The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 1 Author: Kristen Onkka Abstract In this paper, I will analyze three articles that review the impact on conflict on employees in the workplace. The first article reflects on the skills that contribute to successful conflict resolution as well as potential inhibitors. The second discusses oneto-one dispute resolution as the ideal method for handling conflict. The last article examines the role of personality in conflict resolution. It is my belief that conflict can be both a good and bad thing in the workplace. All it comes down to is the impact it has on our employees and productivity. We as leaders are challenged with managing conflict on a daily basis, it is up to us how we want to manage.
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 2 The Positives & Negatives of Conflict In this paper, I will review three articles that all analyze the impact of conflict on people. It will begin with a focus on how individuals cope and respond with conflict. Next, the focus will turn to one-to-one dispute resolution as the ideal way to handle conflict. Other options include the widely known fight or flight but there is also management intervention. It is my personal belief from reading these three studies that management intervention is probably utilized as one of the most common methods to handle conflict. According to McGrane, Wilson, and Cammock (2005), these typical methods are ineffective and can lead to high costs to all involved. The last focus will be on the role of personality. Are there actually personalities that make you more susceptible to conflict? Let s dive into the research and see what the data has to say. Responses to Conflict The first study I will review examined conflict response as a dynamic process, rather than the traditional examination from a static perspective. Martin and Bergman (1996) had a number of hypotheses prior to setting out on their study. They expected initial responses to workplace conflict to occur in different proportions (H1), variable sources (including source, gender, prior, career, and type) to be effective moderators of conflict response paths (H2-6), certain response paths to occur more frequently than by chance (H7), and variable sources to moderate non-random sequences of responses when they occur (H8-12). The samples used for this study were professionals who had pursued continuing education programs or graduate courses to improve their skills. A variety of professions were included in the sample, with health care (19%) and government (16%) having the
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 3 highest representation. The study yielded a response rate of 41%, with 329 of 800 questionnaires returned, based on voluntary participation with anonymity guaranteed. The respondents mean age was approximately 32 years with 5.6 years of organizational and 3.5 years of positional experience. Additionally, the respondents were 53% female, 87% full-time employees, and 70% viewed their current job as fitting their long-term career objectives. The study was conducted using a questionnaire designed based on past work and research. For the sake of this study, conflict was defined as a disagreement in values, beliefs, goals, etc., between the respondent and the conflict person (Martin & Bergman, 1996). In the questionnaire, respondents were to explain a conflict that had occurred recently or was presently taking place. They then had to select from a list of 24 conflict responses and could provide up to 18 in order of how they had responded. The respondents also had to provide background on the conflict including the hierarchical position, gender, history of prior conflict, current job fit with long-term career goals, and full or part-time employment status of those involved in the conflict. The responses gathered were then grouped to reduce the data to reasonable and meaningful response paths. A response path is a series of behavioral responses that helps identify employees strategic shifts in dealing with conflict rather than analyzing individual responses (Martin & Bergman, 1996). The data was then put through a series of algorithms to remove outliers. Outliers were those responses that did not logically fit with the remainder of its group or were not selected as a response by many. The outliers identified were: push/punch the other person, throw things, take a drink/pill, sabotage, and getting the other person to leave.
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 4 The study found that 93% of respondents had one of two initial responses to conflict: verbalization or helplessness. The most frequent initial response is verbalization but a whopping 26% of those surveyed stated their first response was helplessness. Based on these results, highly significant support was found for H1. Hypotheses 2-6 received partial support. Type (of employment) and career (orientation) proved to be significant moderators. Respondents in a full-time position that are long-term employees have a greater stake in resolving conflict. They are more willing to take personal risks to gain an advantage during the conflict process and are willing to commit the time necessary to engage in competitive behaviors (Martin & Bergman, 1996). Employees in the reverse situation who are either part-time or do not see their current job as part of their long-term career plan are willing to live with the conflict when verbalization proves to be unsuccessful. Since they may feel unable to resolve the conflict, the best way to reach psychological equilibrium is to engage in avoidance behaviors (Martin & Bergman, 1996). Source and gender were also found to be moderators. Supervisor-subordinate conflicts typically are a H-V (helplessness-verbalization) response path that can cause growth in the party size by bringing in others. Gender was only found to be a moderating variable when both parties involved in the conflict are male. The tendency is to try and end conflict with a competitive response. Highly significant support was also found for H7 to show that certain response paths are more frequent than by chance. Hypotheses 8-12 received only scattered support. Martin and Bergman did point out a number of possible limitations ranging from generalizability due to the sample being strictly from the U.S. to the fact that the data is
