Understanding Workplace Conflict and its Consequences

Welcome to the first leg of our journey to learn about conflict management in the workplace for Indigenous employees. In this lesson, we’ll embark on a journey to understand the dynamics of workplace conflicts.

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Understanding Workplace Conflict and the Consequences

Two individuals, an individual and a group, multiple parties in a group, or two groups are said to be in conflict when at least one of the parties feels that its goals or needs are being obstructed by the others.

Most employees have experienced interpersonal conflict at some point. People battle it out over money, staff, and office space. There are disagreements on the best ways to carry out tasks or resolve issues. Organizational conflicts can arise from disagreements between different departments and units. Employees with technical training may have a different perspective than those with business training. The leadership of an organization may have interests that diverge from those of the rank and file and may impose restrictions on the information and input available to their followers. Beyond these work-related sources of conflict, employees experience everyday conflict related to lack of support, gossip, racism, perceived microaggressions, and other forms of disrespect from co-workers.

Types of Workplace Conflicts

Here are four different types of workplace conflict:

It’s important to highlight that our emphasis here is on interpersonal conflict. By honing in on conflicts that occur between employees with different perspectives and cultural backgrounds, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges individuals face in navigating the complexities of workplace conflict that can impact their well-being and professional performance.

The Impact of Workplace Conflict on Individuals and Organizations

Imagine workplace conflict as a ripple effect, similar to how a small pebble can create expanding ripples in a tranquil pond. A seemingly small conflict can have widespread repercussions, affecting various aspects, from the well-being of individuals to the overall health of organizations. Learning how to manage conflict effectively in a diverse workplace is even important for employee health and well-being.

Previous research has demonstrated that direct involvement in workplace conflicts can significantly impact an individual’s overall well-being. Being directly engaged in interpersonal conflicts in the workplace has been linked to various mental health issues, including:

• Insomnia and burnout
• Depression
• Other psychiatric health problems

Interpersonal conflict at work also affects organizational well-being measures such as:

• Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intentions to leave the organization
• Internal and external job mobility
• Work engagement
• Work-related disability

Take some time to review what you have learned by answering the following questions.