Conflict May Only Be Helpful Under Certain Organizational Conditions

Managers used to believe that conflict in the workplace would help employees make better decisions. It was thought that moderate conflict would help employees discuss options and not make decisions too quickly. Today’s best managers know that conflict is only helpful under a very narrow set of conditions. More specifically, the conflict is work-related, does not involve personal or political matters, should be moderate, and the team members feel safe and trust each other. In other types of situations, the benefits of conflict may not outweigh the negatives, so managers should lessen the level of conflict among employees.

Source: De Drue, C. K. W. 2008. The virtue and vice of workplace conflict: Food for (pessimistic) thought. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 5-18.

Team Conflict Should Be Managed Rather Than Ignored

Today’s best managers know that conflict can escalate as employees become members of teams with increasingly diverse individuals. Some employees may try to avoid or ignore conflict on their teams, but that strategy won’t be effective. Today’s best managers need to show employees how to cool off when they get into heated team conflicts, then how to slow down and focus on solving conflict problems. Managers need to show employees how to solve the two main types of conflict: task conflict and relationship conflict. Relationship conflict is more likely the cause of conflict that leads to poor team productivity compared to task conflict.

Source: Flanagan, T. A., & Runde, C. E. 2008, May/June. Hidden potential: Embracing conflict can pay off for teams. Leader In Action, 28, 8-12.