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Avoiding Conflict Hurt Team Performance in China

Research has shown that conflicts of the right kind (issue- or process-oriented vs. personality oriented) can help team performance. This study looked into this idea further using questionnaires about conflict provided to 106 pairs of workers and supervisors at government-owned companies in China. Though China has a strong cultural focus on harmony, “Considering conflict as negative and avoiding it” hurt team performance and reduced behaviors that helped the company, such as altruism and courtesy. The study also found:

If conflict was not open, it came out through people competing with each other instead of working together to resolve issues.
Competition, in turn, hurt team effectiveness (though not company-helping behaviors).
A positive attitude toward conflict raised the likelihood of members helping each other.
A sense that fellow team members were dependable increased good company behaviors.

Source: Tjosvold, D., et al. (03), “Conflict values and team relationships: Conflict’s contribution to team effectiveness and citizenship in China,” Journal of Organizational Behavior 24:69.

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