Share:


Understanding the relationship between task conflict and construction project performance: uncertainty management perspective

    Jianyao Jia Affiliation
    ; Xueqing Gan Affiliation
    ; Kangning Liu Affiliation
    ; Yun Le Affiliation

Abstract

Task conflict is prevalent among construction project parties, however, how task conflict affects construction project performance still lacks a comprehensive investigation. Against this background, this study adopts an uncertainty management perspective to conduct an integrative model including both positive and negative mediators as well as one moderator to investigate the link between task conflict and construction project performance. Using 206 samples from the Chinese construction industry, the proposed hypotheses are empirically examined. Results suggest that project commitment (effect size = –0.046) negatively mediates the link between task conflict and project performance, whereas knowledge integration (effect size = 0.053) has a positive mediating effect. What’s more, task reflexivity is found to mitigate the negative effects of task conflict on both project commitment (coefficient of interaction item = 0.12) and knowledge integration (coefficient of interaction item = 0.08). It is also found that task reflexivity changes the direction and strength of the link from task conflict to project performance by both project commitment (from –0.155 to 0.069) and knowledge integration (from –0.049 to 0.052). These findings provide a holistic understanding of the relationship between task conflict and construction project performance, thus contributing to construction project management theoretically and practically.

Keyword : task conflict, task reflexivity, project performance, knowledge integration, project commitment

How to Cite
Jia, J., Gan, X., Liu, K., & Le, Y. (2024). Understanding the relationship between task conflict and construction project performance: uncertainty management perspective. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 30(6), 536–550. https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2024.21637
Published in Issue
Jul 9, 2024
Abstract Views
304
PDF Downloads
202
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ahern, T., Leavy, B., & Byrne, P. J. (2014). Complex project management as complex problem solving: A distributed knowledge management perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 32(8), 1371–1381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2013.06.007

Amason, A. C. (1996). Distinguishing the effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict on strategic decision making: Resolving a paradox for top management teams. Academy of Management Journal, 39(1), 123–148. https://doi.org/10.5465/256633

Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of self-regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 248–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-L

Becker, H. S. (1960). Notes on the concept of commitment. American Journal of Sociology, 66(1), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.1086/222820

Buvik, M. P., & Tvedt, S. D. (2017). The influence of project commitment and team commitment on the relationship between trust and knowledge sharing in project teams. Project Management Journal, 48(2), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/875697281704800202

Chen, Y. Q., Zhang, Y. B., & Zhang, S. J. (2014). Impacts of different types of owner-contractor conflict on cost performance in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 140(6), Article 04014017. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000852

Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Eribaum Associates.

Chiocchio, F., Forgues, D., Paradis, D., & Iordanova, I. (2011). Teamwork in integrated design projects: Understanding the effects of trust, conflict, and collaboration on performance. Project Management Journal, 42(6), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20268

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Costa, F., Granja, A. D., Fregola, A., Picchi, F., & Staudacher, A. P. (2019). Understanding relative importance of barriers to improving the customer–supplier relationship within construction supply chains using DEMATEL technique. Journal of Management in Engineering, 35(3), Article 04019002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000680

Cronin, M. A., & Bezrukova, K. (2019). Conflict management through the lens of system dynamics. Academy of Management Annals, 13(2), 770–806. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0021

Curşeu, P., & Schruijer, S. (2012). Normative interventions, emergent cognition and decision rationality in ad hoc and established groups. Management Decision, 50(6), 1062–1075. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211238337

De Dreu, C. K. W. (2002). Team innovation and team effectiveness: The importance of minority dissent and reflexivity. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11(3), 285–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320244000175

De Dreu, C. K. W. (2007). Cooperative outcome interdependence, task reflexivity, and team effectiveness: A motivated information processing perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 628–638. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.628

Demirkesen, S., & Ozorhon, B. (2017). Impact of integration management on construction project management performance. International Journal of Project Management, 35(8), 1639–1654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.09.008

Denicol, J., Davies, A., & Krystallis, I. (2020). What are the causes and cures of poor megaproject performance? A systematic literature review and research agenda. Project Management Journal, 51(3), 328–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819896113

