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Survey report October 2008
Leadership and themanagement o confict
at work
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Contents
Summary o key indings 2
The impact o conlict at work 4
The causes o conlict at work 8
Managing and preventing conlict 10
The beneits o investing in managing conlict at work 16
Conclusions 18
Background to the survey 21
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Summary o key indings
This report sets out the findings of a survey by the CIPD, in association with business
psychology consultancy OPP, into leadership and conflict management in the workplace.
The analysis is based on replies from 660 HR practitioners in organisations employing nearly
2.3 million employees.
The impact of conflict at work
Almost hal (44%) o respondents report that theyhave to manage disputes at work requently or
continually.
The survey inds that on average HR proessionalsspend 3.4 hours every week managing conlict
at work. This rises to 3.8 hours or public sector
respondents.
Six in ten respondents say that they had to manageconlict at work in the previous seven days, with
more than hal o these saying that
the dispute in question remained ongoing.
Nearly two-thirds o respondents report that conlictat work that escalated has resulted in
the absence rom work o one or more o the
parties involved.
Hal o respondents say that conlict has resultedin people leaving the organisation and a similar
proportion report that disputes that escalated
resulted in bullying or harassment.
Nearly one in three (28%) respondents admit tohaving let a job as a result o conlict at work,
illustrating clearly one o the most negative aspectso conlict at work in terms o business impact.
The causes of conflict at work
The most commonly cited cause o conlict as aras HR practitioners are concerned is warring egos
and personality clashes, mentioned by 44% o
respondents as being the number one source o
interpersonal strain.
This is ollowed by poor leadership rom the top(30%), inadequate line management (21%) and
weak perormance management (17%).
Heavy workload and bullying and/or harassment arealso identiied as signiicant causes o disputes in
the workplace.
Managing and preventing conflict
More than eight in ten HR proessionals citeidentiying and addressing underlying tensions
more eectively beore things start going wrong as
key to helping managers become more eective in
managing conlict at work.
Two-thirds (66%) o respondents identiy the needor managers to have more interaction with their
reports, provide more clarity about whats expected
and model the right behaviours.
Improved consultation in day-to-day managementactivities is also regarded highly as a means o
helping line managers prevent and manage
disputes in the workplace.
More than 60% o HR practitioners report theyhave been trained in conlict management as part
o their proessional development, while 38% state
that they have received training in the context o
leadership development. When asked what training their organisations had
provided or line managers in conlict management,
40% o respondents say that it is oered as part
o leadership development.
Just under a third o HR practitioners report thattraining in conlict management skills or line
managers is provided through coaching rom
their manager.
More than a quarter (27%) say that line managersreceive no training o any description in conlict
management.
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The benefits of investing in managing conflict
at work
Almost a third o respondents report that training inconlict management has led to a reduction in the
number o disciplinary and grievance cases, 28%think there has been an improvement in employee
morale and 25% believe there has been an increase
in team perormance and productivity.
In all, 13% o HR practitioners say conlictmanagement training has helped reduce employee
absence levels, 12% have seen a reduction in
employment tribunal claims and 10% report a
reduction in employee turnover.
One in three (34%) HR practitioners believe thatbetter teamwork would be the single biggest
potential gain in their organisation as a result o
more eective management o conlict, ollowed
by higher employee engagement at 30% and
improved productivity and greater internal eiciency
at 12%.
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The impact o conlict at work
Nearly half of HR practitioners say they have to manage conflict in the workplace
continually or frequently, with sickness absence, staff turnover and bullying being the most
likely result where disputes escalate.
In response to the signiicant and growing challenge
conlict at work creates or organisations, the CIPD
joined orces with international business psychology
consultancy OPP to conduct research into the role o
leadership in managing disputes in the workplace. This is
based on a survey o 660 HR practitioners exploring the
perceived causes and evident costs o conlict in the
workplace, along with the measures organisations are
currently implementing to prevent and manage
workplace tensions.
The survey inds that managing conlict is an integral
part o most HR practitioners jobs on a daily basis.
Almost hal (44%) o respondents report that they have
to manage disputes at work requently or continually.
This rises to 51% among public sector respondents.
As many as one in ive respondents claim to manage
conlict continually in organisations o between 5,000
and 10,000 employees. See Table 1.
Conlict at work is also extremely time-consuming. The
survey inds that on average HR proessionals spend
3.4 hours every week managing conlict at work. This
rises to 3.8 hours or public sector respondents.
Just under hal (48%) o respondents spend up to hal
a day a week and a urther 12% spend the equivalent
o an entire day a week handling conlict.
HR proessionals in mid-sized organisations (with
between 500 and 1,001 employees) appear to are the
worst, being more than twice as likely as smaller irms
Table 1: The extent to which HR practitioners have to deal with conlict in the workplace (% o respondents)
ManuacturingBy sector and Private Non-proit Public
Average production sector services organisations sector
Yes, continually 10 10 9 11 13Yes, requently 33 31 32 34 38
Yes, occasionally 55 58 56 53 48
No, never 2 2 2 2 2
By size oorganisation 250 1,001 5,001 10,001
or ewer 251500 5011,000 5,000 10,000 or more
Yes, continually 6 9 13 11 21 13
Yes, requently 30 38 38 37 30 31
Yes, occasionally 62 53 48 53 47 53
No, never 2 1 2 0 2 3
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to spend a day a week or more managing conlict at and interpersonal relationships or productivity had
work. See Table 2. suered. In all, 15% o respondents report that external
legal advice had been sought. See Table 3 on page 6.
