Positive forms of disagreement, or those associated with collaborative deliberation, were measured by a separate battery of survey items regarding team work styles. Team leaders were asked
to indicate any stages of the process within which “the team worked together, collaborating across areas of expertise and openly deliberating most aspects of the project as a group.” These items
were coded as binary variables, with a 1 indicating stages in the process during which this work style was dominant and a zero indicating a less collaborative style. Stages considered were the development of the purpose and need, scoping, alternatives development, analyses, writing/editing, developing public involvement strategies, and response to public comments.