Intraorganizational Conflict within Advertising Agencies

Researchers have limited understanding about the antecedents and consequences of intraorganizational conflict within advertising agencies. To remedy this, we surveyed directors of account services and creative and media departments in agencies across the United States. Findings demonstrate that degree of centralization, formalization, internal volatility, and psychological distance are all positively related to level of destructive conflict, whereas team spirit has an inverse relationship. We also demonstrate that destructive and constructive conflict are distinct constructs and not simply opposing ends of a continuum. Finally, we show that destructive and constructive conflict each influence perceived quality of agency output.