MEASURING THE IMPACT OF THE MICRONEGOTIATION TECHNIQUE ON TEAM MEMBER SATISFACTION AND TEAM PERFORMANCE

Author

Jeffery David Kaufman, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2013

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Workforce Education and Development

First Advisor

Waugh, Christopher

Abstract

Conflict is not an uncommon element of team interactions and processes; however, if unchecked it can cause issues in the ability of the team to achieve maximum performance. Research on task conflict and relationship conflict by de Wit, Greer, and Jehn (2012) found that while in many cases task conflict and relationship conflict within teams can have a negative effect on team performance, in some situations, task conflict benefitted team performance. In response to concerns about conflict in operating rooms, Rogers and Lingard (2006) suggested a conflict resolution tool, micronegotiation, as a way for surgeons to manage conflict. This study used students in health-related courses (radiology, physiology, and microbiology) to measure the effect of training in the micronegotiation technique on team performance on a problem-solving task and team satisfaction. Levels of task conflict and relationship conflict experienced within the teams were also compared between those who applied the technique and those who did not. The results of the MANOVA found no statistically significant differences between teams in the control group (no training) and teams in the experimental group (training) on any of the four dependent variables: team performance, team satisfaction, task conflict, or relationship conflict. The findings may be a result of little variance or presence of conflict within the groups and future research on the use of the micronegotiation technique may be better served to utilize adult work teams with a vested interest in the group product.