The information-processing perspective thus implies that the relationship
between conflict and information processing is curvilinear so that
performance benefits from moderate levels of conflict, but not from either
low or high levels of conflict. Compared to low levels of conflict, moderate
levels arouse employees to consider and scrutinize the problem at hand, to
generate ideas, and to select and implement adequate problem solutions.
At higher levels of conflict, however, the high amount of arousal and
stress, and of interpersonal strain and mistrust, prohibits people from
focusing on the problem, from open-mindedly generating ideas, and from
jointly selecting and implementing adequate problem solutions. Walton
(1969) has already provided some qualitative support for the curvilinear
relationship between conflict and performance. Using quantitative
methodologies, Jehn (1995) found support for such a curvilinear relationship
between conflict and individual effectiveness as rated by supervisors.
De Dreu (in press) observed such a curvilinear relationship between
conflict in work teams, and work-team innovations in two different studies
involving a heterogeneous sample of teams from a variety of organizations.
Thus, albeit fairly small, the evidence for the information-processing
perspective is quite promising.