CONFLICT AT WORKPLACE

AVOID OR EMBRACE ??

PREPARED BY : ABHISHEK RANJAN

SHIRIN MASSEY
TO: Ms. NEELAM SARASWAT, FACULTY DSPSR
 ABSTRACT

As organizations continue to restructure work teams, the need for training in conflict
resolution will grow. Conflict arises from differences, and when individuals come
together in teams, their differences in terms of power, values, and attitudes contribute to
the creation of conflict. In many cases, conflict in the workplace just seems to be a fact of
life. We've all seen situations where different people with different goals and needs have
come into conflict.

The workplace setting is fertile breeding ground for conflicts because of the dynamics
and interdependency of the employee-to-employee, customer-to-employee, and
employee-to-outside vendor relationships.
It is all about conflict, a normal and natural part of our workplace and personal lives.
Conflict can be helpful in making necessary changes within the home or work
environment. However, unresolved conflict can result in feelings of dissatisfaction,
unhappiness, hopelessness, depression, and other emotions. It can result in behaviors
such as physical or emotional withdrawal, resignation from jobs, dissolution of personal
relations, aggression, and even violence.
And we've all seen the often-intense personal animosity that can result. Is it avoidable? Is
it preventable? Is it necessary? The answer to all of these questions is "yes." To avoid the
negative consequences that can result from disagreements, most methods of resolving
conflict stress the importance of dealing with disputes quickly and openly. Managed in
the wrong way, real and legitimate differences between people can quickly spiral out of
control, resulting in situations where co-operation breaks down and the team's mission is
threatened. This is particularly the case where the wrong approaches to conflict resolution
are used.
Conflict is not necessarily destructive, however. When managed properly, conflict can
result in benefits for a team. Recognizing and addressing the factors that give rise to the
potential for conflict can have a positive impact on workplace and the productivity in the
workplace. Conflict in the workplace can be incredibly destructive to good teamwork.
To calm these situations down, it helps to take a positive approach to conflict resolution,
where discussion is courteous and non-confrontational, and the focus is on issues rather
than on individuals. If this is done, then, as long as people listen carefully and explore
facts, issues and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be resolved effectively.
In many cases, effective conflict resolution can make the difference between positive and
negative outcomes.
The good news is that by resolving conflict successfully, you can solve many of the
problems that it has brought to the surface, as well as getting benefits that you might not
at first expect

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Therefore, the main aim of this study is to examine the sources of organizational conflicts
and its effects on organizational performance. It specifically tries to examine in detail, the
causes, types, effects and recommend various strategies on how to resolve organisational
conflicts to enhance organizational performance.

KEYWORDS: Conflict, Concept, Effect, Organisation

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 INTRODUCTION

Workplace conflict is a specific type of conflict that occurs in workplaces. The conflicts
that arise in workplaces may be shaped by the unique aspects of this environment,
including the long hours many people spend at their workplace, the hierarchical structure
of the organization, and the difficulties (e.g. financial consequences) that may be
involved in switching to a different workplace. In this respect, workplaces share much in
common with schools, especially pre-college educational institutions in which students
are less autonomous. In order to manage workplace conflict effectively, it is first
necessary to understand the sources of conflict in the work environment.
With its dense assemblage of dynamic and interdependent employee relationships, the
workplace is a fertile breeding ground for conflict. Recognising and dealing with the
factors that may potentially lead to clashes can have a positive impact on workplace
harmony and productivity.
Conflict in the workplace is sparked by the clash of needs, goals, values and interests
between two or more employees, particularly where they care about the outcome. Its
sources can include a variety of interpersonal, organisational or external factors.

Interpersonal Conflict
Conflict between work personalities is perhaps the most obvious type. As the average
workplace is a vibrant melting pot of personality types, ages, races and ethnic
backgrounds, there exists a great potential for interpersonal conflict. As well as clashes
between mismatched personality styles and language, this might include gender, racial or
sexual discrimination or harassment.
Some people court danger by bringing the stresses and strains of their home life into the
workplace. Trouble may also arise when ambitious success driven employees work
alongside apathetic type who simply sees work as a means to pay the bills.
Organisations that are concerned about the effects of interpersonal conflict have
reportedly utilised confidential surveys, interviews and discussion groups to help
determine the potential sources of clashing relationships and uncover a solution.