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 5 based on perceptions of the respondents after the conflict had occurred. Overall, through their research they found that individuals do have different responses to conflict in the workplace. I found this study to be extremely informative. While the researchers did point out that the sample was strictly American, I still believe they gathered a diverse sampling of professions to help generalize the results. I chose to reflect on this study because I believe it helps prove that people handle conflict differently. Conflict can be viewed as a good thing if you have parties involved who are able to vocalize their concerns and effectively manage it. However, conflict can also be bad if you are like the 26% of respondents whose immediate reaction is helplessness. Martin and Bergman stated in their discussion, If the conflict is not effectively dealt with it has the potential of having a more significant impact on both their work and non-work spheres. This statement brings up the fact that conflict in the workplace does not always stay in the workplace. Additionally, if conflict is not dealt with appropriately it can have a number of consequences. One-to-One Dispute Resolution The study conducted by McGrane, Wilson, and Cammock (2005) was to present their findings on one-to-one dispute resolution as an effective alternative to the often used fight, flight, or management intervention responses to conflict. Their study was completed through the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). The goal of the study was to highlight the potential for individuals to effectively face their own disputes and challenge managers to coach on how to manage conflict rather than get involved. The study was
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 6 conducted in two parts. Stage 1 was to collect and analyze critical incidents. Stage 2 was to validate the findings through a skills survey. The sample for Stage 1 of this study were individual employees in the British Isles who came from small offices and worked with others. The participants included 31 males and 57 females who represented both managerial and non-managerial roles. A total of 249 critical incidents were collected from these employees. Criteria for the incidents were for them to be recent, perceived as critical or memorable, involve only two employees in a face-to-face communication setting, and to have occurred without intervention by a third-party. Each participant was asked to report two effective and two ineffective (not resolved or resolved in an unsatisfactory manner) incidences via computer-assisted self-interviews (CASI). They were to include four sections: (1) background about the dispute, (2) description of the resolution process, (3) outcomes, and (4) reasons why the resolution was considered to be effective or ineffective. Immediately following the completion of CASI, the researchers reviewed the incidents reported for omissions and areas in need of clarification. The gaps were then filled in through telephone or face-toface follow-up to avoid making assumptions. The data gathered through Stage 1 was then coded into skill-sets using a constant comparison technique with a software package for qualitative data analysis. The sample used for Stage 2 was 36% of the original sample in Stage 1. The questionnaire was sent out to the 88 participants but only a portion of them completed and returned the survey or else they could not be reached. To fill the gap, employees were recruited from additional workplaces and educational institutions to ensure the
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 7 same office-based type of employee. The questionnaire asked participants to draw on their experience of one-to-one dispute resolution in the workplace and then rate the importance of the skills/skill-sets listed on a Likert-type scale from 1-10. The questions asked were based on the coded results from Stage 1. The overall study found that one-to-one dispute resolution is based on eight skillsets. The most critical were found to be skills for the workplace context (such as teamwork and resolving issues in a professional manner), personal skills and attributes (such as being self-aware), and skills for managing emotions (such as remaining calm through self-control). Other skill-sets included preparing for the one-to-one, making an effective approach, people/relating, problem solving, and concluding. In addition to the skill-sets that aid resolution, the study also identified eight factors that inhibit resolution. Those that inhibit are essentially the opposite of those that aid. In addition to skill-sets, the researchers examined the impact of values, power, and emotions. Four values were identified throughout the conflict resolution process: respect, fairness, work-related values, and general ethics. Power sources were found to be positive as well as inhibiting. For example, personal power results in being assertive and firm, which aids in dispute resolution. An example of an inhibiting power source would be age, as older employees can feel they have power because of their age. The fourteen emotions identified were all found to be inhibiting. A few of these emotions include anger, stress, intimidation, and jealousy. The study found that despite it being focused on one-to-one resolution, colleagues still played a role. Instances of this may have been being a bystander, an advisor consulted behind the scenes, or a third-party intervener once a one-to-one had
