Purpose Based on the team conflict theory and organizational learning theory, this study aims to discuss the two different types of conflicts of the top management team (TMT) on the different mechanisms of exploratory learning behavior of firms, and, based on the perspective of CEO-TMT (CEO – chief executive officer) interface, the different moderating effects caused by different CEO leadership styles are clarified. Design/methodology/approach Using the sample of 193 firms’ samples with multi-source data, the authors take an empirical test of the theoretical framework. Findings The effect of task conflict on exploratory learning behavior was insignificant, and relationship conflict had a positive effect on exploratory learning behavior. However, when CEO’s transformational leadership level was high, or transactional leadership level was low, there existed “bathtub curve” relationship between task conflict and exploratory learning behavior, and the relationship conflict under these conditions strengthened exploratory learning behavior. When CEO’s transactional leadership level was high, or transformational leadership level was low, there existed the inverted U-shaped relationship between task conflict and exploratory learning behavior, and the relationship conflict under such conditions weakened exploratory learning behavior. Originality/value First, the authors challenge the assumption of linear mechanism of task conflict, trying to build the mechanism of curve hypothesis, and the nonlinear explanation might be able to integrate the inconsistent results in the existing literature. Second, according to the inconsistent results of relationship conflict in existing literature, this study takes perspective of the CEO-TMT and introduces CEO leadership behavior as a moderating variable to test the moderating effect of CEO leadership and clarifies the boundary conditions of TMT conflicts.

中文翻译：

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是关于任务冲突还是关系冲突？

目的基于团队冲突理论和组织学习理论，本研究旨在探讨高管团队在企业探索性学习行为的不同机制上的两种不同类型的冲突，并基于首席执行官的观点-TMT（CEO –首席执行官）界面，阐明了由不同CEO领导风格引起的不同调节作用。设计/方法论/方法作者使用193家公司的样本和多源数据作为样本，作者对理论框架进行了实证检验。结果任务冲突对探索性学习行为的影响微不足道，关系冲突对探索性学习行为的影响积极。但是，当首席执行官的变革型领导水平很高或交易型领导水平很低时，任务冲突与探索性学习行为之间存在“浴缸曲线”关系，在这种条件下的关系冲突增强了探索性学习行为。当CEO的交易领导水平较高或变革型领导水平较低时，任务冲突与探索性学习行为之间存在倒U型关系，这种关系冲突削弱了探索性学习行为。独创性/价值首先，作者挑战任务冲突的线性机制的假设，试图建立曲线假设的机制，非线性解释可能能够将不一致的结果整合到现有文献中。其次，根据现有文献中关系冲突的不一致结果，