Using perspective taking to manage conflict and affect in teams

Article Abstract:

This article draws from the author's larger 1993 study on antecedents and consequences of conflict in teams. It looks at the influence of perspective taking on types of conflict and the influence of conflict on affect. Teams using perspective taking were hypothesized to perceive conflict as task oriented as opposed to people oriented. Although both types of conflict were hypothesized to lead to arousal within the team, people-oriented conflict was expected to lead to a more negative team tone. To test hypotheses on perspective taking, 15 medical teams participated in a perspective-taking training program while 15 teams served as a control group. Perspective taking was also measured using self-report scales. Conflict and affect were measured using observation and self-report. Although the training program had no impact on perceived conflict, teams with higher perspective taking (using self-report measures) were likely to perceive conflict as task oriented and less likely to perceive it as people oriented. Hypotheses on the impact of conflict on affect were supported. This study suggests that conflict and negative affect do not necessarily go hand in hand, and that perspective taking is one mechanism teams can use to help manage conflict. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Interpersonal relations, Conflict management, Affect (Psychology)

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Normative commitment and instrumental attachment as intervening variables in the prediction of union participation

Article Abstract:

This study analyzed organizational commitment as a social psychological process in a labor union setting. It proposed that normative commitment and instrumental attachment are variables that intervene between antecedent constructs and union participation as a behavioral outcome and, further, that such commitment and attachment are separate motivational processes that affect behavior differentially. Two competing theoretical models were evaluated, using structural equation analysis of self-report data from a sample of 176 recently unionized public agency employees. The model predicting that normative commitment and instrumental attachment mediate between union participation and four antecedent constructs provided a significantly better fit to the data than did the model predicting that these antecedents relate directly to participation. Path coefficient patterns observed within each model also suppported the intervening variable hypothesis. The proposition that normative commitment and instrumental attachment are different processes also was supported by the finding that commitment has stronger links to participation than does attachment. These results are consistent with the identification theory of organizational commitment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Labor unions, Operant behavior, Operant conditioning, Commitment (Psychology), Unionization

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Escape from a mine fire: emergent perspective and work group behavior

Article Abstract:

Fire (destructive burning on a scale that threatens serious harm) is an important sociotechnical problem. This article analyzes miner responses to a 1988 coal mine fire from a symbolic interaction perspective. Lengthy qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 miners caught in the blaze studied. The data shows that workplace culture (e.g., the buddy system) conditions participant responses to a fire emergency and, in the case of miners, largely facilitates their efficient and effective escape to safety. The orientation shift away from routine work behavior into the short-term perspective associated with an emergency is problematic. Theoretical implications for organizational behavior and practical applications for mine safety are discussed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Psychological aspects, Mine safety, Fire

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