Human Side of Project Leadership

CHAPTER 15

Hypotheses Development

We developed our hypotheses to test the alternative viewpoint that affective conflict emerges in large part due to the extent of cognitive conflict which the team experiences. Unlike the majority of studies in team conflict, we do not propose any direct effects on affective conflict. Rather, we propose several factors that based on past research we expect to relate positively to cognitive conflict. In so doing, we expect that these factors will indirectly promote affective conflict, with the rationale that cognitive conflict sparks affective conflict. Finally, we hypothesize conditions under which teams might be able to avoid the mutation from cognitive to affective conflict. These hypotheses are offered for ...