Using Conflict in Organizations

Using Conflict in Organizations challenges the common assumption that conflict in groups and organizations is detrimental to performance. It offers an alternative perspective by presenting the scarce but accumulating knowledge on how conflict can enhance individual achievement, the quality of group decision making, and the productivity in organizations. Part one of the book provides a general framework that explicitly links conflict to performance and from which this relationship can be understood. The second and third parts build on and illustrate this framework in a series of thematic chapters. Part two focuses on performance and intragroup conflict, covering topical areas such as dissent, groupthink, and strategic decision making. Part three deals with the performance-enhancing effects of intergroup conflict and addresses issues such as collective negotiation and diversity management. The final section of the book focuses on applications and intervention strategies that can stimulate conflict in ways that will enhance performance in groups and organizations. Offering a new perspective on conflict in groups and organizations, based on fundamental and field research, Using Conflict in Organizations will be required reading for academics, advanced students, and practitioners in management, organizational behavior, and organizational psychology.