Organisational Factors
The workplace organisation can also lead to a wide range of sources of potential conflict.
Chief amongst these are arguably those relating to the workplace hierarchy and
management of labour.
For instance interpersonal tensions between supervisors are employees are heightened by
the difference in power, with one party responsible to the other. There is potential for

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conflict in the allocation of resources, responsibilities, duties and workload because these
can provoke resentment, stress, conflicts of interest, as well as unnecessary competition
and disagreement.
For example if management do not clearly define an employee’s responsibilities then
there is a strong risk of conflict arising through decisions made or actions undertaken in
the ill-defined area of responsibility.

Open Communication Solution

One of the key methods of stopping organisational conflict before it has chance to breed
is by cultivating an atmosphere of open communication. A productive workplace relies
on the cooperative relations of each of its members and if they are not encouraged to air
their feelings and opinions then conflict will be driven underground where it will grow,
fostering feelings of resentment and misunderstanding until it eventually bubbles back to
surface in an unrestrained fury.

Interdependence conflict
If your work depends on other peoples' activities, you might have to face interdependence
conflicts at some point. It can occur when you can't finish or do your job because
somebody else didn't do his part. For example, a worker on the production line works at a
slower rate and doesn't care about meeting his quota. This will affect the next worker in
the production line, as he won't be able complete his tasks as desired.

Style differences

People do things in different ways, and this might affect others and cause conflicts. For
example, a translator in a company has an artistic way of writing, but the
production manager who needs the translation likes the text as simple and clear as
possible.

Background or gender differences

People have different educational backgrounds, different life experiences and political
preferences and so on. This makes us different from each other and helps maintain the
interest in meeting other people. But these reasons can also cause conflicts. For example,
if one person's beliefs or preferences are unacceptable or not tolerated by another person
and they have to work in the same office or close to each other, it will be hard to maintain
a professional relationship.

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Leadership differences

There are different leadership styles that impact people or teams. If one person has more
than one leader or they change from one to another, he might find himself in a conflicting
work environment. For example, a person who works in shifts might have different
supervisors for each shift. One supervisor might be more authoritarian or autocratic while
the other is more people-oriented and open. Dealing with the different styles can cause
the worker stress, leading to decreased production.

Personality differences

Every person has a different personality, and this can cause conflicts in any social
environment, whether in a family, company or group of friends. One person says that the
glass is half-full, and the other says that the glass is half-empty. It is a different
perception upon one object or situation, and in a working team, these differences lead to
unfinished tasks or conflicts.

The Changing Workplace

Conflict is also a side-effect of the workplace that is ever changing and modernising.
Considerable levels of stress is caused by disruptive changes such as management
changeovers, company downsizing as well as changes prompted by company re-
organisation and technological advancement, such as when a new computer operating
system is introduced.
Depending on the workplace in question, there are a wide variety of external factors that
can prompt conflict in the workplace. These could include economic pressures sparked
by recession, competition and changing markets, and also - particularly with public
organisations – political pressures.

“Conflict is an Indicator for Change”

Workplace conflict is commonly viewed as something wholly bad that should be avoided
at all costs. However, it is actually a normal and necessary part of our professional, and
personal, lives. In the right environment and when treated with respect conflict can be
harnessed as a positive force. It is only damaging when it is ignored or mishandled. It is
through conflict that we become aware of changes that need to be made for the better.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

• To study the causes of conflicts;

• To study types of conflicts
• To study the relation between conflict and the effects at workplace;
• To find out the strategies on how to manage conflicts in organisations effectively
to enhance organisational performance

RESEARCH DESIGN

The present study is descriptive in nature as it seeks to describe the present scenario of
conflicts in organisation. The main goal of this type of research is to describe the data and
characteristics about what is being studied.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

The study has been structured with the help of secondary data taken from internet sources
and various research studies, journals and new analysis.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Conflict is generally regarded as disagreement regarding interests or ideas. In addition

organisational conflict is regarded as the discord that occurs when the goals, interests or
values of different individuals or groups are incompatible with those of individuals or
groups block or frustrate each others in an attempt to achieve their objectives.
(Esquivel and Kleiner, 1997)

Conflict are inevitable part of organisational life since the goals of different stakeholders
such as managers and staff are often incompatible. (Jones et al., 2000)
Loomis and Loomis (1965) argue that Conflict is an ever-present process in human
relations. That is why various organisations have changed their approaches to enable
them to manage their organisations effectively to avoid conflicts at all costs. Conflict is a
fact of life in any organisations as longer as people compete for jobs, resources, power,
recognition and security.

