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10.13007/489
Ideas for Leaders #489
How to Resolve Workplace Conflicts byAddressing Conflict Expression
Key Concept
Faced with workplace conflicts, attending to how thedifferent parties express themselves — presentingtheir positions clearly, calmly and honestly or usingaggressive language and loud voices, is just oneexample — can be the key in reaching a resolution.
Idea Summary
Workplace conflicts are, unfortunately, a common anddifficult problem for managers. The traditionalapproach to resolving conflict is to examine thecontent of the conflict: what are you fighting about,and how can we reach some kind of agreement orresolution about this topic? Past research has focusedon helping managers effectively manoeuvre thisconversation.
However, new research shows that a more powerfulway of managing and resolving workplace conflict isnot to focus on the content of the argument, but ratheron the expression of the argument. This includes notjust the tone and language of what people say, butalso the tactics that people employ to express theirdisagreement (for example, blocking any search forinformation, saying nothing face-to-face but venting tothird parties). Examining such expression helps revealthe intentions of the parties and their openness tofinding a resolution to the problem. It also explains thereactions of the parties in the conflict, and how theconflict proceeds in a positive or negative direction.
Expression can be measured along two differentdimensions, according to the research: directness andoppositional intensity. Directness involves the claritywith which an opposing view is expressed. In otherwords, high directness would indicate that bothparties express their views without ambiguity orsubterfuge: they articulate exactly what they think andwhy. In many cases, unfortunately, opponents choosethe low-directness route. They hint at, rather thanexplicitly state, their concerns. Or even worse,opponents make no attempt to communicate their
ShareAuthors
Behfar, KristinWeingart, LaurieBendersky, CorinneTodorova, GerganaJehn, Karen
Institutions
Carnegie Mellon UniversityUniversity of Virginia Darden BusinessSchoolUCLA Anderson School of ManagementUniversity of Miami School of BusinessAdministrationMelbourne Business School-Mt ElizaExecutive Education
Source
Academy of Management Review
Idea conceived
April 2014
Idea posted
February 2015
DOI number
Subject
Conflict ManagementInterpersonal SkillsLeadershipTeam Building and Teamwork
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opposition, preferring instead to stay silent or feignacceptance all the while intending to find ways tosabotage the initiative to which they’ve apparentlyagreed — the most insidious type of low directness.
The second dimension of expression is oppositionalintensity, which refers to the degree of energy or forcewith which the opposition is expressed. Highoppositional intensity is manifested by shouts andthreats or such behaviours as deliberate stonewalling,undermining, or dominating of opponents. Issuingultimatums or making demands are examples of highoppositional intensity.
Low oppositional intensity is manifested through morepassive aggressive or defensive behaviours. Lowintensity can include positive behaviours — quiet butpointed discussions — or more negative behaviourssuch as withholding information.
The most productive conflicts will be characterised bya combination of high directness and low oppositionalintensity. The two parties clearly exchange theiropposing views but are not entrenched in theirpositions. As a result, they can deliberate and offercounter-arguments. Other combinations of directnessand oppositional intensity are not as productive. Highdirectness and high oppositional intensity, forexample, is a recipe for entrenched arguments: thetwo parties make no effort to resolve their differences,preferring instead to simply increase the volume oftheir opposition.
The way in which one party expresses its oppositiongenerates a similar response from the other party; asa result, conflicts (with the exception of highdirectness, low intensity debates) escalate into anincreasingly negative spiral.
Business Application
Stopping the negative spiral of entrenched conflictrequires addressing how the opposing parties expresstheir differences. Leaders must change thatexpression to high-directness and low-intensity debatein which substantive information is communicatedclearly and in which both parties are willing tonegotiate.
One danger is to perceive the low-intensitydisagreements as being less damaging because thereare less obvious conflicts; in truth, low directness/lowintensity conflicts, where opposing parties usesubterfuge and sabotage instead of airing differenceshonestly, can be as damaging as the more spectacularhigh-intensity fights.
Encourage parties who disagree to unequivocallyexpress their emotions. It’s better to be explicit andhonest, as long as the strength of one’s emotions doesnot betray a complete unwillingness to compromise oris not couched as a threat. With all of the of theinformation clearly on the table, the two parties cannow move in a positive direction, through reflectionand understanding, toward finding an agreement.
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License Notice
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© Copyright IEDP Ideas for Leaders 2015
References
The Directness and Oppositional Intensity ofConflict Expression. Laurie Weingart, KristinBehfar, Corinne Bendersky, Gergana Todorova& Karen Jehn. Academy of Management Review(April 2014).
Further Reading and Relevant Resources
Laurie Weingart’s profile at Carnegie Mellon University TepperSchool of Business
Kristin Behfars’s profile at the University of Virginia DardenSchool of Business
Corinne Bendersky’s profile at UCLA Anderson School ofManagement
Gergana Todorova’s profile at University of Miami School ofBusiness Administration
Karen Jehn’s profile at University of Melbourne Business School
Darden School of Business Executive Education profile at IEDP
UCLA Anderson School of Management’s profile at IEDP
Melbourne Business School - Mt Eliza Executive Education atIEDP
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