DeShon, R. P., Kozlowski, S. W. J., Schmidt, A. M., Milner, K. R., & Wiechmann, D. (2004). A multiple-goal, multilevel model of feedback effects on the regulation of individual and team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 1035–1056. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.6.1035

Di Vincenzo, F., & Mascia, D. (2012). Social capital in project-based organizations: Its role, structure, and impact on project performance. International Journal of Project Management, 30(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2011.03.006

Elbanna, S. (2015). Intuition in project management and missing links: Analyzing the predicating effects of environment and the mediating role of reflexivity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(6), 1236–1248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.02.004

Ellis, S., Carette, B., Anseel, F., & Lievens, F. (2014). Systematic reflection: Implications for learning from failures and successes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(1), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721413504106

Flynn, B. B., Sakakibara, S., Schroeder, R. G., Bates, K. A., & Flynn, E. J. (1990). Empirical research methods in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 9(2), 250–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-6963(90)90098-X

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Greer, L. L., Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2008). Conflict transformation: A longitudinal investigation of the relationships between different types of intragroup conflict and the moderating role of conflict resolution. Small Group Research, 39(3), 278–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496408317793

Gurtner, A., Tschan, F., Semmer, N. K., & Nägele, C. (2007). Getting groups to develop good strategies: Effects of reflexivity interventions on team process, team performance, and shared mental models. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.05.002

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2016). A primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: The Guilford Press.

Hoegl, M., & Parboteeah, K. P. (2006). Team reflexivity in innovative projects. R & D Management, 36(2), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9310.2006.00420.x

Hoegl, M., Weinkauf, K., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2004). Interteam coordination, project commitment, and teamwork in multiteam R&D projects: A longitudinal study. Organization Science, 15(1), 38–55. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1030.0053

Huang, J. C., & Newell, S. (2003). Knowledge integration processes and dynamics within the context of cross-functional projects. International Journal of Project Management, 21(3), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(02)00091-1

Iyer, K. C., & Jha, K. N. (2006). Critical factors affecting schedule performance: Evidence from Indian construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 132(8), 871–881. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2006)132:8(871)

Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), 256–282. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393638

Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 238–251. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069453

Jehn, K. A., Greer, L., Levine, S., & Szulanski, G. (2008). The effects of conflict types, dimensions, and emergent states on group outcomes. Group Decision and Negotiation, 17(6), 465–495. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-008-9107-0

Jia, J., Ma, G., Li, H., Ding, J., & Liu, K. (2024). Social power antecedents of knowledge sharing in project-oriented online communities. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71, 2493–2505. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3185381

Jia, J., Ma, G., Wu, Z., Wu, M., & Jiang, S. (2021). Unveiling the impact of task conflict on construction project performance: Mediating role of knowledge integration. Journal of Management in Engineering, 37(6), Article 04021060. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000963

Jordan, P. J., & Troth, A. C. (2004). Managing emotions during team problem solving: Emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Human Performance, 17(2), 195–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1702_4

Keil, M., Im, G. P., & Mähring, M. (2007). Reporting bad news on software projects: The effects of culturally constituted views of face-saving. Information Systems Journal, 17(1), 59–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2006.00235.x

Khosravi, P., Rezvani, A., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2020). Emotional intelligence: A preventive strategy to manage destructive influence of conflict in large scale projects. International Journal of Project Management, 38(1), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2019.11.001

Kline, C. J., & Peters, L. H. (1991). Behavioral commitment and tenure of new employees: A replication and extension. Academy of Management Journal, 34(1), 194–204. https://doi.org/10.5465/256307

Konradt, U., Schippers, M. C., Garbers, Y., & Steenfatt, C. (2015). Effects of guided reflexivity and team feedback on team performance improvement: The role of team regulatory processes and cognitive emergent states. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(5), 777–795. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2015.1005608

Liang, T. P., Jiang, J., Klein, G. S., & Liu, J. Y. C. (2010). Software quality as influenced by informational diversity, task conflict, and learning in project teams. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 57(3), 477–487. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2009.2033049

Lin, L., Müller, R., Zhu, F., & Liu, H. (2019). Choosing suitable project control modes to improve the knowledge integration under different uncertainties. International Journal of Project Management, 37(7), 896–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2019.07.002

