Verbal behaviors in moments of conflict : a mixed-method study of different meetings in effective mono- and multicultural agile teams

The objective of this thesis is to examine and compare conflicts and their associated behaviors during effective team meetings in mono-and-multicultural agile teams. This study involved the investigation of five multicultural and three monocultural teams during both Planning and Retrospective meetings within the same Sprint. The research employed a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses of 8 video recordings. Monocultural teams exhibited more conflicts than multicultural teams, however, the frequency of Process conflicts was higher in the multicultural teams. Regardless of cultural differences, the results of this study revealed a higher frequency of conflicts in effective team meetings. Effective team meetings predominantly featured Task conflicts, with comparatively lower frequencies of Process and Relationship conflicts. In contrast, ineffective team meetings demonstrated similar frequencies of Task and Process conflicts, alongside a lower occurrence of relationship conflicts. This thesis contributes to the literature on agile, conflict, meeting effectiveness, and cultural differences by identifying conflicts in real agile team meetings, utilizing video recordings for observation and analysis, examining both mono- and multicultural teams, and exploring the impact of conflict on meeting effectiveness.