ABSTRACT
Disagreement is a pervasive aspect of group life. Whether group members are children deciding which game to play, executives considering a new advertising strategy, or professors discussing curriculum changes, lack of consensus is the rule rather than the exception. Regardless of its source, disagreement can have important consequences for the group. On the positive side, disagreement can stimulate creative solutions to group problems and enhance the group's ability to adapt to its environment. On the negative side, disagreement can hamper group problem solving by producing defensiveness and hostility among members and, in extreme cases, can precipitate group dissolution.