Six in ten respondents say that they had to manage
conlict at work in the previous seven days, with more Worryingly, as many as one in ten (10%) HRthan hal o these saying that the dispute in question practitioners who indicate that the recent conlict has
remained ongoing. now been resolved say that it took them more than a
Table 2: How much time per week HR practitioners spend managing conlict at work (% o respondents)
By sectorManuacturing
andPrivatesector Non-proit Public
Average production services organisations sector
None 2 2 3 2 3
Less than 1 hour a week 34 37 33 33 31
15 hours a week 48 46 50 55 45
610 hours a week 12 12 10 5 15
1115 hours a week 3 3 2 5 5
Over 15 hours a week 2 0 2 2 2
Mean score (hours) 3.4 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.8
By size o organisation 250 501 1,001 5,001 10,001or ewer 251500 1,000 5,000 10,000 or more
None 2 1
Less than 1 hour a week 40 2915 hours a week 50 58
610 hours a week 8 8
1115 hours a week 0 4
Over 15 hours a week 0 0
Mean score (hours) 2.5 3.2
Respondents in organisations employing between 251
and 500 people are most likely to report that they have
experienced conlict at work in the previous seven days(67%), while HR practitioners in businesses employing
between 501 and 1,000 employees are most likely to
say that such disputes are still ongoing.
Public sector HR proessionals are also more likely to
experience conlict that drags on (41% versus 31% in
the private services sector).
Just over 40% o HR practitioners that were involved in
trying to resolve an ongoing dispute say that the conlict
was still being dealt with on an inormal basis. Nearly
hal say the dispute had led to disruption in the team
4 1 4 4
29 31 21 3736 48 49 38
21 12 19 14
9 5 6 2
2 4 2 4
4.6 4.1 4.3 3.8
week; this doubles (to 19%) in the largest organisations
(those with more than 10,000 employees) and appears
to be more likely in the public sector, where one in six(15%) report this. O course, the cost implications o
this are not limited to HR time; the missed opportunity
or HR teams to be doing something more constructive
also has its price.
The impact o conlict on management time is also very
considerable. Nearly a ith o respondents estimate that
where recent conlict at work has been resolved it took
up to a day in management time, while 6% o
respondents report that the recently resolved conlict
took in total more than ten days o management time.
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Table 3: The impact o conlict at work where it has not been resolved (% o respondents)
Manuacturing PrivateBy sector and sector Non-proit Public
Average production services organisations sector
It is still being dealt with on an44
inormal basis.
There is disruption in the team andinterpersonal relationships/productivity 46are suering.
It has moved rom inormal grievance29
to a ormal grievance being lodged.
It has resulted in the use o the 15
disciplinary procedure.
It has resulted in an employee being5
suspended.
An employee has been dismissed. 3External legal advice has been sought. 15
Non-proit organisations and public sector employers
spend more in management time resolving conlict
at work than their private sector counterparts. See
Table 4.
In situations where conlict is not managed eectively
and escalates, the allout or the business can be
extremely damaging. Nearly two-thirds o respondents
report that conlict at work that escalated has resulted
in the absence rom work o one or more o the
parties involved. Hal o respondents say that conlict
has resulted in people leaving the organisation and a
similar proportion report that disputes that escalated
resulted in bullying or harassment. More than our in
ten respondents say that conlict has led to one or
more individuals involved leaving the organisation.
See Table 5.
31 43 50 51
46 46 46 43
27 21 32 36
16 16 14 13
4 6 9 5
4 4 0 216 16 9 18
Nearly one in ten respondents report that conlict at
work that escalated resulted in physical violence.
Public sector organisations are most likely to report
that disputes at work resulted in sickness absence and
bullying or harassment. Public sector employers are
also much less likely to dismiss people (29%) as a
result o conlict at work, compared with the survey
average (44%).
Where is conflict most prominent?
Conlict is not conined to one area o the business, nor
to one unctional team; this research shows conlict
occurring at all levels o the organisation and across all
departments. However, there are identiiable hot spots,
according to HR proessionals. They observe that conlict
suraces most requently between line managers and
their direct reports, with 47% o respondents identiying
Table 4: The amount o management time spent resolving conlict at work (% o respondents)
Manuacturing Private PublicAverage and production sector services Non-proit sector
Less than 1 hour 24 25 27 15 26
14 hours 46 40 46 45 39
Up to a day 17 20 16 10 20
25 days 5 8 5 15 0
510 days 3 0 1 10 4
More than 10 days 6 8 5 5 11
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Table 5: The result o conlict at work in circumstances where it has escalated (% o respondents)
Manuacturing Privateand sector Non-proit Public
Average production services organisations sector
Bullying/harassment 50
Personal insults/verbal attacks 42
An individual/people let theorganisation
53
An individual/peoplewere dismissed
44
Cross-departmental conlict 28
Employees being moved to dierentdepartments
38
Project ailure 7
Sickness/absence o one or more parties 63
Physical violence 8
I have never been involved in a conlictthat escalated
6
these relationships as most likely to lead to conlict within
organisations. The next most common areas o conlict
are between ront-line roles (14%), between dierent
levels o management (14%) and between members o
the senior executive team (13%).
One in ive (19%) respondents report that their
organisations senior management team is in requent or
constant conlict, rising to almost one in our (24%) in
the voluntary sector. Six in ten HR practitioners say such
conlict is occasional, with just 10% reporting completely
harmonious relationships at the most senior level.
