Sensemaking is one of the leadership functions which enable fruitful team functioning. However, research about the influence of leader’s promotion of sensemaking on team effectiveness in face of intragroup conflict is scarce. The present study analyses the moderating role of leader’s promotion of team sensemaking in the relationship between task conflict and team effectiveness (team performance, satisfaction, and viability). We conducted a study with 42 team (154 individuals) working in consultancy companies. The results suggest that when leader’s promotion of sensemaking is low, high levels of task conflict lead to low levels of team satisfaction. The results do not provide support for the moderating role of leader’s promotion of sensemaking in the relationship between task conflict and team performance and viability. This paper sheds light on team leadership literature by empirically testing a proposition that has been scarcely studied – the role of team leaders in promoting team sensemaking.

--

sensemaking,team,conflict