Lind, E. A., & van den Bos, K. (2002). When fairness works: Toward a general theory of uncertainty management. Research in Organizational Behavior, 24, 181–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-3085(02)24006-X

Lu, P., Cai, X., Wei, Z., Song, Y., & Wu, J. (2019). Quality management practices and inter-organizational project performance: Moderating effect of governance mechanisms. International Journal of Project Management, 37(6), 855–869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2019.05.005

Lu, W., & Guo, W. (2019). The effect of task conflict on relationship quality: The mediating role of relational behavior. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 12(4), 297–321. https://doi.org/10.1111/ncmr.12150

Lyubovnikova, J., Legood, A., Turner, N., & Mamakouka, A. (2017). How authentic leadership influences team performance: The mediating role of team reflexivity. Journal of Business Ethics, 141(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2692-3

Ma, G., Jia, J., Jiang, S., & Wu, Z. (2020). Incentives and contract design for knowledge sharing in construction joint ventures. Automation in Construction, 119, Article 103343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103343

Majchrzak, A., More, P. H. B., & Faraj, S. (2012). Transcending knowledge differences in cross-functional teams. Organization Science, 23(4), 951–970. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0677

Marks, M. A., Mathieu, J. E., & Zaccaro, S. J. (2001). A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes. Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 356–376. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2001.4845785

McDonough, E. F. (2000). Investigation of factors contributing to the success of cross-functional teams. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 17(3), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5885.1730221

Mehta, A., & Mehta, N. (2018). Knowledge integration and team effectiveness: A team goal orientation approach. Decision Sciences, 49(3), 445–486. https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12280

Mu, T., Yang, J., Zhang, F., Lyu, C., & Deng, C. (2021). The role of task conflict in cooperative innovation projects: An organizational learning theory perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 39(3), 236–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2020.12.005

Nederveen Pieterse, A., van Knippenberg, D., & van Ginkel, W. P. (2011). Diversity in goal orientation, team reflexivity, and team performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 114(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.11.003

Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14–37. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.5.1.14

Okhuysen, G. A., & Eisenhardt, K. M. (2002). Integrating knowledge in groups: How formal interventions enable flexibility. Organization Science, 13(4), 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.13.4.370.2947

Otte, K. P., Konradt, U., & Oldeweme, M. (2018). Effective team reflection: The role of quality and quantity. Small Group Research, 49(6), 739–766. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496418804898

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

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. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879

Rauniar, R., Rawski, G., Morgan, S., & Mishra, S. (2019). Knowledge integration in IPPD project: role of shared project mission, mutual trust, and mutual influence. International Journal of Project Management, 37(2), 239–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2019.01.002

Razzaq, S., Shujahat, M., Hussain, S., Nawaz, F., Wang, M., Ali, M., & Tehseen, S. (2019). Knowledge management, organizational commitment and knowledge-worker performance: The neglected role of knowledge management in the public sector. Business Process Management Journal, 25(5), 923–947. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-03-2018-0079

Reichers, A. E. (1985). A review and reconceptualization of organizational commitment. Academy of Management Review, 10(3), 465–476. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1985.4278960

Schippers, M. C., Den Hartog, D. N., Koopman, P. L., & Wienk, J. A. (2003). Diversity and team outcomes: The moderating effects of outcome interdependence and group longevity and the mediating effect of reflexivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 779–802. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.220

Schippers, M. C., Den Hartog, D. N., & Koopman, P. L. (2007). Reflexivity in teams: A measure and correlates. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 56(2), 189–211. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2006.00250.x

Schippers, M. C., Homan, A. C., & van Knippenberg, D. (2013). To reflect or not to reflect: Prior team performance as a boundary condition of the effects of reflexivity on learning and final team performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1784

Schippers, M. C., Edmondson, A. C., & West, M. A. (2014). Team reflexivity as an antidote to team information-processing failures. Small Group Research, 45(6), 731–769. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496414553473

Schippers, M. C., West, M. A., & Dawson, J. F. (2015). Team reflexivity and innovation: The moderating role of team context. Journal of Management, 41(3), 769–788. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206312441210

Shin, Y. (2014). Positive group affect and team creativity: Mediation of team reflexivity and promotion focus. Small Group Research, 45(3), 337–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496414533618

