Managing Research, Development, and Innovation: Managing the Unmanageable, Third Edition

9.2. CONFLICT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS

Chan (1981) has studied conflict between R&D managers and nonmanagers in four organizations, and he found that they perceived conflict as generally having negative consequences. Most conflict occurs in the areas of reward structure (most important), control of goals, authority, and insufficient assistance. Most respondents saw a negative link between conflict and performance and job satisfaction, but a few respondents saw conflict as having positive consequences such as increased performance. Reactions to conflict were perceived as quite different. Competition and avoidance reactions were seen as most detrimental to the effectiveness of the work group; cooperation was seen as the most desirable reaction to conflict. ...