Effects of Leader's Third-party Conflict Management Behaviours on the Interaction of Task and Relationship Conflict

Conflict is a common phenomenon of group life which can take many forms. Research on intra-group conflicts has identified two kinds of conflict: task conflict and relationship conflict. Although task conflict is thought to be beneficial to group performance, plenty of evidence shows a strong interrelation between task conflict and relationship conflict. The current study examines the moderating role of three kinds of leader's third-party conflict management behaviours on the interaction of task and relationship conflict. Specifically, when the leader uses problem solving behaviour, the positive association between task and relationship conflict is weakened. However, when the leader uses forcing or avoiding behaviour, the positive association between task and relationship conflict is strengthened. Implications for future studies are then discussed.