A Multi-Faceted Approach to Process Conflict in Groups: Measuring and Distinguishing Between Types of Intra-Group Conflict

This paper presents three studies aimed at better understanding the meaning and measurement of process conflict. In Study one, an exploratory analysis of qualitative data confirmed the existence of process conflict as separate from task conflict and relationship conflict. Study two presents a newly validated two-dimensional process conflict scale and demonstrates why it has not have discriminate validity from the current task conflict scale. The two dimensions of process conflict are conflict over 1) task strategy, and 2) process disruption. Study three presents a new task conflict scale with improved divergent validity from the two new dimensions of process conflict and relationship conflict.