All in all, employees are more likely to interact with
their co-workers (Ferris & Mitchell, 1987) for peer-topeer
communication is most of the times more salient
than communication with supervisors (Westaby &
Lowe, 2005). Thus, issues such as how to carry out
certain tasks are more likely to be raised and discussed
among co-workers because of their close proximity to
the same problems. In collaborative and supportive
contexts, some authors have pointed out that arguments
about working procedures (i.e. task conflict) are
less likely to lead to negative consequences (Simons &
Peterson, 2000). As Jehn and Shah (1997) indicate, the
existence of friendship between group members seems
to be related to improved communication channels,
which in turn influences the creative resolution of conflicts
and increases group members’ commitment.
Following these arguments, we propose: