Jehn, (1995) distinguished two types of intragroup conflict: task conflict and relationship conflict. Task conflict is a perception of disagreement among group members or individuals about the content of their decisions, and involves differences in viewpoints, ideas and opinions. Examples of task conflict are conflicts about the distribution of resources, about procedures or guidelines, and about the interpretation of facts. Relationship conflict is a perception of interpersonal incompatibility, and includes annoyance and animosity among individuals. Examples of relationship conflict are disagreements about values, personal or family norms, or about personal taste.
2) How does relationship conflict impact on employee’s perception of their team tasks?
Relationship conflict is negatively associated with employees’ affective reactions such as satisfaction and climate, and it reduces team effectiveness (Jehn, 1997). Scholars tend to recommend management teams to stimulate task conflict and mitigate relationship conflict during team decision-making. These recommendations are, however, problematic because both types of conflict are related.
Data show that relationship conflict is negatively associated with affective reactions, while task conflict does not relate directly to affective reactions in a predictable way; relationship conflict has a positive influence on the desire to leave the current job, while task conflict does not affect it negatively; the interactive effect of relationships and task conflict shows that this interaction contributes substantially to predict the propensity to leave