Conflict can be caused by differences and misunderstandings about data, values, relationships, as well as structure. Almost half of the conflicts in workplaces result from “waring egos” with 1/3 resulting from workplace stress and another third from heavy workloads. In this section, we will review a model of the conflict process and how conflict is escalated.
Activity #1
Lecture Video: Potential Causes of Organizational Conflict (13:19)
Slides: Potential Causes of Conflict
Activity #2
Choose one of the causes of organizational conflict and think of a work situation where this applies. Write it down to be reviewed later.
Activity #3
Watch this video.
Video: Common Causes of Conflict (4:16)
Think of a conflict you have experienced that is an example of Task, Process and Structural Conflict in your workplace.
Activity #4
Read the following article to support the concepts discussed.
Black, S., Gardner, D.G., Pierce, J.L. & Steers, R. (2019) Causes of conflict in organizations. Organizational Behavior.
