The Effects of Top Management Team Size and interaction Norms on Cognitive and Affective Conflict

Abstract

There is mounting evidence that effective top management teams engage in cognitive conflict but limit affective conflict. Cognitive conflict is task-oriented disagreement arising from differences in perspective. Affective conflict is individual-oriented disagreement arising from personal disaffection. This study of 48 TMTs found that team size and openness were positively related to cognitive conflict. While team size was also associated with greater affective conflict, when teams had high levels of mutuality, greater openness led to less affective conflict. The findings have implications for improving strategic decision making through the use of conflict.

Corporate Governance and Strategic Change in SMEs: The Effects of Ownership, Board Composition and Top Management Teams

“…Turning instead to upper echelon theory, Hambrick and Mason (1984) posit that TMT cognitive characteristics, such as values, norms and interests, significantly influence the way that firms process and interpret information about their markets and customers, thus impacting also their ability to recognize and pursue strategic change. Previous research has investigated the characteristics of TMTs, most notably the relation between TMT demography and performance (Amason, 1996;Amason and Sapienza, 1997).…”

“…In this context, the shared strategic cognition is likely to include consensus among team members in terms of agreement on strategy (Floyd and Wooldridge, 1992). Strategic consensus can impact strategic change positively as far as the consensus supports an alteration in strategy (Amason, 1996;Amason and Sapienza, 1997). Ensley and Pearson (2005) suggest that TMTs with many members from the same family, that is, high degree of 'familiness' should mean more shared strategic consensus of the TMT as a result of altruism, loyalty and commitment.…”

Top management team conflict and entrepreneurial strategy making in China

“…Cognitive conflict is task-related and characterized as team members' perceptual diversity about how to achieve common objectives (Amason & Sapienza, 1997;Pelled, Eisenhardt, & Xin, 1999). Cognitive conflict encourages group members to exercise their voices in the decision process and to develop a more complete understanding of problems, and ensures that the diverse capabilities of managers are tapped in the decision-making process (Jehn, 1995;.…”

A dynamic model of strategic change in growth-oriented firms

“…Kilduff et al (2000) conclude that diversity is initially productive because it facilitates multiple interpretations, though they argue that effective teams soon gravitate towards consensus. Amason and Sapienza (1997) too, find evidence of the constructive management of cognitive conflict. Fiol (1994), however, concludes that consensus may be confined to framing of an issue, allowing disagreement over its content to persist.…”

“…Thus closed loop E is negative. Amason and Sapienza (1997) argue that TMTs, not surprisingly, seek to limit affective conflict.…”