Composition, Conflict Expression, and Psychological Safety in Teams: A Longitudinal Investigation
Abstract
Research on conflict in organizations has previously been investigated as conflict
management style, conflict content, and conflict culture. Weingart and colleagues
(2015) proposed a new framework of examining conflict as conflict expression, which
can be defined as an individual’s particular verbal or non-verbal behaviors in
expressing disagreement. The current study aimed to expand the nomological network
surrounding conflict expression in teams. First, the study examined the effect of each
conflict expression on team performance. Second, the study examined team
composition in terms of personality and political skill as antecedents of conflict
expression. Third, the study examined the effect of political skill on escalatory conflict
spiral. Finally, the study examined the bidirectional relationship between conflict
expression and psychological safety emergence over time. To investigate these
relationships, the current study used archival data collected over six-time points within
24 student project teams. To test for these hypothesized relationships, regression,
moderated regression, latent growth curve modeling, and cross-lagged panel analysis
were conducted. The results of the current study suggested that arguing, undermining, and disguising
negatively predicted subjective team performance. Political skill was found to
negatively predict arguing, undermining, and disguising. No support was found with
regards to personality, escalatory conflict spirals, and the bidirectional relationship
between conflict expression and psychological safety. Based on the current study’s
results, organizations can use a political skill measure as part of their selection and
team composition procedures. In addition, organizations should also implement
interventions that aims to enhances a team’s psychological safety near the end of the
team’s lifecycle to prevent the team from engaging in conflict expressions that are
harmful to the team. Future research should continue examining the conflict
expression framework. The current study’s limitations were also discussed.