According to Adomi and Anie, 2005 dealing with conflicts is a great challenge to
management. Conflicts commonly arise when employees interact in organisations and
compete for scarce resources. Employees in various organisations are organized into
manageable groups in order to achieve common goal, therefore, the probability of
conflicts to arise is very high. Nowadays, most serious conflicts make headlines in the
newspapers, which might affect the public image of the company. Conflicts have both
negative and positive outcomes to the individual employees and the organization at large.

Barker et al., 1987 say that there is no one source of conflicts which occurs in
organisations at all levels of management. In social life, conflicts do occur but they are
managed by family members, friends and relatives. The same case applies to
organisations, when conflicts arise; it needs to be resolved by management for the sake of
the organisational growth, survival and enhance performance. However, conflicts are
rarely resolved easily, to a certain extend most conflicts are managed, as individuals work
out differences. Conflict can occur within groups (intra-group conflict) or among groups
(inter-group conflict). Businesses nowadays are operating in a turbulent environment
where organisations are searching for measures that will allow them to improve their
performance and competitiveness (Dodd, 2003). Conflict is generally regarded as
disagreement regarding interests or ideas (Esquivel and Kleiner, 1997). In addition
organisational conflict is regarded as the discord that occurs when the goals, interests or
values of different individuals or groups are incompatible with those of individuals or
groups block or frustrate each others in an attempt to achieve their objectives. Conflict
are inevitable part of organisational life since the goals of different stakeholders such as
managers and staff are often incompatible (Jones et al., 2000). In addition, Loomis and
Loomis (1965) argue that Conflict is an ever-present process in human relations. That is

8
why various organisations have changed their approaches to enable them to manage their
organisations effectively to avoid conflicts at all costs. Conflict is a fact of life in any
organisations as longer as people compete for jobs, resources, power, recognition and
security. In addition, dealing with conflicts is a great challenge to management (Adomi
and Anie, 2005). Conflicts commonly arise when employees interact in organisations and
compete for scarce resources. Employees in various organisations are organized into
manageable groups in order to achieve common goal, therefore, the probability of
conflicts to arise is very high. Nowadays, most serious conflicts make headlines in the
newspapers, which might affect the public image of the company. Conflicts have both
negative and positive outcomes to the individual employees and the organization at large.
There is no one source of conflicts which occurs in organisations at all levels of
management (Barker et al., 1987). In social life, conflicts do occur but they are managed
by family members, friends and relatives. The same case applies to organisations, when
conflicts arise; it needs to be resolved by management for the sake of the organisational
growth, survival and enhance performance. However, conflicts are rarely resolved easily,
to a certain extend most conflicts are managed, as individuals work out differences
(Barker et al., 1987). Conflict can occur within groups (intra-group conflict) or among
groups (inter-group conflict).
Therefore, the main aim of this study is to examine the sources of organizational conflicts
and its effects on organizational performance. It specifically tries to examine in detail, the
causes, types, effects and recommend various strategies on how to resolve organisational
conflicts to enhance organizational performance.
In any organisation, there are many causes of conflicts; however conflicts within an
individual usually arise when a person is uncertain about what task is expected to do, if
not clearly defined by the supervisor or the person in charge. Furthermore, if the tasks of
individuals working as a group are not clearly defined by the management they will lead
to more conflicts. Conflict between individuals may result from role-related pressures.
Conflicts would arise between individuals and groups if the goals are not specified for
individuals within a group (Duke, 1999). Additionally, the following are other sources of
conflicts within an organisation namely: sharing of resources especially manpower,
money materials, equipment and space required among departments. Resources are very
scarce, people will always have to compete for them and the end result will lead to
conflict. Interdependent may also lead to conflict, this usually occurs when two or more
units depend upon one another to complete work of a product especially when a product
passes through stages, one unit would complete work in good time, but other unit might
delay the outcome of the whole product. The management might blame all units involved
at each process which might lead to a conflict. Incompatible personalities, which are
psychological, might affect the employees not to get along with each other and this
difficulty might lead to conflicts, which result from formal interactions with other
employees (Robbins, 1987).

