A hotel executive team makes its best decisions, when it addresses the concerns of all the team members. Call it the conflict of ideas - 

But, an open clash of ideas can also create bruised feelings and strained relationships, which damage implementation and the decision process.

To prevent that damage, hotel executives need to promote trust among their top managers, according to a new study from Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research.

The study, "Why Trust Matters in Top Management Teams: Keeping Conflict Constructive," by Tony Simons and Randall Peterson, is available at no charge from the center's website at: www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/reports/2007.

Simons is an associate professor at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, and Peterson is a professor at the London Business School.

Simons and Peterson surveyed the executive teams of 70 U.S.-based hotel companies to determine the factors that help promote the conflict of ideas without generating strained relationships. Trust among the group members emerged as an important factor.

"We concluded that the decision-making process is improved when members of a group trust each other to be honest and competent," Simons said.

"When people trust each other, they can speak their mind without offending one another. That way, the group gets the benefit of constructive debate without the destructive effects of interpersonal strain."