This study looked at deviance and conflict in small group decision making. Six types of behavior and circumstances that may lead to perceptions of deviance were observed: lack of participation, personality, "testing" others' opinions and solutions, incompatibility of views, the leadership-emergence process, and coalition deviance. Based on these types of deviant behavior, the process of labeling deviance in small group decision making is described. Further, the study indicates that individuals labeled as deviant by the group are nomore likely to initiate conflict than are othergroupmembers, butspecific types of deviance do appear to be related to conflict initiation.
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