I Can't Work Like This: The Effects of Action-State Orientation Diversity on Relationship Conflict in Teams
Open Access
Author:
Schillinger, David
Graduate Program:
Psychology
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
June 28, 2022
Committee Members:
Susan Mohammed, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Rustin David Meyer, Committee Member Kristin Buss (she/her), Program Head/Chair Richard Alan Carlson, Committee Member
Keywords:
action-state orientation relationship conflict interpersonal processes process conflict transition processes
Abstract:
Action-state orientation (ASO) describes the degree to which individuals initiate and maintain their intentions while working toward goal achievement. While ASO is well researched at the individual level, there is little work exploring the impact of ASO on team functioning. This study explores the effects of ASO diversity on team relationship conflict, as well as the moderating effects of transition processes and interpersonal processes. Results indicate that teams with high levels of ASO diversity (i.e., having a mixture of some action-oriented and some state-oriented members) tend to report higher levels of relationship conflict. Further interpersonal processes, but not transition processes, moderate the ASO diversity-relationship conflict link. These results draw attention to a novel form of team diversity that has the potential to harm team affective outcomes as well as identify means of mitigating these effects.
