Can intergroup conflict aid the growth of within- and between-group social capital?

This study seeks to explore the effects of interdepartmental conflict on bonding social capital within a department and bridging social capital between departments. Two-period data were collected from 213 respondents in 71 high-tech and manufacturing firms in Taiwan. These respondents work in research and development departments and cooperate with marketing departments. The results indicate that intergroup task and emotional conflicts promote bonding social capital within the research and development department. Up to a moderate level, task conflict subsequently promotes the development of structural and relational bridging social capital; however, an increase in task conflict above a moderate level becomes detrimental to structural and relational bridging social capital. Intergroup emotional conflict does not influence bridging social capital. Furthermore, intergroup conflict is unrelated to cognitive bridging social capital. The results provide insights into intergroup interactions, offering a novel means for managers to increase group social capital using the levels of conflict that naturally occur between departments.