Almost one in six respondents (14%) report conlict
between entry-level/ront-line roles, and between
dierent levels o management.
In terms o its prevalence in unctional teams, HR
proessionals cite operations as generating most
conlict (48%), ollowed by disputes between teams
(38%). Tensions are also commonly observed in sales
and customer service, with 12% o HR respondents
citing each o these as conlict-rich departments.
The unctional teams in which HR practitioners note
the least conlict are perhaps unsurprisingly HR,
cited as most peaceul by more than hal (58%), with
inance (31%) and IT (25%) ollowing in second and
third places respectively.
48 45 41 58
39 41 45 45
49 52 62 47
51 46 45 29
25 28 50 22
39 27 31 50
7 7 14 6
51 54 67 70
10 11 5 4
10 11 5 4
When asked i they personally currently work with
someone with whom they have experienced conlict,
HR respondents replies were consistent. All have been
in conlict with someone in their organisation with
most occurrences being with a colleague, cited by
more than one in our (27%). Almost one in ive
(18%) say they have been in conlict with senior
management, suggesting that HR practitioners are not
shy o taking issue with their organisations leaders,
while 13% o respondents report conlict with their
own immediate manager. Just one in ten (11%) cite
conlict with direct reports.
Interestingly, HR proessionals in organisations o more
than 10,000 employees are twice as likely to have
experienced conlict with their managers, a direct
report or with customers than those in organisationso ewer than 250 people. Its clear that workplace
conlict is inescapable, and in HR teams particularly
in larger organisations there are some diicult
relationships to be negotiated.
Nearly one in three (28%) respondents admit to having
let a job as a result o conlict at work, illustrating
clearly one o the most negative aspects o conlict at
work in terms o business impact.
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The causes o conlict at work
The top three causes of conflict in the workplace are warring egos and personality clashes,
poor leadership from the top of the organisation and inadequate line management.
The most commonly cited cause o conlict as ar as
HR practitioners are concerned is warring egos and
personality clashes, mentioned by 44% o respondents
as being the number one source o interpersonal
strain. Poor leadership rom the top is not ar behind
at 30%, which is substantially more requently cited in
large organisations than small (32% versus 23%).
See Table 6.
Poor line management and weak perormance
management are next on the list o conlict drivers,
cited by 29% and 21% o respondents respectively.
Curiously, HR practitioners in mid-sized organisations
(that is, 5001,000 employees) are more than twice as
likely to cite this as a cause o conlict, with 40%
mentioning it versus 17% and 14% in smaller and
larger organisations respectively. A smaller percentage
(14%) blame heavy workloads and inadequate
resources as key reasons or the conlict they
encounter at work.
There are some urther interesting dierences between
the rank order reported by HR proessionals in dierent
industry sectors and in dierent sizes o organisation.A lack o openness and honesty, or example in
promotions and appointments, is ranked number one
by 23% o HR respondents in organisations with more
than 10,000 employees, as compared with 3% in
companies with between 250 and 500 people. A clash
o values is cited as a major cause by 26% o those
working in the voluntary sector, versus only 4% in the
private sector.
These dierences are particularly pronounced in HR
proessionals responses to the issue o bullying and
harassment. In companies o between 250 and 500
employees, almost one in our (23%) cite it as a major
cause o conlict, whereas it is raised by only 3% o
those in organisations o between 5,000 and 10,000
people. HR respondents in the voluntary sector are
more likely than those in the private sector to list it as
a major cause (16% versus 9%).
Likewise, those in the voluntary sector are much more
likely to report taboo topics that cant be brought to
the surace as a cause o conlict than any other type
o organisation. It seems that HR practitioners in the
voluntary sector have to be particularly adept at
managing underlying interpersonal tensions in the
workplace i they are to manage conlict eectively.
With workplace conlict evidently an unavoidable part
o working lie, HR proessionals clearly need to be
conident in their own conlict management skills,
but more importantly take action to ensure that
managers have the skills and awareness to step in and
intervene at an early stage as soon as the irst signs oconlict emerge.
The new regulatory ramework or dispute resolution
coming into orce in the UK in 2009 will provide
greater encouragement and opportunities or
managers to resolve disputes inormally beore the
ormal disciplinary or grievance procedures come into
play. The question is whether managers are willing to
and capable o taking this on eectively, and how HR
can best support them in doing so.
