Understanding the antecedents of conflict management and teamwork: The role of implicit motives and emotional intelligence competencies

Ferran Velasco; Robert J. Emmerling; Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet; Başak Canboy; Eleunthia Wong Ellinger

doi:10.1016/j.emj.2026.04.001

Understanding the antecedents of conflict management and teamwork: The role of implicit motives and emotional intelligence competencies

Ferran Velasco, Robert J. Emmerling, Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet, Başak Canboy Eleunthia Wong Ellinger

European Management Journal

2026-04-04

: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2026.04.001

Conflict management

Emotional intelligence competencies

Implicit motives

Mixed methods

Teamwork

Conflict is inherent in organizations, and thus, managing conflict effectively is critical for individuals and teams to be effective at work. Research has shown the positive effects of emotional intelligence on conflict management and consequently on team performance. The purpose of this study is to better understand how emotional intelligence and implicit motives influence conflict management competency, and how this competency affects teamwork. We use mixed methods, assessing motives qualitatively through thematic analysis of stories that participants wrote based on pictures, and assessing emotional intelligence competencies quantitatively through a 360-feedback questionnaire. Results corroborate that conflict management has two dimensions, surfacing conflict and resolving conflict, each having a direct positive effect on teamwork, with resolving conflict partially mediating the effect of surfacing conflict on teamwork. While surfacing conflict is influenced positively by emotional self-awareness and achievement orientation, resolving conflict is influenced positively by empathy and adaptability. Regarding implicit motives, while need for power has a negative impact on resolving conflict, the interaction between activity inhibition and need for affiliation has a positive impact on both conflict management components. These findings offer a more nuanced understanding of conflict management and thus shed light on what it takes to learn and develop this competency.

: Understanding the antecedents of conflict management and teamwork: The role of implicit motives and emotional intelligence competencies
: Ferran Velasco - EADA Business School
Robert J. Emmerling - Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Joan Manuel Batista-Foguet - Universitat Ramon Llull
Başak Canboy - FH Aachen
Eleunthia Wong Ellinger - Stockholm School of Economics, Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology (House of Innovation)
: European Management Journal
: Elsevier Ltd
: Department of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology (House of Innovation)
: English
: Journal article