s anding and
managemen , so ha good eam unc ioning is p ocu ed.
Along hese lines, we highligh he wo k ca ied ou by he
Human Resou ces Resea ch and De elopmen Team
(INDRHO) (h p://g upo.us.es/g upo ind ho/), such as
he Con lic , Nego ia ion and Media ion Manual
coo dina ed by p o esso s Mundua e and Medina and
eedi ed in h ee consecu i e edi ions (2005-2009). This
manual includes he con ibu ions o p es igious
esea che s in he a ea o con lic , nego ia ion and
media ion, who ha e a emp ed o ansmi hei heo e ic
knowledge on his subjec ma e o he equi emen s o
wha po en ial p o essionals will need in hei p o essional
p ac ice.
Likewise, i is ele an o conside he impac ha , o
social imp o emen and inno a ion as well as he
p omo ion o new p ojec s in esea ch and de elopmen ,
he esul s o he esea ch in he a ea o O ganiza ional
and Wo k Psychology exe cise. This equi es he
di ulga ion o knowledge, no only in jou nals and
scien i ic o ums, bu also in popula manuals and
communica ion means ha sa is y he cu en social and
poli ical needs being li ed in he coun y o egion.
Simul aneously, as indica ed by Salgado & Pei ó (2008),
“A p o essional p ac ice o quali y, igo and e icacy
mus ha e i s ounda ion in scien i ic knowledge” (p.2), o
which he luid and pe meable collabo a ion be ween
esea ch and p o essional p ac ice is e y en iching o
social de elopmen . In his ega d, hey highligh he
p ac ical manuals and epo s elabo a ed by he INDRHO
Team, in collabo a ion wi h heO icial Psychological
College o Andalusia [Colegio O icial de Psicología de
Andalucía Occiden al (COPAO)] (COPAO) and di e se
public adminis a ions, suppo ing he ac ions ha he
O icial College o Psychologis s ha e p omo ed since he
80s o he de elopmen o he Psychology o Wo k,
O ganiza ions and Human Resou ces. These manuals and
epo s de ail, om a scien i ic poin o iew, he
guidelines o speci ic in e en ions when aced wi h
phenomena such as con lic , wo kplace ha assmen and
bu nou , such as ways o p e en ing o mi iga ing he
nega i e consequences o hese.
In he same ein, we unde sco e how he need o
e icien con lic managemen on he pa o o ganiza ions
equi es he inco po a ion o models and echniques o
p o en e icacy in o he dynamic o o ganiza ional
managemen i sel . A good example o his is he
collabo a ion be ween he INDHRO Team and he
Andalusian Council o Labo Rela ions [Consejo Andaluz
de Relaciones Labo ales (CARL)] in he de elopmen o a
labo media ion model, which is cu en ly inco po a ed
in o he Ex ajudicial Sys em o Labo Con lic Resolu ion
in Andalusia [Sis ema Ex ajudicial de Resolución de
Con lic os Labo ales en Andalucía (SERCLA)]. In his
scien i ic-p o essional collabo a ion, he p ac ice o labo
media ion is p esen ed as a p e en i e ool ha helps o
p ese e he ela ions be ween he pa ies who in e ac
daily in he wo k en i onmen (Ma ínez-Pecino e al.,
2008).
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES IN THE
STUDY OF CONFLICT
The aim o he p esen pape was o syn hesize and
in eg a e some o he esul s ob ained in Spain on con lic
and i s managemen in wo k eams.
In o de o do his, we used he heo e ical and
explana o y models o wo k eam e ec i eness de eloped
by Gil e al. (2008) and by González-Romá (2008). Thus,
con lic has been conside ed o be a mo i a ional and
a ec i e p ocess ha in luences eam ac ions and esul s,
and he no ion o di e si y has been iden i ied (in
supe icial o isible aspec s as well as in deep and
in isible aspec s) as a ele an an eceden o his g oup
p ocess. A he same ime, he adop ion o a mo e
complex pe spec i e o de e mine he consequences
(posi i e o nega i e) o homogenei y
s.
he e ogenei y in
wo k eam dynamics has been insis ed upon.
Add essing he sugges ions o ele an esea che s on
he impo ance o conside ing con lic dimensionali y, he
accep ed adi ional classi ica ion has been used, in which
ask con lic and ela ionship con lic a e di e en ia ed
(Jehn, 1995; 1997). Likewise, a con ingen pe spec i e
o desc ibing which ac o s he Spanish s udies conside
o be acili a o s o inhibi o s o he nega i e
consequences o ela ionship con lic and o he posi i e
consequences o ask con lic (see Figu e 1) has been
adop ed.
Wi h ega d o ela ionship con lic , i has been
es ablished as a sou ce o s ess in wo k eams, and di e se
ac o s such as inhibi o s o he nega i e consequences o
hese ypes o con lic s on he well-being and e ec i eness
o wo k eams ha e been iden i ied: he social suppo o
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MIRIAM BENÍTEZ, FRANCISCO J. MEDINA AND LOURDES MUNDUATE
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STUDYING CONFLICT IN WORK TEAMS
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