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Table 6: The main causes o conlict at work
Respondents (%) rating as a most important source o conlict at work
By sector Average
Manuacturing
andproduction
Private
sectorservices Non-proitorganisations Publicsector
Personality clashes and warring egos 44 39 47 47 41
Poor leadership rom the top o theorganisation
30 28 30 31 31
Poor line management 29 32 28 19 29
Poor perormance management 21 22 20 20 22
Heavy workload/ inadequateresources
14 14 15 17 17
Bullying/harassment 13 16 9 16 10
Lack o openness and honesty,or example in appointments andpromotions
12 10 12 14 14
Lack o clarity about accountability/ownership
12 16 14 9 10
Lack o role clarity 11 13 11 10 10
Clash o values 10 13 4 26 9
Stress 10 13 15 15 6
Taboo topics that cant be brought tothe surace
9 6 10 11 8
Perceived discrimination 7 0 7 8 7
Poor selection o/pairing o teams 7 8 7 7 5
By size o organisation 250or ewer 251500
5011,000
1,0015,000
5,00110,000
10,001or more
Personality clashes and warring egos 49 43 32 43 43 40
Poor leadership rom the top o theorganisation
31 23 30 33 29 32
Poor line management 23 23 31 44 29 38
Poor perormance management 17 23 40 21 23 14
Heavy workload/ inadequateresources
11 10 18 17 21 16
Bullying/harassment 8 23 16 16 3 10
Lack o openness and honesty,or example in appointments andpromotions
12 3 9 11 18 23
Lack o clarity about accountability/ownership
11 9 9 15 17 16
Lack o role clarity 10 2 17 21 10 10
Clash o values 11 10 5 15 8 7
Stress 7 7 17 13 19 9
Taboo topics that cant be brought tothe surace
10 8 13 10 0 8
Perceived discrimination 0 5 0 10 8 15
Poor selection o/pairing o teams 0 19 10 13 11 5
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Managing and preventing conlict
Managers should spend more time addressing underlying tensions at work and having
informal one-to-one conversations with the people they manage, as well as providing
greater clarity over what is expected of employees, if they are to manage conflict
more effectively.
Separate research conducted by OPP in association with
the CIPD into employee attitudes to conlict at work
inds that the vast majority o employees surveyed have
to deal with conlict at work, and as many as three in
ten do so constantly or requently. Given that the
negative consequences o workplace conlict reported
by employees in the research report, Fight, Flight or
Face It: Celebrating the effective management of
conflict at work, range rom bad eeling and avoiding
contact with colleagues to sickness absence and
reduced productivity, the argument or taking decisive
action is strong.
But where do we start? It will not be news to most HR
practitioners that, or best results, organisations need
to lead change rom the top team. Its a amiliar story,
too, to hear that people will only behave dierently i
they are given the skills to do so and shown the
possibility o dierent, more positive outcomes.
Prevention beats cure
Respondents were asked what would help managers
be more eective in dealing with conlict. More than
eight in ten HR proessionals cite identiying and
addressing underlying tensions more eectively beore
things start going wrong. Two-thirds (66%) also
mention the need or managers to have more
interaction with their reports, provide more clarity
about whats expected and model the right behaviours.
Improved consultation in day-to-day management
activities is also regarded highly as a means o
preventing and managing disputes in the workplace.
See Table 7.
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Table 7: What managers should do to improve how they manage conlict at work (% o respondents)
Average
Manuacturingand
production
Privatesector
servicesNon-proit
organisationsPublicsector
Identiy and addressunderlying tensionsmore eectively
81 76 80 81 85
More inormal one-toones with the peoplethey manage
67 69 67 60 63
Improved consultation inday-to-day managemento activities
46 39 43 62
Provide more clarityabout what is expected 67 72 67 64 65
Provide more clarity overareas o responsibility 51 54 50 62 49
Be a model o theright behaviours 66 63 66 52 71
Provide counselling oremployees under stress 23 24 20 33 28
Act as mediators whenconlict develops 43 39 41 48 46
Raise the subject opossible conlict as parto business (rather thanshying away rom it orpunishing it)
37 35 34 49 42
Not let their own
egos get in the wayo relationships withcolleagues
48 47 48 49 49
Manage toxicindividuals who createconlict at work moredirectly and irmly
64 60 60 80 68
Provide improvedworklie balance 23 19 22 24 26
Nothing, conlict isan inevitable part oworking lie
1 1 1 0 1
HR practitioners understand that nipping problems in the bud is crucial i conlict is to be managed properly
because o the diiculties o dealing with disputes that escalate to the point where the ormal disciplinary or
grievance procedure has to be used.
However, according to the joint OPP/CIPD research report into employee attitudes and conlict, Fight, Flight
or Face It: Celebrating the effective management of conflict at work, one in six employees (16%) reports that
a recent workplace conlict was not quickly resolved or became more intense, which suggests that many
disputes are not being resolved at an early stage. In the new scheme o things, the balance between
preventing escalation and genuinely resolving issues will need to be careully managed.
The employee perspective on conflict at work
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Training the trainer?
More than 60% o HR practitioners report they have
been trained in conlict management as part o their
proessional development, while 38% state that they
have received training in the context o leadershipdevelopment.
One in three respondents have received conlict
resolution training through coaching rom their line
manager and 23% have been on a ormal training
course delivered by an external trainer.
About a third o (31%) HR practitioners use the
Internet or inormation on conlict management, and
15% take advice rom amily and riends on how to
handle conlict situations. This suggests that many are
being let to their own devices to develop important
skills, and there is evidence that this is particularly the
case in smaller organisations where ormal training
may be seen as discretionary.
Just 8% have received no training o any description
in managing disputes in the workplace.
Organisations with 250 employees or ewer are least
likely to have received any ormal external training in
conlict management or mediation, and most likely to
seek advice outside work or rom the Internet,
compared with larger organisations. Perhaps less
predictably, only 53% o HR proessionals in
organisations with more than 5,000 employees claim
to have been trained as part o their proessional
development, as against 63% overall.
According to the OPP/CIPD research report into
employee attitudes and conlict, Fight, Flight orFace It: Celebrating the effective management of
conflict at work, training helps employees
manage conlict more eectively by breeding
conidence and comort in handling conlict
proessionally, but under hal (44%) have actually
received any.
