In the space between the group and the individual: The microfoundations of intragroup conflict

Scholars have historically assumed that intragroup conflict exists primarily at the team level. Emerging evidence suggests, however, that perceptions of intragroup conflict are oftentimes not uniform, shared, or static. This raises questions about whether conflict emerges at the individual level, or in the space between the group and the individual (e.g., dyad or subgroup). We address these questions in a field study investigating task and relationship conflict in manufacturing teams. Results indicate that conflict exists primarily at the dyadic-level, followed by the individual and subgroup-level origins, with minimal conflict at the full team-level.