Page 107 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

4. CROUP-LEVEL EXPLANATIONS
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An experienced or perceived threat to one's social group will often result
in intractable conflicts in which both parties believe their own existence is
threatened by the mere existence of the other, and psychic or even phys­
ical annihilation will seem imminent (Northmp, 1989). "Identity-driven
conflicts are rooted in the articulation of, and the threats or frustrations to,
people's collective need for dignity, recognition, safety, control, purpose,
and efficacy" (Rothman, 1997, p. 7). Because group members' existential
needs and values are at stake, intractable or identity-based conflicts are
often viewed from a win-lose perspective in which compromise is not
possible (Rothman, 1997).
In the workplace, conflict between social identity groups may become
salient, intense, and perhaps intractable when the organization experiences
shifts in minority/majority group representation, power, and status. Such
shifts are likely to result in perceived or actual threats to scarce organiza­
tional resources such as decision-making authority, opportunities for ad­
vancement, access to information, and even survival. Viewing resistance
to diversity from the perspective of group conflict theory may help to ex­
plain employee attitudes, reactions, and backlash to diversity initiatives
discussed in other chapters throughout this book. For example, some re­
searchers suggest that negative attitudes toward affirmative action on the
part of Whites may be the result not of negative feelings toward minority
group members, but rather the result of an exaggerated belief that one's
existence in the organization is at risk or a fear of losing status and power
within the organization (Crosby, 2004).

Positive versus Negative Conflict

Although conflict in the workplace is generally assumed to be a hindrance
to organizational performance, there is some evidence to suggest that cer­
tain types of conflict can actually facilitate performance. Researchers have
attempted to distinguish between two types of conflict: relational and task.
Relationship conflict is the result of interpersonal differences such as val­
ues, personality, political beliefs, and social identity group membership.
Task conflict involves disagreement because of differences in the recogni­
tion of and solution to a task-related problem (Rahim, 2001). In a series of
studies, Jehn (1994,1995,1997) showed that relationship or emotional con­
flict is detrimental to workgroup performance, satisfaction, and survival,
whereas task conflict is positively associated with group performance. Re­
search suggests that relational conflict likely impedes group performance
because it causes distress and animosity among team members, limits the
information processing ability and cognitive functioning of workgroup
members, and diminishes group loyalty and satisfaction (De Dreu & Van