Practising what you preach
When asked how the training in conlict management
helped their own eectiveness, 65% state that they
achieve more positive outcomes or both parties as a
result, and 56% say that it helps them understand theother persons (or persons) perspective in a dispute.
Slightly under hal (46%) o HR practitioners surveyed
say that it helps them support higher perormance in
their role. This raises the question o whether the
training provided is suiciently ocused on the business
impact o managing conlict eectively, rather than
simply on improving interpersonal skills.
Almost 85% o respondents rate themselves as
managing conlict adequately or better. Private sector
HR proessionals are twice as likely to rate themselves
as handling conlict very well compared with those in
the public sector, although both numbers are low
(10% versus 4%).
Eight in ten respondents believe that conlict-handling
is either very or critically important as a management
skill. Those working in organisations with more than
5,000 employees are substantially more likely to see it
as critically important than those with ewer than 500
(49% versus 21%).
When asked what training their organisations had
provided or line managers in conlict management,
40% o respondents say that it is oered as part o
leadership development. Just under a third o HR
practitioners report that training in conlict
management skills or line managers is provided
through coaching rom their manager. In all, 16% o
respondents say training or line managers is provided
by a ormal course delivered by someone within the
organisation and a similar proportion say that trainingis provided through a ormal course delivered by an
external trainer.
More than a quarter (27%) say that none is given,
rising to 39% in smaller companies. See Table 8.
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Table 8: Training provided to line managers in managing conlict (% o respondents)
Manuacturing Privateand sector Non-proit Public
Average production services organisations sector
Formal course inconlict management,provided by a member 16 8 15 19 25
o your organisation
Formal course in conlictmanagement rom an 16 11 15 24 21external trainer
Coaching rom theirline manager 31 36 33 24 26
Inormal peer-to-peercoaching 22 23 25 19 20
As part o leadershipdevelopment training 40 38 37 24 51
Sponsoring relevanttraining outside work 4 4 3 5 6
Mediation skills training 8 2 3 8 23
Relationshipmanagement training 9 10 11 3 9
Advice rom Interneton managing conlict 7 4 5 13 9at work
None 27 31 30 30 19
Managers in the public sector are most likely to have
experienced training as part o leadership
development, according to HR proessionals (51%
versus 37% in the private services sector) and
substantially more likely than others to have beneited
rom a ormal course run internally (25% versus 15%
in the private services sector) or mediation skills
training (23% versus just 3% respectively). This
indicates that HR in the public sector takes conlict
management very seriously as a competence.
However the survey shows that public sector
organisations are most likely to deal with conlict
continually or requently and spend more
management time on managing conlict. This raises
the question o whether public sector managers ocus
too much attention on managing the eects o
conlict rather than preventing conlict through
eective people management and early intervention
or positive outcomes.
The survey inds that senior leaders are less likely than
line managers to be trained in eective dispute
resolution, with a third (33%) o respondents
admitting that none is provided.
Just 38% o HR practitioners say senior leaders
receive training in conlict management as part o
leadership development programmes. About a ith o
respondents report that leaders receive conlict
management training through coaching rom an
external proessional coach and a similar proportion
say their senior leaders receive such training byinormal peer-to-peer coaching. In about one in six
organisations training or senior managers in this area
is provided through a ormal course delivered by an
external trainer.
Public sector organisations are most likely to provide
conlict management training or senior managers as
part o leadership development programmes (46%)
compared with the other main sectors. Larger
organisations those employing 5,000 people or
more are twice as likely to provide conlict
management training in this way (52% versus 26%
in smaller companies).
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The CIPD has produced a competency ramework that sets out the positive behaviours managers need to
exhibit to prevent and manage conlict in the workplace (see page 22). The ramework is set out in the CIPD
publication Managing Conflict at Work: A guide for line managers (2008).
The ramework is based on joint research conducted by the CIPD and the Health and Saety Executive
exploring the links between line management behaviour and stress at work. The research involved interviews
with nearly 400 line managers and employees, as well as ocus group discussions with more than 60 HR
practitioners. As part o this work the speciic management competencies required to manage conlict at
work were identiied.
These include dealing with conlict issues as they arise, having a participative management approach,
monitoring team relationships, acting as a role model and with integrity, as well as using the oicial
disciplinary process appropriately.
Line management competence and effective conflict management
How managers are rated on managing conflict
at work
When asked whether they are satisied with managers
eectiveness in managing workplace conlict, however,
three-quarters (75%) o HR practitioners report that
they are not.
More than hal (59%) rate managers as being below
adequate in handling conlict generally. This
dissatisaction is most pronounced in the public sector,
with 64% rating their line managers as less than
adequate in this critical area. Those working in HR in
companies o more than 10,000 employees are
signiicantly more likely than others to rate their
managers more highly, with 19% stating that they are
better than average or very eective (versus just 11% in
companies with 250 people or ewer).
HR practitioners are clear about what their organisations
need to be doing dierently to manage conlict more
eectively. Hal o all HR respondents state thatmanagers must develop the right skills. A urther 12%
state the importance o conlict management training
across the workorce and 10% cite the value o
providing training across the organisation in the
appropriate values, including dignity at work.
It should be encouraging or HR proessionals to learn
that 62% o employees believe that it is everyones
responsibility to ensure that workplace conlict is
managed eectively, and only 15% suggest that this sits
with HR. Only 9% o HR respondents believe this to be
true, but a larger number lay the responsibility at the
door o managers and senior leaders.
More than 80% o respondents regard conlict
management as either very important or critically
important as a management and leadership skill.
