Interpersonal conflict and citizenship behavior: The role of suppression and goal interdependence

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between relational conflict and perceived interpersonal citizenship behavior. Drawing on the threat regulation model (William, 2007), our research demonstrates both the beneficial and detrimental consequences of relational conflict and the role of suppression in a social context. In teams with high goal interdependence, suppression may serve as a buffer against the harmful outcomes of relational conflict and may even transform such negative events into positive consequences (increased interpersonal citizenship behavior among members). Suppression may, in contrast, strengthen the negative conflict-citizenship linkage when team goals are less interdependent. The impacts of relational conflict and suppression appear more complex than we expected - our understanding of the potential beneficial outcomes of these two variables is far from adequate.