The Relationship between Intrateam Conflict and Cohesion within Hockey Teams

Abstract

Traditionally, intrateam conflict has been viewed as the antithesis of team cohesion. However, with a multidimensional view of both conflict and cohesion, certain types of conflict may be positively related to some aspects of cohesion. It was predicted that constructive styles of conflict would be positively related to cohesion, whereas destructive conflict would be negatively related to cohesion. Sixty-two male hockey players completed the Group Environment Questionnaire and Canary, Cunningham, and Cody’s conflict style measure. Higher levels of social cohesion were related to greater use of constructive conflict style and lesser use of destructive style. Task and social cohesion were negatively correlated with greater use of destructive style. Two of the four cohesion factors were predicted from regression models based on the conflict style scores. These results support the hypothesis that constructive conflict may be positively related to cohesion, as well as previous research that inferred that negative conflict was negatively related to team unity.