Respondents were asked what would make the most
impact on creating environments where all employees
are treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.
Nearly hal o HR practitioners cite the establishment o
clear organisational values based on dignity and respect
at work as being the most critical intervention. This was
ollowed by the example set by the board (17%),
training or line managers in people management skills(15%) and training or all employees in dignity and
respect at work. Just 7% o respondents identiy the
attitude and personality o the chie executive as being
o central importance to creating positive work cultures
that promote and support dignity and respect at work.
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There is no doubt that conlict at work is an increasing challenge or employers. In 200607 the number o
individual employment disputes that resulted in employment tribunal cases increased to 132,577, compared
with 115,039 or the previous year.
The increasing number o claims can be partly explained by the publics increased awareness o employment
rights and easier access to litigation. No win, no ee lawyers provide an avenue or disgruntled employees to
lodge claims against their employer at no cost or risk to themselves.
In addition, the introduction o new employment legislation in the last ew years has added to the challenges
aced by employers. Since 2003 new regulation has come into orce that prohibits discrimination on the basis
o age, sexual orientation and religion and belie, adding to existing laws outlawing discrimination against
people or reason o their race, sex or disability.
The CIPD has welcomed the evolving legal ramework as a means o promoting air treatment and equality
o opportunity at work. Organisations that embrace this agenda gain evident business beneit in terms o
their employer brand and ability to attract and retain talent. However, changing engrained prejudices and
behaviours is not easy and increases the likelihood o disputes as employees gradually adapt and develop a
better understanding o their new rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
The challenges associated with managing conlict at work were urther exacerbated by the introduction in
October 2004 o the Statutory Dispute Resolution Regulations, which introduced minimum standard three-
step disciplinary and grievance procedures. The principle behind their introduction was sound: to ensure that
employers and employees make every eort to resolve disputes in the workplace. In practice, however, the
statutory procedures have led to undue ormalisation o how conlict at work is managed.
In the CIPD 2007 survey report Managing Conflict at Work, employers said that the regulations have
generated more ormal disciplinary and grievance cases without reducing the number o employment tribunal
applications made by discontented employees. Employers also said they were more likely to rely on external
legal advice to resolve disputes since the introduction o the Regulations.
In 2006 Michael Gibbons led a government-sponsored review o the Regulations and dispute resolution in
the UK more broadly. He recommended that the statutory procedures be repealed and a new dispute
resolution ramework be set up with greater emphasis on inormal, early dispute resolution and greater use
o alternative dispute resolution approaches such as mediation.
The new Employment Bill will scrap the statutory dispute resolution procedures, paving the way or measures
designed to encourage earlier and less ormal resolution o conlict at work. The Department or Business,
Enterprise and Regulatory Reorm is still inalising the replacement package o measures, which are likely to
be introduced in April 2009.
The new regulatory ramework will include a revised Acas code o practice on discipline and grievance, and a
revamped Acas helpline, which will oer prospective claimants clear, up-ront advice on what bringing a
claim involves and what their options are.
The revised ramework will oer greater lexibility in workplace dispute resolution and provide greater
encouragement and opportunity or managers to resolve disputes inormally beore any ormal disciplinary or
grievance procedures come into play.
However i this is to happen, organisations must develop their leaders across the business to ensure they are
exhibiting the right behaviours to manage and prevent conlict. Organisations must also put in place clear
policies and procedures underpinned by appropriate training or managers and employees, outlining
organisational values and the rights and responsibilities o individuals.
Conflict management and the changing regulatory framework
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The beneits o investing in managing conlict at work
Improved team morale and productivity, as well as improved working relationships,
are identified by respondents as the key benefits from effective conflict management.
Respondents cite a range o beneits that training in perormance and productivity. In all, 13% o
conlict management has delivered or the business. respondents say conlict management training has
Almost a third report a reduction in the number o helped reduce employee absence levels, 12% have
disciplinary and grievance cases, 28% think there has seen a reduction in employment tribunal claims and
been an improvement in employee morale and 25% 10% report a reduction in employee turnover. See
believe there has been an increase in team Table 9.
Table 9: Beneits reported as a result o training or coaching in conlict management skills (% o respondents)
Average
Manuacturingand
production
Privatesector
servicesNon-proit
organisationsPublicsector
Helped improveteam perormance/productivity
25 27 28 28 21
Helped improveteam morale 28 25 31 29 24
Helped reduceabsence levels 13 16 14 12 11
Helped reduceemployee turnover 10 11 12 16 9
Reduced the number oormal disciplinary andgrievance cases
31 33 33 28 31
Reduced the numbero employment tribunalclaims received
12 9 14 7 12
No impact 7 6 6 3 9
Dont know 23 27 25 29 14
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HR practitioners also report signiicant beneits or
individuals as a result o the delivery o conlict
management training. Nearly hal o respondents
believe individuals are more comortable and conidentin handling conlict issues as they arise. More than a
third o respondents say that training helped individuals
achieve more positive outcomes or both parties when
conlict occurs, while almost one in our report that
conlict management skills training helped people
perorm better and avoid conlict in the irst place.
The survey ound that i conlict is properly managed it
can have positive eects in the workplace. When asked
what good they personally have seen come o conlict,
HR respondents point to a better understanding o
others, improved working relationships and better
solutions to problems. Almost a third o respondents
say they have seen the creation o more productive
work environments as a result o eectively managedconlict. See Table 10.