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Three basic types of conflict are: task conflict, interpersonal conflict and procedural
conflict. Group members may disagree about facts or opinions from authorities. The
interpretation of evidence may be questioned. Disagreement about the substance of the
discussion is called task conflict. Task conflict can be productive by improving the
quality of decisions and critical thinking processes. Another potential area for conflict is
the interpersonal relationships within the organization. The term interpersonal conflict is
used to indicate the disagreement that most people call a personality clash. This clash
may take place in the form of antagonistic remarks that relate to the personal
characteristics of a group member or disregard any organizational goals to antagonize a
particular group member. Conflict of this type is expressed through more subtle
nonverbal behaviors. There may be icy stares or, at the other extreme, an avoidance of
eye contact. Interpersonal conflict may be inevitable and must be managed for optimal
group co-existence.
Procedural conflict exists when group members disagree about the procedures to be
followed in accomplishing the group goal. New procedures may be formulated and a new
agenda suggested. Even the group goal may be modified. Procedural conflict, like task
conflict, may be productive (Barker et al., 1987).
Not all conflicts are bad and not all conflicts are good, according to Hocker and Wilmot
(1995). People tend to view conflict as a negative force operating against successful
completion of group or common goals. Conflict can create negative impact to groups but
may also lead to positive effects depending on the nature of the conflict. The positive
effects of conflict are: improving the quality of decisions, stimulating involvement in the
discussion and building group cohesion. In addition conflict also will be potentially
destructive in groups especially when it consumes individual members` energies instead
of concentrating on other productive activities of the organisation. However, conflict can
interfere with group process and create so much interpersonal hostility that group
members may become unwilling or unable to work with others in achieving the
organisational objectives. Unresolved conflicts tends to grow into bigger conflicts, the
more it grows, the greater the chance of collecting more problems (Knippen and Green,
1999). Similarly, some of these problems, which might arise due to conflict, are lack of
cooperation, poor communication, wasted and contagious conflict shown as:
Management should resolve conflicts properly in their organisation for the sake of
increasing organisational performance. The outcome of resolving conflicts in
organisation shown as:
If conflicts are managed properly by applying the best course of action, the organisation
would increase it is performance in terms of utilizing the scarce resources and achieving
the organisational objectives.
Conflict improves decision making outcomes, especially on task-related conflict and
group productivity by increasing the quality through constructive criticism and
individuals adopting a devils advocate role (Amason, 1996; Schwenk and Cosier, 1980).

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Research has also found that task related conflict is beneficial to the organisation since it
allows the exchange of ideas and assist better performance amongst the group members
(Jehn, 1995). Other benefits include improved group learning and accuracy in situation
assessment (Fiol, 1994), promoted the development of new ideas and approaches (Baron,
1991) and achieve high quality decisions since individuals confront problems (Schwenk
and Valacich, 1994). Conflict is seen as a productive force that can stimulate members of
the organisation to increase their knowledge and skills and contribute to organisational
innovation and productivity.
Strategies development is necessary in any organisations to curb or reduce conflicts at
their infancy stage. These strategies will resolve an existing disagreement between
oneself and others (Knippen and Green, 1999).
Robinson et al. (1974) advocate that managing conflict toward constructive action is the
best approach in resolving conflict in organisation. When conflict arises, we need to be
able to manage them properly, so that it becomes a positive force, rather than a negative
force, which would threaten the individual or group. Parker (1974) argued that if conflicts
arise and there are not managed properly will lead to delays of work, disinterest and lack
of action and in extreme cases it might lead to complete breakdown of the group.
Unmanaged conflict may result in withdrawal of individuals and unwillingness on their
part to participate in other groups or assist with various group action programs in the
organisation.
Hocker and Wilmot (1995) discuss several methods of ending conflicts: (1) avoidance,
(2) conquest and (3) procedural resolution of some kind, including reconciliation and/or
compromise and/or award. Avoidance of conflict often leads to intensified hostility and
may later cause greater problems for the group. Therefore, one of the first steps in
conflict management is to recognize that a conflict situation exists, don`t ignore it since it
cannot disappear on its own. Boulding (1962), states that the biggest problem in
developing the institutions of conflict control in organisation is to develop an action of
plan to identify conflicts at its initial stage. Conflict situations are frequently allowed to
develop to almost unmanageable proportions before anything is done about them, by this
time it is often too late to resolve the conflict by peaceable and procedural means.
Knippen and Green (1999) argues that the best way to handle conflicts objectively one
should follow six process that describes the conflict situation to the other person, asking
the other person how he sees the conflict situation, responding the way the other person
sees the situation. Jointly, deciding how to resolve the conflict and making a commitment
to resolve the conflicts by summarizing action taken by each party to solve the conflicts
and promising to be committed in future to continue resolving conflicts which might
arise.
Communication strategy has been used to resolve conflicts in many organisations by
breaking down the resistance among workers and increasing their trust in impending
changes (Graham and LeBron, 1994). In addition, when a group is achieving a goal, there

