Examining the Relationship between Work Autonomy and Intragroup Conflict: A Case Study of the Financial Services Industry in Taiwan

Abstract

The services sector—an essential pillar of Taiwan’s economy—accounts for 59.2% of the country’s employment and 63.2% of the national GDP. With individualism gaining momentum, many people employed in the booming services sector are seeking autonomy in their workplaces, where increased interaction time among colleagues underlines the importance of collaboration. Conflicts are inevitable in these interactions, particularly in today’s diversified society that embraces different ideas and values. Building on prior studies of intragroup conflict, we construct a model that depicts the relationship between financial services workers’ work autonomy and intragroup conflict. A questionnaire survey of workers in Taiwan’s financial institutions is conducted and 266 valid samples are collected. The empirical results obtained through structural equation modeling tests and analysis indicate that work autonomy negatively affects intragroup conflict.