(Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2018-04) McLarnon, Matthew J. W.; Larson, Nicole L.; O'Neill, Thomas A.
Although team conflict is often described as being dynamic in nature, little research has investigated change in conflict over time. Taking a team-centered perspective and using latent transition analysis, this study examined the profiles of team conflict that emerge over time, and the transitions between profiles that teams experience. This study also explored the influence that different patterns of transitions have on team performance outcomes. Results underscored the presence of an ideal type of conflict (i.e., high task conflict, combined with low relationship and process conflict), but also highlighted when, during a team’s lifecycle, this ideal type of conflict can be optimal for team performance and innovation.