The relation between project team conflict and user resistance in software projects

Abstract

This study aims to explore the relation between conflict in the project team and user resistance to change in software projects. Following a cross-sectional research design, a survey was conducted among 1,000 largest companies in Slovenia (N = 114). The results of PLS-SEM analysis indicate that task and process conflicts in the project team are associated with user resistance. This study is among the first to associate conflict within the project team and user resistance in the implementing organization. It is also one of the first studies to investigate the relations between different types of conflict and user resistance. Project managers may invest resources into adequately managing conflicts within the project team related to tasks in which the project team interacts with users of developed software to lower user resistance. Project with poorly defined roles (e.g., agile and information security projects) may be more prone to user resistance than projects with clearly defined roles.