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 8 failed. When colleagues were used for advice and support behind the scenes, they contributed to effective resolution (McGrane et al., 2005). Any other role was found to be inhibiting. McGrane, Wilson, and Cammock (2005) came to the conclusion that one-to-one dispute resolution can be used to effectively to resolve conflict in the workplace. They conclude that it is leaders and managers responsibility to coach employees in selfmanaging their own issues. This will not only result in effective conflict resolution but will also save managers time. However, it is necessary for managers to equip themselves with the necessary skills, knowledge, and support so they can effectively manage and coach one-to-one disputes. They recognize that future research needs to be done to understand when and how to coach employees effectively on this type of conflict resolution. I found this study to be very broad in nature. The authors had a wide range of incidents to review and were able to identify the skill-sets that both contribute to and inhibit successful resolution. While I believe this study was a good starting point to identify and prove the benefits of one-to-one dispute resolution, I think a lot more research still needs to be done in order for it to be beneficial to managers. As a manager myself, I find that this study identified how complicated conflict in the workplace and management of that conflict can be. Based on the findings of the study and my own personal experience, I believe when handled appropriately in a oneto-one manner, conflict can be effectively managed. However, when handled inappropriately, one incident can turn into a much bigger issue in the workplace. Individual Well-Being
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 9 The purpose of final study I will review (Dijkstra, Dierendonck, Evers, & Drue, 2005) was to examine the influence of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability on the relationship between conflict and well-being. The researchers had three hypotheses: (H1) the negative relationship between conflict at work and individual wellbeing would be stronger for individuals low rather than high in agreeableness, (H2) the negative relationship between conflict at work and individual well-being would be stronger for individuals low rather than high in extraversion, and (H3) emotionally unstable persons are more vulnerable to deteriorated well-being than emotionally stable people when confronted with perceived conflict in the workplace. The study was conducted in two parts. The sample for Part 1 included members of the nursing and ancillary staff at a geriatric hospital. The researchers had an 85% response rate with 173 returned out of 204 questionnaires. The sample was primarily female (73%) of Dutch nationality (94%) that had a length of service of 6.78 years and worked 28.94 hours. The questionnaires measured well-being, agreeableness, and conflict. Wellbeing was measured using a five-item version of the Dutch translation of the mental health scale of the Occupational Stress Indicator, which measures the frequency of the cognitive symptoms of stress (Dijkstra et al., 2005). Agreeableness was measured using a six-item scale of the Five-Factor Personality Inventory. Respondents answered these items on a five-point Likert scale. Employees were then asked to assess the occurrence of conflict they experience at the workplace. The researchers found conflict was correlated with agreeableness and individual well-being. There was no significant correlation found between well-being and
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 10 agreeableness. Part 1 of the study replicated findings from previous research that conflict at work is negatively related to individual well-being. This was found by performing a hierarchical regression. Additionally, H1 was found to be true. The second part of the study sampled employees of a food processing systems company. The researchers received an 89% response rate with 308 returned out of 364 questionnaires. The sample was primarily male (89%) of Dutch nationality (77%) that had a length of service of 21.32 years and worked 38.25 hours. The questionnaires distributed to employees in the second part of the study measured well-being in the same manner as the first part of the study. Emotional stability and extraversion were then measured by using five items for each from the Five-Factor Personality Inventory. Researchers found H2 and H3 to be true. The overall findings of the study were that conflict frequency is moderately and negatively related to individual well-being. This is magnified when individuals are low in agreeableness, extraversion, or emotional stability (Dijkstra et al., 2005). I believe this study points out the impact of our individual well-being on how we handle conflict and our individual well-being in result of the conflicts we have to deal with in the workplace. The researchers point out in their article that consultants when advising organizations with high rates of turnover, sick leave, or absenteeism should review these implications (Dijkstra et al., 2005). I believe it is our responsibility as managers to ensure our employees well-being is not compromised at work due to conflict and to make sure employees are taking care of themselves outside of work so as to not bring conflict to the workplace.
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 11 Conclusion Conflict has both negatives and positives in the workplace. Whether we like it or not, conflict is going to exist. As a manager, it is important to understand the impacts of conflict and how to effectively manage it. Based on the studies reviewed, I find conflict to have a more negative impact on employees. However, I did not review research that discusses the potential gains when conflict is managed effectively to help aid creativity, innovation, and team effectiveness. While it is obvious as to why employers and managers do not want groupthink to occur on their teams, we also need to keep the overall well-being of our employees in mind. My overall takeaway from this research is to go forward and try to better understand how to help my employees and colleagues have a level of self-awareness to understand how they react to and handle conflict. By understanding themselves, they will be able to more effectively manage conflict in their lives. As long as all parties involved are comfortable with their role in conflict and understand the potential gains of its use, conflict (in my mind) can play a positive role in the workplace.
The Positives & Negatives of Conflict 12 References Dijkstra, M.T.M, Dierendonck, D.V., Evers, A., & Dreu, C.K.W.D. (2005) Conflict and well-being at work: the moderating role of personality. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(1/2), 87-104. Martin, G.E. & Bergman, T.J. (1996). The dynamics of behavioural response to conflict in the workplace. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 69, 377-387. McGrane, F., Wilson, J., & Cammock, T. (2005). Leading employees in one-to-one dispute resolution. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 26(3/4), 263-279.