Another way to understand conflict is to consider its locus, or the framework within which it occurs. Here, too, there are three basic types. Dyadic conflict is conflict between two people. Intragroup conflict occurs within a group or team. Intergroup conflict is conflict between groups or teams. Nearly all the literature on task, relationship, and process conflict considers intragroup conflict (within the group). However, it doesn’t necessarily tell us all we need to know about the context and outcomes of conflict.

For example, research has found that for intragroup task conflict to influence performance within the team positively, it is important that the team has a supportive climate in which mistakes aren’t penalized. In one study, group members who were relatively peripheral in their own group were better at resolving conflicts between their group and another one. Understanding functional and dysfunctional conflict requires not only that we identify the type of conflict; we also need to know where it occurs.

It’s possible that while the concepts of task, relationship, and process conflict are useful in understanding intragroup or even dyadic conflict, they are less useful in explaining the effects of intergroup conflict. A better understanding of the conflict process will provide insight about controllable variables.