Task conflict and relationship conflict: the key to effective intercultural communication? The role of task conflict, relationship conflict, and diversity beliefs in the relationship between culturally diverse teams and team performance.

Today, organizations are more culturally diverse than 30 years ago, and this is only likely to increase. These developments require individuals from different backgrounds to work together as a team. For these groups to successfully function, effective interaction and communication are essential. When different perspectives are shared in groups this may result in conflicts. Task conflict and relationship conflict are expected to be influenced by cultural diversity and to influence group performance. An important indicator that influences the group’s behavior is believing in the positive or negative value of diversity. Previous research has resulted in ambiguous findings regarding diversity, intragroup conflict and group performance. To date, little is known about the effects of task conflict and relationship conflict under different conditions or the explanatory factors between cultural diversity and group performance. Therefore, this research looked at task conflict and relationship conflict as mediating the relationship between cultural diversity and group performance, moderated by diversity beliefs. In a two-group (positive vs. negative diversity beliefs) experimental design participants were assigned to culturally diverse workgroups. They worked individually and collaboratively on a manipulation task and the desert survival situation as decision-making task. This research shows that cultural diversity was linked to task conflict, which in turn was linked to more favorable group performance. The relationship between cultural diversity and task conflict was moderated by diversity beliefs (under condition of negative diversity beliefs, not positive). The current study contributes by presenting evidence that task conflict acts as an important explanatory factor between workgroup diversity and group performance under condition of diversity beliefs. A heterogeneous team can provide useful insights and enhance task performance through task conflict. This study recommends managers to benefit from the culturally diverse nature of their workforce and stimulate collaboration and information exchange.