Richard A. Cosier

Positive effects of cognitive conflict and employee voice

Conflict is usually viewed as undesirable and negative. Recent empirical work, however, has documented several positive outcomes from conflict. Benefits range from better problem solving and understanding to higher employee efforts. Since allowing employees voice in organizations raises cognitive conflict levels, one expects attendant benefits. However, conflict also leads to bad feelings and threatens those with a stake in the status quo. Thus, programmed conflict is needed. Two examples include a Devils Advocate Decision Program and the use of outside auditors. These processes are intended to require conflict in organizational decisions.

Competition and Cooperation: Effects of Value Dissensus and Predisposition to Help

Two studies were conducted in order to investigate the effects of cooperation and competition on performance and satisfaction. In Study One, it was hypothesized that the effects of cooperation vs. competition may be exacerbated by perceptions of value differences. Value dissensus did interact with the cooperation-competition variable for the satisfaction measure, but not for the performance measure. A main effect for performance was found, however, due to subjects in the cooperative condition performing significantly better than subjects in the competitive condition. In Study Two, an attempt was made to discover when cooperation may have advantages over competition. It was hypothesized that people who highly valued employee citizenship behavior would work better in a cooperative environment. An interaction was found suggesting individuals who highly value the helping dimension of citizenship behavior perform better under cooperative incentives than similar individuals under competitive conditions.

Method Myopia Real or Imagined

Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) was reviewed for research method frequency from 1968 through 2000.As expected, it was discovered that controlled experiments were scant at best, and a significant effect revealed a declining focus in later years. Potential reasons for the lack of controlled studies being published in AMJ include training, selection bias, method bound, research questions, applied focus, field setting misconceptions, bias inertia, and rigor versus relevance. Reasons to pose questions and conduct research in controlled settings are offered, including the premise that rigor and relevance are not orthogonal.

Introduction to the special issue on positive conflict—Conflict and employees: The right and processes to be heard

Conflict, defined as clash, competition, or mutual interference of opposing or incompatible forces or qualities, may be positive. The appropriate amount of conflict may be a delicate balance not easily achieved. Thus, a key issue is conflict management. The major charter of this special issue is the presentation of work which suggests or demonstrates that conflict can be a positive force in the modern organization. It also is pointed out that conflict, positive or otherwise, and its resolution involves a broad spectrum of inquiry into the rights and obligations of those involved in the conflict

An issue in corporate social responsibility: An experiential approach to establish the value of human life

While the notion of establishing a “value” for human life may be uncomfortable for some, we argue that it is a fundamental requirement for many aspects of public policy. We compare a number of approaches which have been traditionally relied on to make estimations. Also, we provide an exercise which provides an unusual, but we hope provocative, perspective on the evaluation of human life.