Causes of intra-organization conflict: Telecommuting triggered by the epidemic
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(2).2022.14
-
Article InfoVolume 20 2022, Issue #2, pp. 161-174
- Cited by
- 690 Views
-
238 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The COVID-19 pandemic has made many companies in China adopting telecommuting to continue their operations. Like traditional office work, telecommuting requires communication and cooperation to complete the work, and getting along with others means the possibility of conflict. Therefore, conflict can also occur in telecommuting. The purpose of this paper is to analyze telecommuting based on conflict process theory and build a model to test the hypothesis. Quota sampling and convenience sampling are used to conduct online questionnaires, and quantitative research methods are used to analyze the collected data and provide solutions. To this end, 282 Chinese respondents from different service industries completed online questionnaires. Through empirical analysis, the results show that telecommuting has a significant negative relationship with inter-role conflict and interpersonal conflict but has a significant positive effect on stress. In addition, interpersonal conflict, stress, and inter-role conflict have significant positive impacts on affective conflict. Similarly, interpersonal conflict and stress have significant positive effects on cognitive conflict. However, the relationship between inter-role conflict and cognitive conflict, cognitive conflict, and affective conflict is not significant. Thus, the results provide suggestions for managers on how to manage telecommuters and key factors that need to be considered. It also provides a new way for other scholars to study telecommuting.
Acknowledgments
We thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)D74, M10
-
References53
-
Tables10
-
Figures3
-
- Figure 1. Conceptual framework
- Figure 2. Confirmatory factor analysis model
- Figure 3. Structural model of the study
-
- Table 1. Respondents’ statistics
- Table 2. Analysis of reliability
- Table 2 (cont.). Analysis of reliability
- Table 3. KMO and Bartlett’s test
- Table 4. Rotated component matrix
- Table 5. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis
- Table 6. Correlation analysis
- Table 7. Fitting index
- Table 8. Test results
- Table 9. Mediating effect analysis
-
- Amason, A. C. (1996). Distinguishing the Effects of Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict on Strategic Decision Making: Resolving a Paradox for Top Management Teams. The Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 123-148.
- Amason, A. C., & Sapienza, H. J. (1997). The effects of top management team size and interaction norms on cognitive and affective conflict. Journal of Management, 23(4), 495-516.
- Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day’s work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472-491.
- Babbie, E. R. (2020). The practice of social research (15th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage learning.
- Bailey, D., & Kurland, N. (2002). A Review of Telework Research: Findings, New Directions, and Lessons for the Study of Modern Work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 383-400.
- Baron, R., & Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173-1182.
- Boyar, S. L., Maertz Jr, C. P., Pearson, A. W., & Keough, S. (2003). Work-family conflict: A model of linkages between work and family domain variables and turnover intentions. Journal of Managerial Issues, 15(2), 175-190.
- Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1994). Perceived stress scale. In S. Cohen, R. C. Kessler, & L.U. Gordon (Eds.), Measuring stress: A guide for health and social scientists. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Cosier, R. A., & Dalton, D. R. (1990). Positive effects of conflict: A field assessment. International Journal of Conflict Management, 1(1), 81-92.
- Crawford, E. R., LePine, J. A., & Rich, B. L. (2010). Linking job demands and resources to employee engagement and burnout: A theoretical extension and meta-analytic test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 834-848.
- Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554-571.
- De Dreu, C. K., & Gelfand, M. J. (2008). The psychology of conflict and conflict management in organizations. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Derr, C. B. (1975). Managing Organizational Conflict: When to Use Collaboration, Bargaining and Power Approaches (Working Paper). Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA.
- Dimas, I. D., & Lourenço, P. R. (2015). Intragroup Conflict and Conflict Management Approaches as Determinants of Team Performance and Satisfaction: Two Field Studies. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 8(3), 174-193.
- Edwards, J. R., & Rothbard, N. P. (2000). Mechanisms linking work and family: Clarifying the relationship between work and family constructs. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 178-199.
- Feldman, D. C., & Gainey, T. W. (1997). Patterns of telecommuting and their consequences: Framing the research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 7(4), 369-388.
- Fiske, A. P. (1992). The four elementary forms of sociality: framework for a unified theory of social relations. Psychological Review, 99(4), 689-723.
- Fritz, M. S., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2007). Required sample size to detect the mediated effect. Psychological Science, 18(3), 233-239.