At an organisational level, one in three (34%) HR
practitioners say that better teamwork is the single
biggest potential gain as a result o the eective
management o conlict, ollowed by higher employee
engagement at 30% and improved productivity and
greater internal eiciency at 12%. Respondents were
asked to identiy what they regard as the most
signiicant potential beneit or their organisations rom
managing conlict eectively. See Table 11.
Table 10: Positive outcomes personally experienced by respondents as a result o eectively managed conlict at work(% o respondents)
Average
Manuacturingand
production
Privatesector
servicesNon-proit
organisationsPublicsector
Better understanding o others 63 67 61 57 67
Increased motivation 14 16 15 14 12
Better solution to a problem/challenge 43 44 44 54 39
A major innovation/idea was generated 5 2 6 11 4Improved working relationships 59 66 60 59 53
A more productive environment 31 29 30 32 33
No positive beneits experienced 12 11 12 6 13
Table 11: The biggest potential beneits or organisations that manage disputes in the workplace eectively.
Respondents (%) identiying the ollowing as the single most important potential gain or their organisation as a
result o eective conlict management.
Manuacturing Private
and sector Non-proit PublicAverage production services organisations sector
Higher engagement people wouldbe more consistently committed to 30 30 28 16 34their work
Improved productivity people wouldbe more ocused and results-oriented
12 11 11 7 13
Better teamwork 34 37 37 37 28
Enhanced retention
Better customer service 4 1 3 8 5
Greater internal eiciency 12 13 9 20 13
Improved worklie balance 3 2 4 7 4
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Conclusions
Conlict between individuals is an unavoidable part o
working lie. However how disputes are managed will
determine whether there is positive resolution or
damaging allout or both employees and the
organisation. Nearly hal o HR practitioners
responding to the survey report they manage conlict
continually or requently, spending an average o
nearly 160 hours per year each, dealing with individual
employment disputes.
To a signiicant degree this conlict is caused by ailure
to manage interpersonal relationships eectively, poor
leadership rom the top o the organisation and
inadequate line management. In addition three-
quarters o HR practitioners surveyed are not satisied
with managers eectiveness in handling workplace
conlict.
A problem identiied by the CIPD 2007 Managing
Conflict at Worksurvey report is that organisations are
increasingly relying on their HR departments to
manage conlict as managers shy away rom tackling
disputes in case they do or say something that might
be held against them during any ormal proceedings.
This approach is counterproductive; by the time adispute has escalated to the point where the
disciplinary procedure has been triggered or a ormal
grievance lodged, opinions are oten hardened. Worse,
conrontational stances on both sides have developed
that are very hard to change. To prevent this it is
essential that HR practitioners ensure that managers at
all levels have the skills, knowledge and conidence to
identiy and manage workplace disagreements at an
early stage.
Poorly managed conlict is a major cost to the
business, with hal or more o respondents citing
sickness absence, sta turnover and bullying and/or
harassment as the consequences o dispute escalation
in the workplace. Where training in conlict
management has been delivered, HR practitioners
identiy a range o beneits or the business including
improvements in team morale and productivity and a
reduction in the number o ormal disciplinary and
grievance cases.
Managing conlict at work or line managers is an
integral part o good people management. Managers
must be sensitive to how their employees are
interacting, as well as how they are handling any
increase in their workloads or organisational change.
Managers need also to be conident in intervening at
an early stage i there are signs that employees are in
dispute, or there is any hint o bullying behaviour
emerging, or o indications that anyone is suering
rom stress. Managers are best placed to establish the
cause o any problem as soon as it emerges and ind a
resolution beore attitudes have hardened and
conrontational stances have had time to develop.
The CIPD has produced a managing conlict at work
competency ramework ollowing research jointly
sponsored by the CIPD and the Health and Saety
Executive involving interviews with nearly 400
managers and employees, which identiied the most
important management behaviours or helping
managers prevent and manage conlict in the
workplace. See Table 12 on page 22.
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Management competencies for managing
conflict at work
Monitoring team relationships and managing
the individualIn any team there will be tensions or disagreements
that arise rom time to time, but managers should be
aware o signs that serious disputes are developing
and whether any individuals behaviour or perormance
is creating disharmony. Managers must also be aware
that dierent personality types will deal with conlict in
dierent ways. Some people will show their
annoyance very quickly and openly by conronting
someone as soon as their behaviour bothers them, or
making their displeasure over work issues very clearly
known. Other people may on the surace appear more
laidback and tolerant but will be gradually getting
increasingly unhappy with a colleague, their manager
or a work problem until they lose their temper
spectacularly, oten over something quite minor that
has proved to be the last straw. Some individuals will
sulk and become withdrawn when they have a
grievance or cannot cope at work. This is why
managers should try and get to know the employees
in their team or department as people and ind ways
to have regular inormal conversations to help pick up
on the irst signs o uture conlict.
Dealing with issues
Managers must have the conidence to deal with
issues as soon as they arise. Managers must be
sensitive to when banter becomes bickering or when
teasing starts to have a hurtul edge. Managers should
not ignore underlying tensions that are developing in
their teams. It is vital that managers have regular,
inormal one-to-one conversations with the people
they manage so that these kinds o issues can be airednaturally where possible. However managers must also
be prepared to be proactive and initiate inormal
discussions i they think a problem is brewing.