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are internal and external problems and one way to resolve the problem is via
communication (Appelbaum et al., 1999).
Conflict Management theory state that a healthy conflict management systems should be
in place in any organisation. The conflict management systems should be integrated
within the system of the organisation and the integration should be at higher level of the
organisation hierarchy rather than being interconnection, conflict management is a human
sub-system which is achieved trough typical development process. The process starts
with assessment and inquiry, addresses the design, implementation and evaluation (Ford,
2007). This indicates that in organisation management must have a system in place to
resolve conflicts.

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13
 DISCUSSION

Conflict is defined as a difference of wants, needs, or expectations. The workplace is

filled with people who have differences of wants, needs, and expectations. So, of course,
conflicts will occur. These conflicts can be an asset to the organization. They may be
opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and improvement.
But conflict can also be costly to an organization. The trouble isn't necessarily the fact
that conflict exists. It's how we deal with those conflicts or what happens when they
aren't resolved. The impact of conflict in the workplace can be devastating - to the parties
involved, to colleagues and teams, to clients, and to the business as a whole. Some of the
results of unresolved conflict in the workplace include:
• Stress, frustration, and anxiety
• Loss of sleep
• Strained relationships
• Grievances and litigation
• Presenteeism
• Employee turnover
• Loss of productivity
• Increased client complaints
• Absenteeism
• Sabotage
• Injury and accidents
• Disability claims
• Sick leave
These symptoms of unresolved conflict are a significant cost factor in organizations.
Take a look at some of the facts and figures below. How much is conflict costing your
organization?

Mental Health / Stress

"Unresolved conflict represents the largest reducible cost in many businesses, yet it
remains largely unrecognized." (Dana, Daniel (1999). Measuring the Financial Cost of
Organizational Conflict. MTI Publications and Slaikev, K. and Hasson, R. (1998).
Controlling the Cost of Conflict. Jossey-Bass)
"Employees in high pressure/low control situations or high effort/low reward situations
have much greater risks to their physical and mental well being. (Tangri, Ravi, Stress
Costs - Stress Cures: How to recover productivity lost to stress, 2003.)
"The number of employees seeking help for work-related conflict has increased from 23

14
percent in 1999 to close to 30 percent in 2001." (WarrenShepel, Workplace Trends
Linked to Mental Health Crisis in Canada, 2002)
A 2005 UK survey by Roffey Park found that "78% of managers are suffering from
work-related stress, 52% have experienced harassment, 46% have seen an increase in
conflict at work." (Roffey Park [online], Failure to manage change heightens stress,
harassment and conflict at work, survey reveals, Jan. 05)
"The total value of lost work time due to stress is estimated to be $1.7 billion.
(WarrenShepel [online], Health & Wellness Research Database, 2005)
"Employees who rate their managers as "sensitive" miss an estimated 3.7 days of work,
wheras employees whose managers are rates as "non-sensitive" miss approximately 6.2
days of work. (MacBriade-King, J.L., and Bachmann, K. Solutions for the stressed-out
worker. The Conference Board of Canada, 1999)
An estimated 16% of employees feel that poor interpersonal relations are a source of
stress at work. (WarrenShepel [online], Health & Wellness Research Database, 2005)

