Why Conflict Matters for Science Teams
For science teams, conflict is neither categorically harmful nor categorically productive. Its effects depend on three factors.
1. The Type of Conflict
Task conflict — disagreements about ideas, approaches, and how problems should be framed — can drive more thorough analysis, better decision making, and creative synthesis (Jehn, 1995; Jehn & Mannix, 2001). Relationship and process conflict are more consistently associated with negative outcomes, including impaired performance, weakened cohesion, and deteriorating psychological safety (Behfar et al., 2011; Jehn & Mannix, 2001).
2. The Stage at Which It Emerges
Greer et al. (2008) found that process conflict during the early stages of team formation tends to generate cascading task and relationship conflict, meaning all three types persist for the team’s duration. Early intervention on process issues has disproportionate impact.
3. The Climate in Which It Is Managed
Edmondson (1999) and Bradley et al. (2012) established that task conflict in a psychologically safe environment improves decision making and creativity. The same task conflict in an unsafe environment degrades performance. Psychological safety is the mediating condition that determines whether conflict is constructive or destructive.
References
Behfar, K. J., Mannix, E. A., Peterson, R. S., & Trochim, W. M. (2011). Conflict in small groups: The meaning and consequences of process conflict. Small Group Research, 42(2), 127–176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496410389194
Bradley, B. H., Postlethwaite, B. E., Klotz, A. C., & Brown, K. G. (2012). Reaping the benefits of task conflict in teams: The critical role of team psychological safety climate. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(1), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024200
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Greer, L. L., Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2008). Conflict transformation: A longitudinal investigation of the relationships between different types of intragroup conflict and the moderating role of conflict resolution. Small Group Research, 39, 278–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496408317793
Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 256–282. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2393638
Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 238–251. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069453