Types of conflict
Putnam (1986) described conflict as being substantive, procedural, or affective. Substantive conflicts involve disagreements over issues and ideas that are central to the group’s goal or task. Procedural conflicts relate to differences of opinion in how the group should go about its work. Affective conflicts involve group member’s feelings and how people relate to one another. As many of us know, discussions about how to proceed can take a great deal of time and result in members becoming frustrated before any action is taken. Hirokawa (1980) cautioned that too much time spent on procedural discussions is counterproductive. Too little time, however, may result in endless circular discussions. If the procedure for a certain discussion or task suggested by the facilitator is viewed as appropriate by the group, much time is saved. The procedure chosen should also take into account the amount of disagreement that is expected.