Participative approach
All managers should have inormal mediation skills to
allow them to step in and resolve disputes beore they
escalate. Managers can help individuals in dispute
identiy what is at the root o their disagreement,
what they need to happen to resolve matters or move
orward and any changes or compromises theyre
prepared to make in their behaviour or attitudes.
Use of official processes
O course, although all eorts should be made to
resolve workplace conlict inormally at an early stage,
there will be many instances where ormal disciplinary
action should be taken. Managers must not shy awayrom using the disciplinary process where an
individuals misconduct or perormance demands it.
Managers should ensure that all employees
understand the ormal disciplinary and grievance
procedures that are in place, while emphasising that
eorts will be made to resolve matters inormally
wherever possible when disagreements arise.
Acting as a role model
Managers must be seen to set an example by
ollowing the organisations policies and procedures,
being consistent in how they deal with the team and
not showing avouritism. As well as spelling out what
behaviour is not tolerated managers should also
demonstrate what positive behaviours employees
should aspire to, both in terms o how they interact
with each other and other people in the organisation,
as well as customers, clients and the public.
Integrity
I managers are to create working relationships with
the individuals that they manage which are based on
mutual trust and respect, then they have to make sure
they protect peoples privacy and respect conidential
inormation. People who trust their line manager are
more likely to talk to them openly i they are having
diiculties, whether in the workplace or at home, that
might lead to or contribute to conlict at work.
Managers who are not even-handed in how they
manage people will create resentment and disharmony
in the workplace and undermine employeeengagement. Managers that ail to treat all employees
with the same importance are also more vulnerable to
being accused o discrimination regardless o the
motivation behind the behaviour.
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Table 12: Managing conlict at work: a competency ramework or line managers
Examples o manager behaviour
Competency Positive Negative
Actionorientation
Dealing with issues
interveningquicklyincasesofconlict
dealingwithconflictheadonprotectingemployeesby
removing them rom conlictsituations
removingadisruptiveteammember when necessary
followinguponconflictsafterresolution
avoidingconfrontationleavingconflictsbetweenteam
members to sort themselves outnotaddressingbullyingallowingasituationtodevelop
beore interveningsteppingintointervenein
conlicts without understandingthe issues
allowingadisruptiveteammember to return to the team
Use o oicialprocesses
communicatingproceduresand policies available to eachemployee
useallavailableprocedurestoinvestigate incidents o abuseusingofficialprocedurestosetan example o how seriouslycomplaints are taken
escalatingissuestoseniormanagement where appropriate
makingacomplaintofficialbeore seeking to resolve locally
makingacomplaintofficialagainst the complainants wishes
notfollowingcorrectprocedurein dealing with a conlictusingredtapeassociated
with procedure to discourageemployees rom making oicialcomplaints
Te
amf
ocus
Participativeapproach
actingasamediatorinconflictsituations
speakingtoeachpartyindividually
bringingbothsidestogethertocommunicate
supportingbothsidesinacomplaints procedure
gatherideasofhowtoaddressthe issue with the team
takingsidesnotgivingequaltimetoeachside
o the conlictspeakingtoemployeesina
parent/child mannernotlisteningtoemployee
complaints
Monitoring teamrelationships
beingawareoftensionandkeeping it at a low level
pickinguponsquabblesbeforethey lead to conlict
acknowledgingwhenateammember is causing stress toothers
n/a
Personalstyle
Acting as arole model
maintainingprofessionalismbeingclearaboutexpectationsof
team conductnottoleratingbackbitinginthe
teamshowingnointerestinoffice
politics or gossip
losingtemperwithindiscussionsdeliberatelycreatingconflictin
the teamengaginginconflictwithother
managersengaginginconflictwith
employees
Integrity
keepingemployeeissuesprivate
and conidential
treatingallemployeeswiththesame importance
makingpublicwherecomplaints
have come rom
bullyingemployeesthreateningemployeesunfairly
with disciplinary action
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Background to the survey
In May 2008, a total o 8,278 HR practitioners were
invited to take part in an online survey into leadership
and how conlict at work is managed. The online
questionnaire included 35 questions on the impact and
causes o conlict in the workplace, as well as on how
conlict is managed and the potential beneits o doing
so eectively.
A total o 660 useable replies were received, creating a
response rate o 8%. In all, 27.2% o responses were
rom manuacturing and production organisations,
39.7% o responses were rom private services
employers, 8.8% o responses were rom the non-proit
sector and public sector responses accounted or 28.2%.
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OPP is one o Europes leading business psychology irms. We work with multinational
organisations, including more than hal o FTSE 100 companies, in some 25 countries. Our
products power the oerings o business schools and consultancies that use our tools with
industry-leading companies, globally. OPPs world-class products and training, and our ocus on
quality and integrity, are the oundation or OPPs strong reputation. Our portolio o brands
include MBTI Step I, MBTI Step II, 16PF, FIRO-B, and TKI in which we provide qualiication
programmes and a range o continuing proessional development oerings.
We explore leading-edge people management and development issues through our research.
Our aim is to share knowledge, increase learning and understanding, and help our members
make inormed decisions about improving practice in their organisations.
We produce many resources on managing conlict including guides, books, practical tools,
surveys and research reports. We also organise a number o conerences, events and training
courses. Please visit www.cipd.co.uk to ind out more.
Chartered Institute o Personnel and Development
151 The Broadway London SW19 1JQ
Tel: 020 8612 6200 Fax: 020 8612 6201 ber2008
Referen
ce:4545
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harteredInstituteofPersonnelandDevelopm
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