Hi there,
The research I’m sharing today is all about:
“What is the impact of unresolved conflict in organizations?”
Impact of Unresolved Conflicts at Work
The researchers wanted to see:
“What are the psychological impacts of having a conflict with a supervisor versus a colleague?”
Simply put, they wanted to know:
“Is there a difference between thinking your supervisor dislikes you versus feeling your colleagues dislike you?”
The researchers investigated the data from 319 individuals and here’s what they found based on their data:
(1) When participants had an unresolved conflict with their supervisor, they lost commitment to their organization and they started thinking it’s the time to leave and change their job.
(2) When participants had an unresolved conflict with their colleagues, they reported that their work became more exhausting. They also felt the conflict influenced their self-esteem, and made them less productive.
If you want to fix a Turnover issue in your organization, the key finding here is to prioritize Leadership Training or any initiative that is focused on improving Supervisor-Individual relationships.
If you want to fix a Productivity issue in your organization, the solution should be focused on peer support and trying to improve the relationship between colleagues. Something like a Conflict Management workshop can be very effective.
Summary of Research
So here is how the researchers visualized their findings:
And here are my observations:
(1) There is a .41 significant correlation between a conflict with a supervisor and a conflict with coworkers.
Meaning, conflict is not an isolated matter and it always passes through the organization as people start taking sides and talking negatively behind each other’s backs.
So Prevention + Early Intervention is key.
(2) When people lose a positive relationship with their manager, they lose their commitment to their organization.
Many in HR assume employees will report unresolved conflicts with their managers to HR and they can intervene and resolve it, but in reality, HR may not be aware of a significant portion of supervisor-employee conflicts. Some employees just leave especially when they have alternative job options.
(3) Your productivity at work is influenced by how much support you get from your colleagues.
When someone is having a conflict with their coworkers, it becomes more challenging for them to be productive.
Is Conflict really a good thing?
The last time I talked about this topic, someone asked me:
Question) Is conflict good or bad? Didn’t they tell us it is a good thing?
It’s a long story but putting it briefly:
it depends on (1) what is it about and (2) how long it lasts.
Conflict and argument over tasks, decisions, and processes is a GOOD type.
Conflict because of someone’s personality, character, or other individual attributions is a BAD type.
Conflict that is getting resolved over a short time span and people move on from it is a GOOD type.
Conflict where people hold grudges and it is unresolved and it becomes a whole thing is a BAD type.
Conclusion & Takeaways
I think the most important takeaway here for leaders is that it is very important to have a strategy and a system in place for Conflict Management.
That strategy can include offering conflict handling training + a clear grievance policy + a mix of other initiatives designed to significantly reduce unresolved conflicts.
Reference: Frone M. R. (2000). Interpersonal conflict at work and psychological outcomes: testing a model among young workers. Journal of occupational health psychology, 5(2), 246–255.
Want to learn more? Periodically, we bring a group of professionals together and offer an online course. If you are interested, you can click here to sign-up for its waiting list. We will send you more information on how to register for the program.
Want to create a work environment that supports Healthy High Performance in your organization? Click here to learn more about our Enterprise Solutions and talk to our team.
