23rd January 2026
- Course Relevance for BBA / B.Com/PGDM
- Organizational Behavior: BBA& PGDM
- Management Dynamics: BBA
- Compensation & performance Management: BBA
- Academic Concepts and Theories
- Types of Workplace Conflict
- Task Conflict
- Relationship Conflict
- Process Conflict
(From Jehn’s conflict framework) - Attribution Errors / Attribution Theory
- Misinterpretation of others’ actions
- Internal vs. external attributions
- How misjudgements cause unnecessary conflict
- Social Identity and Ingroup–Outgroup Dynamics
- Group categorization in teams
- Bias toward one’s own group
- Competition arising from departmental or role boundaries
- Communication Barriers
- Differences in communication styles
- Unclear expectations
- Poor listening leading to misunderstanding
- Cognitive Biases Influencing Conflict
- Confirmation Bias
- Self-Serving Bias
- Egocentric Bias
- Psychological Safety
- Feeling safe to speak up
- Openness to share ideas and admit mistakes
- A strong predictor of team performance
- Social Exchange Theory
- Mutual give-and-take in relationships
- Importance of fairness, reciprocity, and trust for collaboration
- Emotional Intelligence (EI)
- Understanding and regulating emotions
- Empathy and interpersonal effectiveness
- Key for conflict management and collaboration
- Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Handling Styles (TKI)
- Competing
- Accommodating
- Avoiding
- Compromising
- Collaborating
- Behavioural Strategies for Collaboration
- Reframing conflicts
- Clarifying roles and goals
- Active listening
- Empathy mapping
- Behavioural nudges (transparency, positive reinforcement, structured turn-taking)
3. Teaching Notes
1. Classroom Explanation Approach
- Start with real workplace scenarios to differentiate task, process, and relationship conflict.
- Use small caselets to show how attribution errors or group biases trigger conflicts.
- Encourage students to relate theory to personal experiences in group projects.
2. Interactive Activities
- Conduct a TKI self-assessment exercise and map different student conflict styles.
- Run a role-play on conflict escalation vs. conflict resolution.
- Use empathy mapping to teach active listening and perspective-taking.
3. Application-Based Learning
- Analyse cross-functional team conflicts using Social Identity Theory.
- Evaluate how psychological safety influences team creativity and participation.
- Ask students to redesign a team scenario using behavioural strategies (EI, nudges, clear roles).
4. Reflection & Critical Thinking
- Prompt students to reflect on their conflict style and emotional triggers.
- Facilitate discussions on how biases and assumptions affect team communication.
- Encourage reflection journals documenting collaboration experiences during group tasks.
5. Assessment Suggestions
- Short case analysis on identifying conflict types.
- Group presentations on behavioural strategies for managing team conflict.
- Quiz or reflective essay on relevance of EI and psychological safety in modern organizations.
- Blog
Modern organizations thrive on teamwork. Collaboration is now central to innovation, problem-solving, and organizational success. Yet, where there are teams, conflicts inevitably arise—differences in opinions, values, communication styles, roles, or expectations. Traditional management approaches often viewed conflict as harmful. Contemporary Organizational Behaviour, however, sees conflict as a potential driver of creativity, clarity, and performance—if it is managed constructively.
This blog provides an analytical exploration of the behavioural foundations of workplace conflict, the psychology behind collaboration, and evidence-based strategies for building high-performing teams.
1. Understanding Workplace Conflict Through Behavioural Lenses
Conflict in teams does not occur randomly; it arises from predictable behavioural patterns influenced by perception, emotions, and cognition.
1.1 Types of Conflict
Jehn (1995) categorizes conflict into three primary types:
- Task Conflict – disagreements about goals, ideas, or strategies
- Relationship Conflict – personal tension, values, or interpersonal incompatibility
- Process Conflict – disputes over roles, responsibilities, or procedures
Research shows that task conflict can improve performance when managed well, while relationship conflict usually harms collaboration (De Dreu & Weingart, 2003).
2. Why Conflict Happens: Behavioural Explanations
2.1 Attribution Theory and Misinterpretations
Employees often misjudge others’ actions. For instance, if a colleague misses a deadline, people tend to blame internal causes (“lazy”) rather than external circumstances (“too much workload”) (Heider, 1958).
