5 Different Types of Conflict in the Workplace & Why it Matters.

I was speaking with a Senior Leader this morning, and he asked me about the topic of conflict and effective ways to handle it. I asked him if he was aware of the different types of conflict, because in understanding what type it is, makes all the difference in resolving it. He hadn't thought about this previously, so I shared with him some info I had found helpful in my research many years back. I recognise that there may be others out there who aren't aware of the impact this makes, so I thought I would share it here.

Allow me to share the 5 different types of conflict that I 'm aware of and how understanding them shifts your approach to it. Additionally, if you are mediating between employees, as a manager, it is helpful to get them to reflect over the type of conflict they are in, because it at least puts them on the same page to start with. It can also begin to turn the light on for them, especially if they are approaching the situation from completely different perspectives.

The 5 types of conflict I'm aware of are:

1. Values conflict
2. Tangible
3. Interpersonal conflicts
4. boundary conflicts
5. Perceptual conflicts.

1. Values conflicts are struggles over – beliefs, tenets, and principles. Often beliefs held by convictions, independent of evidence or logic. Values conflicts are not readily solved. In most cases, they cannot be simply resolved. They are the most difficult of all to deal with. However, differing parties can learn to respect and honour each other and co-exist with an understanding of appreciation of their fundamental differences.  

Eg. of values conflicts:

a.     teaching versus research

b.    Profit-making versus social responsibility

c.     Pacifism versus confronting the enemy

d.    Work versus family

e.     Individual versus group needs

f.     Organisational obedience versus individualism.

2. Tangible Conflicts are those that arise over elements that can be measured, divided, counted, or shared. Money is a classic area of tangible conflict.  

Eg., We do not have enough money to do everything we want, so we conflict over priorities in expending available dollars.  

a.    time

b.    money

c.    facilities

d.    personnel

e.    benefits

These conflicts tend to fall into the resource domain and are easier to resolve. 

3. Interpersonal conflicts arise from a person's feelings about another person, which normally manifest from how certain behaviours grate on them. People say, “I’ve never liked you” or “I’ve never liked that quality in you,” as common mental scripts. These are commonly labelled as personality conflicts. They are the second most difficult to resolve. The most important thing to remember about interpersonal conflict is that it is seldom the initial cause of conflict. Rather it is typically a secondary result of some other conflict. But because people are often unable to label the cause, they put it down to personality, which automatically - in their mind - makes it impossible to reslove.

4. Boundary Conflicts are of two kinds – boundary intrusion and boundary expansion. In the first case you believe you have a certain territory, area, or role that is yours and someone has violated it. For instance, you think that it is your job to make decisions about monetary expenditures and then find that someone else has gone ahead and made decisions without you. You are angry because your role, your domain, has been intruded upon. Someone has wrongly entered into your realm. Or, to take a more concrete example, you may have an office that is your own. How would you feel if you now, without any discussion, had to share it with someone else? Boundary intrusions are among the most common conflicts we have among boundary conflicts. 

The secondary kind of conflict in this category is boundary expansion. I am expecting you to step in and help when someone is sick or absent, but you don’t see that as your job. The problem is that I want you to expand the boundary of your role, and you do not want to. If these conflicts are left unresolved they commonly fall into interpersonal conflicts.  

5. Perceptual conflicts are the easiest to resolve. They revolve around mutual misunderstanding. “I didn’t realize that,” is a phrase often heard as perceptual conflicts are resolved. Most parent-teacher conflicts lie in the perceptual arena. Since parents can’t be present at school at all times they must rely on the descriptions given by their children. This conflict arises out of poor communication. Because they are the easiest to resolve most people think they are the most common, but they are not. If they were conflict management would be a relatively easy informational task. However, mere information is seldom sufficient to resolve a conflict – even though we wish it were so.  

In conclusion, not all types of workplace conflict are the same, therefore using the same approach is likely do be ineffective. The first step is to work out what type of conflict is going on between employees. The next step is to ensure all parties are on the same page regarding the type of conflict they are in, or they will be like ships passing in the night. Finally, as a manager I have found that the best way to deal with conflict is prevention. There are some key things you can do to develop team ground rules of behaviour, culture and effective communication. This is especially effective as part of onboarding new staff and consistenly sharing the core values of the organisation. I've also found it helpful to implement team practices within team meetings that allow for robust discussion, yet with respect and fun.

David Allan MBus