Grievances/Litigation
"The number of employees seeking help for harassment has almost tripled from 1999 to
2001." (WarrenShepel [online], Health & Wellness Research Database, 2005)
"The math isn't complicated. A complaint that escalates to a lawsuit can easily cost $50
000 to $100 000 and take three to five years to settle. It doesn't stop there. (Taylor, Robin,
Workplace tiffs boosting demand for mediators. National Post Mar. 17/03)
"In the case of harassment, the number of employees seeking help almost tripled between
1999 and 2001. Add absenteeism, employee theft, sabotage, not to mention the cost of
employee turnover (estimated to be as much as 75% to 150% of base salary) and it is
understandable why companies are paying attention."(Taylor, Robin, Workplace tiffs
boosting demand for mediators. National Post Mar. 17/03)
A 2005 UK survey of managers by Roffey Park found that "52% have experienced
harassment." (Roffey Park [online], Failure to manage change heightens stress,
harassment and conflict at work, survey reveals, Jan. 05)
"Sexual harassment is associated with more conflict in work teams, less cohesion and less
success in meeting financial goals, " (Kleiman, Carol, Harassments bad for bottom line,
study finds. The Ottawa Citizen: Wednesday Sept. 7/05)
"According to a nationwide study, the average jury verdict in wrongful termination cases
is over $600 00 and companies lose 64% of the cases." (Bureau of National Affairs,
Without Just Cause: An Employer's Practical Guide on Wrongful Discharge, 1998)
In the United States an average of 2 years are required for the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission to investigate most claims. (Busch, R II, The Conundrum:
Conflict - The Solution: Designing Effective Conflict Management Systems, 16
Preventative L. Rep. 1997)
"Corporations that have developed collaborative conflict management systems report

15
significant litigation cost savings: Brown and Root reported and 80% reduction in outside
litigation costs, Motorola reported a 75% reduction over a period of six years, NCR
reported a 50% reduction and a drop of pending lawsuits from 263 in 1984 to 28 in 1993"
(Ford, John, Workplace Conflict: Facts and Figures, [online] Mediate.com website, July
2000)

Presenteeism
"Another set of problems may occur when employees with high intent to turnover do not
leave the organization. Such employees tend to have lower commitment, be more
dissatisfied with their jobs and reduce morale in the area in which they work. Many such
employees" retire on the job" (ie. Do not do their share of the work) which causes
workload problems for others in their area." (Duxbury & Higgins, Work-Life Conflict in
Canada in the New Millenniums: A status Report, 2003]
"The rate of 'Presenteeism' is estimated to be as much as three time higher than
absenteeism."(WarrenShepel [online], Health & Wellness Research Database, 2005)

Employee loss / turnover

"Chronic unresolved conflict acts as a decisive factor in at least 50% of departures.
Conflict accounts for up to 90% of involuntary departures, with the possible exception of
staff reductions due to downsizing and restructuring." (Dana, Dan, [online] The Dana
Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict, 2001)
"No matter what the cause, turnover has a number of undesirable implications for
organizations, including the costs of losing an experienced worker, recruiting and
retraining a successor (retraining is estimated to cost 1.5 times the employee's annual
salary), the lower productivity of a new worker, and secondary morale effects on
managers, peers and subordinates." (Duxbury & Higgins, Work-Life Conflict in Canada
in the New Millennium: A status Report, 2003)
The turnover costs for an employee is anywhere between 75% and 150% of the annual
salary. (Phillips, D.T. The Price Tag of Turnover. Personnel Journal, Dec. 1990, at p 58,
1990)
"A team-member's commitment to the team and the team mission can decrease if intra-
team conflict remains unresolved. ...if unhealthy conflict goes unresolved for too long,
team members are likely to leave the company or use valuable time to search for
alternatives." (Barnes-Slater, Synthia and Ford, John,[online] MGH Consulting,
Measuring Conflict: Both The Hidden Costs and the Benefits of Conflict Management
Interventions, LawMemo.com, 2005)

Loss of Productivity/Wasted Time

"Tension and stress reduce motivation and disturb concentration. A loss of simple
productivity of 25% (doing things other than work related activities, such as discussing
the dispute, playing computer games, finding reasons to get out of the area) reduces an
average work week to fewer than 20 hours...)" (Cram, James A. and MacWilliams,

