Dissertation
Does the leader know what is happening? An examination of a leader’s perception accuracy of the team relationship conflict network
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2021
DOI: 10.17077/etd.006006
Abstract
Team relationship conflict is detrimental to team functioning and team performance. Given its potentially harmful effects, the prevention and management of relationship conflict have captured researchers’ attention for several decades. By virtue of their position, managers and team leaders are expected to resolve relationship conflict in the team, or at least keep it under control. However, a prerequisite for leaders’ effective management of relationship conflict is their ability to accurately perceive and recognize the various relationship conflict configurations among team members. Surprisingly, no research efforts have been devoted to understanding whether leaders can form an accurate perception of the configuration of team member relationship conflict, and whether it is important for managers to develop an accurate perception of such conflict among team members.In this dissertation, I build on and extend past conflict research and relational misperception research to address these research gaps. To do so, I propose that leaders’ perception accuracy leads to two conflict-handling behaviors: counseling and restructuring. These two behaviors lead to relationship conflict resolution and relationship conflict containment, respectively. Both relationship conflict resolution and containment are associated with higher team performance. Furthermore, I consider the leader’s interpersonal self-efficacy and team skill differentiation as two moderators that may shed light on the contingencies of accurate conflict perceptions.
To test my dissertation model, I collected time-lagged (across four time points), multiple-source data from 334 team members and 81 leaders from 81 teams in a large construction company. Results from the main analyses and a series of supplementary analyses indicate that team managers often form inaccurate perceptions of relationship conflict among members. Even though leader perception accuracy does not have a main effect on leaders’ counseling and restructuring behavior, the moderation analyses indicate that leaders’ perception accuracy leads to more restructuring behaviors when team skill differentiation is low. Moreover, results from the supplementary analyses show that leaders’ perception accuracy predicts relationship conflict resolution and containment, which are positively correlated with team performance. In this dissertation, I also tested a s supplementary theoretical model, and the results suggest that leaders’ perception accuracy is a critical factor affecting the effectiveness of leaders’ counseling and restructuring behavior. Overall, this research reveals the importance of leaders developing more accurate perceptions of their team relationship conflict network.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Does the leader know what is happening? An examination of a leader’s perception accuracy of the team relationship conflict network
- Creators
- Huiyao Liao
- Contributors
- Ning Li (Advisor)Amy Colbert (Committee Member)Rong Su (Committee Member)Brad Harris (Committee Member)Semin Park (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Business Administration
- Date degree season
- Summer 2021
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.006006
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- ix, 118 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2021 Huiyao Liao
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- illustrations (some color)
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 103-118)
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Team relationship conflict undermines both team functioning and team performance. In turn, it is important for managers and team leaders to identify conflict disputants in the team, and then take effective measures to resolve or control relationship conflict between those parties. But can leaders accurately perceive the presence as well as the patterns of relationship conflict among members (e.g., who has conflict with whom?)? Is it important for them to develop accurate perceptions of team relationship conflict? If so, how and when?
My dissertation seeks to answer these questions. To do so, I collected data from 334 team members and 81 leaders from 81 teams in a large construction company. The results of this study suggest that team managers very often form inaccurate perceptions of relationship conflict among members. Notably, leaders with more accurate perceptions of team relationship conflict can better resolve or contain relationship conflict, thereby leading to better team performance. Moreover, leaders with more accurate perceptions of team relationship conflict are more effective in offering individualized counseling to team members, and in restructuring team workflow.
Overall, this research reveals the need for leaders to achieve a greater perception accuracy of team relationship conflict patterns.
- Academic Unit
- Tippie College of Business
- Record Identifier
- 9984124269602771
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