The Effects of Conflict Communication on Developing New Product Knowledge

Abstract

Synthesizing literature of conflict management, cross-functional new product team, and customer knowledge development, this study proposes and examines a theoretical model relating conflict communication mode to development of new product knowledge accompanied with team atmosphere as well as organization's internal control variables as moderators. Using survey data from cross-functional team members and their immediate leaders who had recently participated in the new product development projects, this study tests hypotheses derived from our theoretical model. The finding shows that innovativeness component in the development of new product knowledge is positively related to the level of collaborative communication, freedom to express doubts, and centralization; whereas a NPD team's ability to constraint adherence during developing new product knowledge positively related to the decrease in contentious communication, effective leadership, and the level of formalization. Decision-making comprehensiveness moderated the link between collaborative communication and innovativeness and the link between contentious communication and constraint adherence. However, the positive effect of collaborative communication on innovativeness was weakened when freedom to express doubts or centralization is increased. Some managerial and theoretical implications arising from the empirical findings were also discussed in this study.