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Intergroup Conflict

Intergroup conflict may be defined as a tension between groups that is rooted in perceived differences. In attempting to understand intergroup conflict, researchers have reverted to describing and investigating the conflict episode. Some limited knowledge exists on the important relationship between intergroup conflict and both the organizational context and organizational effectiveness.

Conceptual Overview

The starting point for understanding intergroup conflict varies across different social science disciplines like anthropology, political science, sociology, or psychology. Definitions of conflict often depend on the respective theoretical framework that is common in each discipline. For instance, within social psychology, conflict is often defined as some incompatibility of goals, beliefs, attitudes, and/or behavior. While there is evidence that conflict between groups has unique and different predictors than intrapersonal or interpersonal conflict, researchers agree that the conflict phenomenon itself is equal across layers.

Instead of attempting to define conflict more precisely, researchers such as Pondy in 1967 reverted to analyzing the conflict episode or process. In 1992, Thomas described the conflict episode as a process that starts with one party's awareness of a conflict. This awareness may involve a variety of concerns or issues (e.g., a threat of a group's interest or a perceived goal difference). It leads to diverse cognitions and emotions, which result in behavioral intentions regarding how to cope with the conflict. These intentions are the combined motivational forces produced by cognitions and emotions. Behavioral intentions in turn lead to observable behavior, reacted upon by the other party. This behavior itself likely affects and reshapes a party's thoughts and emotions in form of a feedback loop. Finally, behavior results in conflict outcomes. These outcomes conclude the episode, but may in turn launch a subsequent episode about the same or related issue.

Conflict Awareness

Conflict awareness has mostly been conceptualized in the form of conflict over issues, goals, and means.

Conflict Over Issues

Several conflict typologies distinguished substantive or realistic conflicts rooted in divergence of interests from conflict concerned with affective or cognitive aspects. For example, De Dreu, Harinck, and van Vianen in 1999 distinguished conflict over resources or interests from conflict over information. The former involves access to and distribution of resources. Examples may include a dispute between two team leaders about which health care team should cover a patient. The latter contains both intellective and evaluative issues. Intellective issues have factual solutions according to commonly accepted standards, such as what is the most cost-efficient PC equipment. For intellective issues, the task is to find the true or correct solution, and accuracy of resolution has priority over agreement. On the other hand, evaluative issues may involve ethical or aesthetic judgments for which there are no demonstrably correct answers. Thus, for evaluative issues, the “right” answer is achieved by reaching consensus. An example might represent a dispute about the dressing code within a consultancy company.

Conflict Over Goals

Many scholars distinguish goal conflict from cognitive conflict, the former involving disagreements that focus on competition for rewards or status. Studies examining the roots of individuals' conclusions about conflicting goals between groups and departments identified both a structural and psychological basis. For instance, research showed that reasons for employees' perceptions of competitive goals include a party's lack of concern for each other's interests, conflict defined as win-lose contests, and competition over scarce resources between departments.

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