INFORMATION SHARING AND GROUP CONFLICT: GOING BEYOND DECISION MAKING TO UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF INFORMATION SHARING ON GROUP PERFORMANCE

We investigated the role of task and relationship conflict as mediators of the relationship between information sharing and group performance. We suggest that, in addition to the commonly studied effect of conflict on information sharing, the reverse causal direction is theoretically likely and rele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The International journal of conflict management 2004-04, Vol.15 (4), p.381-410
Main Authors: Moye, Neta A, Langfred, Claus W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alliances
Communication
Competitive advantage
Conflict
Conflict management
Decision making
Effects
Group conflict
Group dynamics
Information sharing
Knowledge management
Studies
Teamwork
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Summary:We investigated the role of task and relationship conflict as mediators of the relationship between information sharing and group performance. We suggest that, in addition to the commonly studied effect of conflict on information sharing, the reverse causal direction is theoretically likely and relevant in today's business climate. Specifically, we hypothesize that information sharing will reduce both task and relationship conflict with beneficial effects on team performance in established groups. We also explore boundary conditions to these conflict-reducing effects of information sharing, suggesting that the lower a group's task interdependence, the more information sharing reduces task conflict, and the lower a group's average general mental ability, the more information sharing reduces relationship conflict. Analysis of data from 38 groups supported our expectations, revealing the expected negative relationships between information sharing and both task and relationship conflict, as well as the expected moderating effects of task interdependence and general mental ability.
ISSN:1044-4068
1758-8545
DOI:10.1108/eb022919