- Frone, M. R. (2000). Interpersonal conflict at work and psychological outcomes: testing a model among young workers. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(2), 246-255.
- Frone, M. R., Russell, M., & Cooper, M. L. (1992). Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict: testing a model of the work-family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(1), 65-78.
- Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524-1541.
- Goldstein, S. B. (1999). Construction and Validation of a Conflict Communication Scale. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29(9), 1803-1832.
- Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76-88.
- Groves, R. M., Fowler Jr, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2009). Survey Methodology (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
- Gutek, B. A., Searle, S., & Klepa, L. (1991). Rational versus gender role explanations for work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(4), 560-568.
- Hill, E. J., Miller, B. C., Weiner, S. P., & Colihan, J. (1998). Influences of the virtual office on aspects of work and work/life balance. Personnel Psychology, 51(3), 667-683.
- Howard, J. L. (2008). Balancing conflicts of interest when employing spouses. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 20(1), 29-43.
- Igbaria, M., & Guimaraes, T. (1999). Exploring differences in employee turnover intentions and its determinants among telecommuters and non-telecommuters. Journal of Management Information Systems, 16(1), 147-164.
- Jehn, K. A. (1994). Enhancing effectiveness: An investigation of advantages and disadvantages of value-based intragroup conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 5(3), 223-238.
- Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), 256-282.
- Judge, T. A., Boudreau, J. W., & Bretz, R. D. (1994). Job and life attitudes of male executives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(5), 767-782.
- Keenan, A., & Newton, T. (1985). Stressful events, stressors and psychological strains in young professional engineers. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 6(2), 151-156.
- Kirchmeyer, C. (1995). Managing the work-nonwork boundary: An assessment of organizational responses. Human Relations, 48(5), 515-536.
- Kopelman, R. E., Greenhaus, J. H., & Connolly, T. F. (1983). A model of work, family, and interrole conflict: A construct validation study. Organizational behavior and human performance, 32(2), 198-215.
- Lau, R. S., & Cobb, A. T. (2010). Understanding the connections between relationship conflict and performance: The intervening roles of trust and exchange. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(6), 898-917.
- Netemeyer, R., Boles, J., & McMurrian, R. (1996). Development and Validation of Work-Family and Family-Work Conflict Scales. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 400-410.
- Nilles, J. M. (1994). Making telecommuting happen: A guide for telemanagers and telecommuters. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
- Nippert-Eng, C. (1996). Calendars and keys: The classification of “home” and “work”. Sociological Forum, 11(3), 563-582.
- Ortiz Mendoza, O., Gómez, S., Ramirez, J., & Olivas-Luján, M. (2020). Stress and myths related to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on remote work. Management Research, 18(4), 401-420.
- Pierce, J. L., & Newstrom, J. W. (1980). Toward a conceptual clarification of employee responses to flexible working hours: A work adjustment approach. Journal of management, 6(2), 117-134.
- Pondy, L. R. (1967). Organizational Conflict: Concepts and Models. Administrative Science Quarterly, 12(2), 296-320.
- Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717-731.
- Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior research methods, 40(3), 879-891.
- Raghuram, S., & Wiesenfeld, B. (2004). Work-Nonwork Conflict and Job Stress among Virtual Workers. Human Resource Management, 43(2-3), 259-277.
- Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational behavior. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
- Sewell, G., & Taskin, L. (2015). Out of sight, out of mind in a new world of work? Autonomy, control, and spatiotemporal scaling in telework. Organization Studies, 36(11), 1507-1529.
- Simons, T. L., & Peterson, R. S. (2000). Task conflict and relationship conflict in top management teams: The pivotal role of intragroup trust. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 102-111.
- Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. Sociological Methodology, 13, 290-312.
- Spector, P. E., & Jex, S. M. (1998). Development of four self-report measures of job stressors and strain: interpersonal conflict at work scale, organizational constraints scale, quantitative workload inventory, and physical symptoms inventory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3(4), 356-367.
- Standen, P., Daniels, K., & Lamond, D. (1999). The home as a workplace: Work–family interaction and psychological well-being in telework. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 4(4), 368-381.
- State Council Information Office. (2020). Strengthening scientific epidemic prevention and control and orderly resumption of work and production of enterprises.
- Thomas, K. W. (1992). Conflict and conflict management: Reflections and update. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 265-274.
- Wall, J. A., & Callister, R. R. (1995). Conflict and its management. Journal of Management, 21(3), 515-558.