These incorrect attributions can escalate minor misunderstandings into full conflicts.
2.2 Social Identity Theory
Team members categorize themselves into groups—departments, project units, functional roles—which can create ingroup vs. outgroup bias (Tajfel & Turner, 1986).
This leads to competition rather than collaboration, especially in cross-functional teams.
2.3 Communication Barriers
Differences in communication styles, unclear expectations, and lack of active listening frequently trigger unnecessary conflicts.
2.4 Cognitive Biases
Behavioural science identifies biases that fuel workplace conflict:
- Confirmation Bias – seeking evidence to support one’s viewpoint
- Self-Serving Bias – attributing successes to oneself and failures to others
- Egocentric Bias – assuming others interpret situations as we do
These biases distort perceptions and intensify conflict.
3. Collaboration: The Behavioural Foundation of High-Performing Teams
High-performing teams operate on psychological principles that promote trust, shared purpose, and emotional intelligence.
3.1 Psychological Safety
Google’s Project Aristotle concluded that psychological safety—the belief that it is safe to speak up—is the strongest predictor of team performance (Edmondson, 1999).
Teams with psychological safety:
- Share ideas openly
- Challenge assumptions respectfully
- Admit mistakes without fear
3.2 Social Exchange Theory
Collaboration thrives when team members believe their contributions will be reciprocated and valued (Blau, 1964). Fairness, trust, and mutual respect are essential for sustained cooperation.
3.3 Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Leaders with high EI can regulate emotions, empathize, and manage interpersonal dynamics effectively (Goleman, 1995). EI improves conflict resolution and enhances teamwork.
4. Behavioural Strategies for Managing Conflict
Modern teams need strategies rooted in psychology and behavioural science—not just policies.
4.1 Using the Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)
TKI identifies five conflict-handling styles:
- Competing
- Accommodating
- Avoiding
- Compromising
- Collaborating
Collaborating is the most effective for high-performance teams because it focuses on mutual gains (Thomas & Kilmann, 1974).
4.2 Reframing Conflicts
Encouraging teams to view disagreements as opportunities to learn reduces emotional defensiveness and promotes constructive dialogue.
4.3 Establishing Clear Roles and Goals
Role clarity reduces process conflict and improves coordination.
Ambiguity is one of the strongest predictors of team conflict.
4.4 Active Listening and Empathy Mapping
Teams must be trained in listening behaviours—paraphrasing, summarizing, asking clarifying questions—to reduce misinterpretation.
4.5 Behavioural Nudges for Collaboration
Nudge-based strategies include:
- Shared dashboards to increase transparency
- Positive reinforcement for teamwork
- Structured turn-taking in meetings
These encourage cooperative rather than competitive behaviour.
5. Building High-Performing Teams: Integrating Conflict & Collaboration
High-performing teams do not avoid conflict; they engage with it constructively.
The formula is:
Healthy Task Conflict + Strong Collaboration + Emotional Intelligence = Superior Team Performance.
When employees feel psychologically safe, when leaders model empathy, and when teams understand the behavioural roots of conflict, collaboration becomes natural rather than forced.
Conclusion
Workplace conflict is not a sign of failure; it is a natural part of human interaction. The key is using behavioural insights to transform conflict into collaboration. Modern organisations must embrace psychological tools—such as emotional intelligence, social identity awareness, conflict styles, and behavioural nudges—to build teams that are resilient, innovative, and high-performing. Understanding human behaviour is ultimately the foundation of effective teamwork.
5.Questions for reflection
- What is the difference between task conflict and relationship conflict?
- How does psychological safety contribute to team performance?
- Explain how attribution errors can lead to workplace conflict.
- What are the five conflict-handling styles in the Thomas–Kilmann model?
6.References
Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. Wiley.
De Dreu, C. K., & Weingart, L. R. (2003). Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 741–749.
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. Wiley.
Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), 256–282.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Nelson-Hall.
Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. (1974). Thomas–Kilmann conflict mode instrument. Xicom.