16
Richard K.[online] The Cost of Conflict in the Workplace, Cramby River Consultants,
date unknown)
42% of a Manager's Time is spent addressing conflict in the workplace. (Watson, C &
Hoffman, R, Managers as Negotiators, Leadership Quarterly 7(1), 1996)
"I've had CEOs and senior vice presidents tell me they can spend up to 70% of their time
on conflict..." (Taylor, Robin, Workplace tiffs boosting demand for mediators. National
Post Mar. 17/03)
"Fortune 500 Senior Executives spend 20% of their time in litigation related activities."
(Levine, Stewart, The Many Costs of Conflict, Mediate.com website, 1998)
"Over 65% of performance problems result from strained relationships between
employees, not from deficits in individual employee's skill or motivation." (Dana, Dan,
[online] The Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict, 2001)
Up to 30% of a typical managers time is spent dealing with conflict. (Thomas, K and
Schmidt, W. A survey of managerial interests with respect to conflict. Academy of
Management Journal, June 1976.)
A 1996 study demonstrated that 42% of a manager's time is spent on conflict related
negotiations. (Watson, C and Hoffman, R, Managers as Negotiators, Leadership
Quarterly 7 (1) 1996.)

Absenteeism
In a study of 50 000 Canadian employees nationwide Health Canada found that "the
greater the number of sources of stress reported in the social environment at work, the
greater the likelihood of reporting more than 10 days off as a result of ill health."(Health
Canada, Workplace Health System, no.3, 1998)
"Employees who report the following sources of stress are more likely than others to be
absent for six or more days...interpersonal relations; job control; and management
practices" (Health Canada, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute. Workplace
Health System, no.3.1998)
The cost of employee absence alone [in Canada] is approximately $8.6 billion. (The
Health Communication Unit [online], The Case for Comprehensive Workplace health
Promotion: Making "Cents" of a Good Idea, date unknown)
Other consequences of increased conflict-related stresses include greater incidence of
substance abuse, heart problems, back problems, cancers, mental health problems, greater
incidence of workplace injury and much higher incidence of interpersonal conflict.
(Health Canada, Best Advice on Stress Risk Management in the Workplace, 2000).
"Bullied employees take, on average, seven days per year more sick leave than others."
(Knight, Julian, Bullied workers suffer 'battle stress". BBC News Online, Tuesday Aug.
04)

17
Sabotage
"Studies reveal a direct correlation between prevalence of employee conflict and the
amount of damage and theft of inventory and equipment. And, covert sabotage of work
processes and of management's efforts usually occurs when employees are angry at their
employer." (Dana, Dan, [online] The Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational
Conflict, 2001)

Physical Injury / Accidents

"There is increasing evidence that psychosocial factors relating to the job and work
environment play a role in the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorder of
the upper extremity and back." (Musculoskeletal Disorders and Workplace Factors: A
Critical Review of Epidemiologic Evidence for Work-Related musculoskeletal Disorders
of the Neck, Upper Extremity, and Low Back, National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health, July 1992)
"It is accepted and proven that errors lead to accidents and that stress can lead to errors. It
follows logically, therefore, that stress must also contribute to accident causation."
(Nguyen, Lieu, Bibbings, Roger, Exploring the links between stress and accidents in the
workplace: a literature review. Journal of the Institution of Occupational Safety and
Health, Vol. 6(2) December 2002 p.9-20)

Disability Costs
"...depression and high stress were found to have the greatest impact on worker health
care costs., increasing these costs more than obesity, smoking or high blood pressure. In
fact, these cost were 46% higher for workers who felt they were under a lot of stress."
(The Health Communication Unit [online], The Case for Comprehensive Workplace
health Promotion: Making "Cents" of a Good Idea, date unknown.)
"Workplace stress and work-related conflict are among the top eight reasons why
employees request counseling assistance." (Warren Shepel, Workplace Trends Linked to
Mental Health Crisis in Canada, 2002)
"Job stress is a key driver of health care costs. According to the Journal of Occupational
Environmental Medicine, health care expenditures are nearly 50 percent greater for
workers reporting high levels of stress."(Corbitt Clark, Mary, [online], The Cost of Job
Stress, mediate.com)