Shin, Y., Kim, M., & Lee, S. H. (2017). Reflection toward creativity: Team reflexivity as a linking mechanism between team goal orientation and team creative performance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(6), 655–671. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-016-9462-9

Simons, T. L., & Peterson, R. S. (2000). Task conflict snd relationship conflict in top management teams: The pivotal role of intragroup trust. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.1.102

Spanuth, T., & Wald, A. (2017). Understanding the antecedents of organizational commitment in the context of temporary organizations: An empirical study. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 33(3), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2017.06.002

Suifan, T. S., Alhyari, S., & Sweis, R. J. (2020). A moderated mediation model of intragroup conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 31(1), 91–114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-05-2019-0084

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.

Tarakci, M., Greer, L. L., & Groenen, P. J. F. (2016). When does power disparity help or hurt group performance?. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(3), 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000056

van den Berg, W., Curseu, P. L., & Meeus, M. T. H. (2014). Emotion regulation and conflict transformation in multi-team systems. International Journal of Conflict Management, 25(2), 171–188. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-05-2012-0038

van den Bos, K., & Lind, E. A. (2002). Uncertainty management by means of fairness judgments. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1–60). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(02)80003-X

Van Kleef, G. A., & Coté, S. (2018). Emotional dynamics in conflict and negotiation: Individual, dyadic, and group processes. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 437–464. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104714

West, M. A. (1996). Reflexivity and work group effectiveness: A conceptual integration. In M. A. West (Ed.), Handbook of work group psychology (pp. 555–579). Chichester, UK: Wiley.

West, M. A. (2000). Reflexivity, revolution and innovation in work teams. In M. Beyerlein, D. Johnson, & S. Beyerlein (Eds.), Product development teams (pp. 1–29). Stamford, CT: JAI Press.

Wiedow, A., & Konradt, U. (2011). Two-dimensional structure of team process improvement: Team reflection and team adaptation. Small Group Research, 42(1), 32–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496410377358

Wu, G., Liu, C., Zhao, X., & Zuo, J. (2017a). Investigating the relationship between communication-conflict interaction and project success among construction project teams. International Journal of Project Management, 35(8), 1466–1482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.08.006

Wu, G., Zhao, X., & Zuo, J. (2017b). Relationship between project’s added value and the trust–conflict interaction among project teams. Journal of Management in Engineering, 33(4), Article 04017011. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000525

Wu, G., Zhao, X., & Zuo, J. (2017c). Effects of inter-organizational conflicts on construction project added value in China. International Journal of Conflict Management, 28(5), 695–723. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-03-2017-0025

Wu, W.-Y., Amaya Rivas, A. A., & Liao, Y. (2017d). Influential factors for team reflexivity and new product development. Project Management Journal, 48(3), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/875697281704800302

Wu, G., Zhao, X., Zuo, J., & Zillante, G. (2018). Effects of contractual flexibility on conflict and project success in megaprojects. International Journal of Conflict Management, 29(2), 253–278. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-06-2017-0051

Xin, K. R., & Pelled, L. H. (2003). Supervisor-subordinate conflict and perceptions of leadership behavior: A field study. Leadership Quarterly, 14(1), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(02)00185-6

Yang, M., Schloemer, H., Zhu, Z., Lin, Y., Chen, W., & Dong, N. (2020a). Why and when team reflexivity contributes to team performance: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03044

Yang, X., Yu, M., & Zhu, F. (2020b). Impact of project planning on knowledge integration in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 146(7), Article 04020066. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001852

You, J., Chen, Y., Hua, Y., & Wang, W. (2019). The efficacy of contractual governance on task and relationship conflict in inter-organisational transactions. International Journal of Conflict Management, 30(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-05-2018-0061

Zahra, S. A., Neubaum, D. O., & Hayton, J. (2020). What do we know about knowledge integration: Fusing micro-and macro-organizational perspectives. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1), 160–194. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0093

Zhu, F., Wang, X., Wang, L., & Yu, M. (2021). Project manager’s emotional intelligence and project performance: The mediating role of project commitment. International Journal of Project Management, 39(7), 788–798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2021.08.002