Removing the paradox of conflict from group decisions.

GROUP decision making; COGNITIVE analysis; EMOTIONAL intelligence; CRITICAL thinking; AMASON, Allen; DECISION making -- Testing; SOCIOLOGY of emotions; DECISION theory; ATTITUDE (Psychology); TEAMS in the workplace

The article reports on conflict in the decision-making process and a study of group decision-making by management teams. According to research by Allen Amason of Mississippi State University, cognitive conflict develops from differences in perspectives and is functional, while affective conflict tends to be an emotional response to a person and is considered dysfunctional because it does not focus on the problem. The study found that cognitive conflict can improve the quality of decisions, understanding of issues in the process, and acceptance of the group's decision.