Effects of intra-group conflict on packaged software development team performance

Data from 40 packaged software development teams are used to test a path model that relates three antecedents, the presence of intra-group conflict, and the level of conflict management to software development team performance. Findings indicate that a combination of the team’s characteristics, teammember characteristics, and existing levels of intra-group conflict accounts for nearly one-half of the variance between the best and worst-performing teams. Further, the level of conflict management moderates the relationship between existing levels of intra-group conflict and performance. These results highlight both the complexity of the social processes of packaged software development and the value of this perspective for gaining insight on software development performance. Suggested Running Head: “Conflict in Packaged Software Development”