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Workplace Conflict Can Lead to Workplace Innovation

Feb. 6, 2009 — A new poll reveals the most common causes of workplace conflict are warring egos and personality clashes, poor leadership, lack of honesty, stress and clashing values.

The poll of more than 350 HR professionals in Canada, conducted by Psychometrics Canada, found that in many cases workplace conflict has severely crippling effects on productivity, staff engagement and working relationships. The poll also found that when conflict is properly managed it can benefit organizations and employees by leading to better solutions to problems.

The poll found that 76% of respondents have seen conflict result in personal insults and attacks, 43% have witnessed someone being fired, 81% have seen conflict lead to someone leaving the organization, and 77% have seen conflict result in sickness or absence.

“These figures should be a strong alert to industry leaders that poorly managed conflict could be causing significant problems in their organizations” said Mark Fitzsimmons, managing director of Psychometrics Canada. “We expect conflict to grow in the current economy as one of the biggest causes of conflict rises — stress.”

The poll also found that 90% of respondents rate the ability to handle conflict as either a very important or critical leadership skill; however, 18% of respondents said that current management and leadership is not at all effective at dealing with conflict and 63% said they are only somewhat effective.

Survey results show that properly managed conflict benefits companies: 57% said they have seen conflict lead to better solutions to problems and challenges, 21% say it led to major innovations, 31% said increased motivation, 77% said a better understanding of others and 40% said a higher work team performance.

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