The relationship between constructive conflict management (CCM) and productivity in virtual teams

There is a lack of empirical research that focuses on CCM and its relationship to productivity in virtual teams. As such, the findings from this study could be used as theoretical foundation for further research and subsequently bridge the gap in literature. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to determine if a relationship exist between CCM application and productivity in virtual teams. The theoretical framework included two independent variables, integration and constructive confrontation and one dependent variable, productivity. An online survey was administered during the fall of 2013 that collected data from 67 respondents who are managers of virtual teams, spanning different organizations within the United States. Multiple correlation analysis was used to determine if a relationship exist between the independent variables (integration and constructive confrontation) and a single dependent variable (productivity). The results indicated that a positive correlation of 99.7% existed between integration and constructive confrontation with productivity in virtual teams. From this study, additional research could be done to determine if CCM and culture are related to productivity in virtual teams, or a comparative assessment of various third-party interventions in conflict resolution could be examined. Another recommendation would be to explore CCM application and competitive approaches in the workplace and do a comparison of each.