Workplace Violence / Bullying

"There is a drastic increase in the severity of work-related issues with workplace violence
and work-related conflict contributing the greatest increases." (Warren Shepel,
Workplace Trends Linked to Mental Health Crisis in Canada, 2002)
"Dr. Tehrani conducted a study of 165 professionals in the caring sector such as nurses
and social workers. Dr. Tehrani found that 36% of the men and 42% of the women

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reported having experienced bullying."(Knight, Julian, Bullied workers suffer 'battle
stress". BBC News Online, Tuesday Aug. 04)

Community/Family Harm
"Conflict is a good example of how harm can be produced in the workplace and of how
this harm "spills over" into families and communities." Such harm includes both inner-
directed harm (suicidal behavior, recklessness, agitated depression and abuse of alcohol,
drugs) and outer-directed expressions (threatening behaviour, emotional and/or verbal
abuse, bullying, harassment, assault, domestic violence, road rage). (Health Canada, Best
Advice on Stress Risk Management in the Workplace, 2000, pp 15-16.)

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 SUGGESTIONS

• Step One: Set the Scene

If appropriate to the situation, agree the rules of the IBR Approach (or at least consider
using the approach yourself.) Make sure that people understand that the conflict may be a
mutual problem, which may be best resolved through discussion and negotiation rather
than through raw aggression.
If you are involved in the conflict, emphasize the fact that you are presenting your
perception of the problem. Use active listening skills to ensure you hear and understand
other's positions and perceptions.
• Restate.
• Paraphrase.
• Summarize.
And make sure that when you talk, you're using an adult, assertive approach rather than a
submissive or aggressive style.

• Step Two: Gather Information

Here you are trying to get to the underlying interests, needs, and concerns. Ask for the
other person's viewpoint and confirm that you respect his or her opinion and need his or
her cooperation to solve the problem.
Try to understand his or her motivations and goals, and see how your actions may be
affecting these.
Also, try to understand the conflict in objective terms: Is it affecting work performance?
damaging the delivery to the client? disrupting team work? hampering decision-making?
or so on. Be sure to focus on work issues and leave personalities out of the discussion.
• Listen with empathy and see the conflict from the other person's point of view.
• Identify issues clearly and concisely.
• Use "I" statements.
• Remain flexible.
• Clarify feelings.

• Step Three: Agree the Problem

This sounds like an obvious step, but often different underlying needs, interests and goals
can cause people to perceive problems very differently. You'll need to agree the problems
that you are trying to solve before you'll find a mutually acceptable solution.

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Sometimes different people will see different but interlocking problems – if you can't
reach a common perception of the problem, then at the very least, you need to understand
what the other person sees as the problem.

• Step Four: Brainstorm Possible Solutions

If everyone is going to feel satisfied with the resolution, it will help if everyone has had
fair input in generating solutions. Brainstorm possible solutions, and be open to all ideas,
including ones you never considered before.

• Step Five: Negotiate a Solution

By this stage, the conflict may be resolved: Both sides may better understand the position
of the other, and a mutually satisfactory solution may be clear to all.
However you may also have uncovered real differences between your positions. This is
where a technique like win-win negotiation can be useful to find a solution that, at least
to some extent, satisfies everyone.
There are three guiding principles here: Be Calm, Be Patient, Have Respect.

Conflicts in the workplace can affect employee morale and need to be handled in time. If
left to themselves conflict situations can get worse and affect work performance.
Conflicts are not bad in themselves. In fact, it is conflict of viewpoints that often direct
attention to new and improved solutions. It is when conflict management is poor that it
becomes a problem. And the problem can snowball into a very big problem, seriously
affecting business performance.

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REFERENCES:

• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_n5_v42/ai_19569995/
• http://www.citeman.com/2803-resolving-conflicts-at-work/#
• http://www.mediate.com/articles/taylor.cfm
• http://www.workplaceissues.com/arconflict.htm
• http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=rjbm.2009.16.24
• http://www.paladinexec.com/blog/2008/04/17/effects-of-conflict-in-the-
workplace/
• http://www.innovativeteambuilding.co.uk/pages/articles/conflicts.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_conflict
• http://www.conflictatwork.com/conflict/cost_e.cfm
• http://www.ehow.com/list_7454316_internal-effects-workplace-conflict.html
• http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/resolve.htm
• http://www.ehow.com/about_5365235_types-conflict-workplace.html

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