Conflict management and team effectiveness in China : the mediating role of justice
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Asia Pacific Journal of Management
Publication Date
1-1-2002
Volume
19
Issue
4
First Page
557
Last Page
572
Keywords
Avoiding, Competition, Cooperation, Justice, Team effectiveness
Abstract
Although increasingly relied upon, teams can be ineffective and frustrating. Recent research suggests that conflict management contributes to team effectiveness but the value of conflict has not been considered to apply to China and other collectivist societies. However, collectivist values can make developing justice particularly important. This study investigates how conflict management can contribute to team effectiveness by developing justice. Structural equation analysis of data provided by 126 MBA student respondents involved in group projects in China supports the model that a cooperative approach to conflict leads to distributive, procedural, and interactive forms of justice which in turn promote team effectiveness. In contrast, an avoiding approach was found to predict injustice and team ineffectiveness. Unexpectedly, a competitive approach was not as consistently related to injustice as avoiding conflict. Findings were interpreted as suggesting that orienting members to manage conflict cooperatively can strengthen justice and effectiveness in teams in China.
DOI
10.1023/A:1020573710461
Print ISSN
02174561
E-ISSN
15729958
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chen, G., & Tjosvold, D. (2002). Conflict management and team effectiveness in China: The mediating role of justice. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 19(4), 557-572. doi: 10.1023/A:1020573710461