A Study of the Developmental Mechanisms of Inter-Team Conflict Processes Within Multi-Team Systems - An Exploratory Analysis Based on a Collaborative R&D Context

Abstract

Purpose

The analysis of the pivotal determinants that impact the progression of inter-team conflict processes in multi-team systems, as well as their underlying mechanisms, serves to explicate the developmental framework of said conflict processes.

Methodology

This study adopts a vantage point centered on the evolution of inter-team conflict in multi-team systems, with a specific focus on the sequential progression including ”conflict latency → conflict perception → conflict management → conflict outcome → conflict feedback.

Results

By transmuting qualitative data into quantitative data through the discernment of inter-conceptual relationships’ directionality and quantity, this study distills the key chain of relationships between categories. Employing the explanatory structure model, the developmental mechanism of inter-team conflict processes in multi-team systems is unveiled. Notable sources of conflict include team goal identification, team role multiplicity, inter-team relationships, and team competence. Factors that exert a significant influence on conflict management comprise inter-team conflict types, inter-team relationships, team competence, inter-team heterogeneity, team affiliation, and system goals. Reviewing the genuine motivations underlying conflict management behavior, as well as adopting a lengthier temporal perspective, emerges as a crucial consideration when analyzing the implications of conflict management on both the system and the team for evaluative purposes. Inter-team communication emerges as a pivotal influence on the efficacy of conflict management, which, in turn, is influenced by boundary managers, inter-team heterogeneity, and the inter-team interactive memory system.

Conclusion

Through an in-depth analysis of the hierarchical interrelationships among factors that influence conflicts within teams, we have established a model for the conflict development process. This model is instrumental in comprehensively understanding the dynamics of conflict evolution within teams. It serves as a reference point for formulating more precise and effective conflict management strategies. Moreover, this model not only offers practical guidance for resolving conflicts within a multi-team framework but also enhances inter-team collaboration. Therefore, it contributes significantly to achieving the objectives of the multi-team system.

Keywords:

• multi-team systems
• conflict processes
• developmental mechanisms
• explanatory structural models

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics Statement

Our study is in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and it was conducted with the informed consent of the participants. Furthermore, it has received approval from the Internal Review Board of the College of Management at Hebei University (GL202201003).

Consent for Publication

Informed consent was obtained from all the participants included in the study.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.