What Are We Fighting About?!
Let’s dive in and address 4 types of workplace conflict.
Conflict is inevitable. Especially when it comes to working together.
Responding to a workplace conflict can be complicated. When conflict shows up at work, it can feel confusing, emotional, and hard to “fix.” Add in the many power dynamics and communication styles in an organization and things can get messy. Fast.
Knowing how to address conflict well is a vital skill for every member of a team, even more so for anyone tasked with leadership.
If organizations can’t address conflict well, we risk the very visions we’re supposed to be working together to achieve.
So, how can we respond more effectively to conflict?
The first step is to understand the type of conflict you’re facing.
Far too often, managers and leaders can miss this critical step and end up using the wrong intervention for their type of conflict.
If a manager believes the true cause of a conflict is that two people’s personalities clash, they might miss the performance issue at the heart of the conflict.
At Harmonize, we’ve helped many organizations navigate conflict, from live conflict navigation to policy creation. Through that work, we’ve identified 4 Common Conflict Types that folks often misidentify which leads to ineffective interventions.
4 Workplace Conflict Types: Leading with Effective Strategies
Let’s look at the common conflict types and how to identify and respond to them.
1. Issue-Based Conflict
What it is: When something specific turns personal.
Example:
Post-pandemic, leadership wants people back in the office after working from home. Some staff disagree and the back-and-forth gets heated. What started as a simple conversation about policy becomes a messy argument about control and trust.
What’s happening:
This is an issue-based conflict. People are disagreeing about what should happen, but emotions get involved, and now it’s also about how it’s happening. Decisions feel unfair. People feel hurt. Trust breaks down. Pretty soon, the disagreement isn’t just about the decision, but also how it was reached.
How to respond:
- Get clear on the core issue. What are we actually deciding?
- When possible, involve people in that conversation.
- Explain how the final decision will be made.
- After a decision has been made, take time to repair any strained relationships.
Attuning:
Sometimes individual reactions to the issue-based conflict can make this type easy to mistake for just a clash of personalities or interpersonal arguments. Ask what the disagreement is truly about: is there a dynamic between them personally, or is there something outside of them that they are reacting to?
Key insight:
You can’t skip the real issue and just focus on feelings. However, once the issue is handled well, it’s easier to repair trust and move forward.
2. Performance-Based Conflict
What it is: When someone’s performance is not meeting expectations.
Example:
A manager is frustrated that a team member keeps turning in unfinished work while that team member thinks they’re doing just fine. They’re confused about what’s expected. Eventually, the manager starts micromanaging, the staff member gets defensive, and the situation becomes tense.
What’s happening:
This conflict is about performance. Perhaps the expectations weren’t clear, or the staff member doesn’t have the tools, support, or skills they need, either way, there is a performance disconnect. As this mismatch grows, so does the misunderstanding, blame, and resentment.
How to respond:
- Pinpoint where things went off track.
- Talk openly about why.
- Set (or reset) clear expectations.
- Give the support, feedback, or accountability needed to help them succeed.
Attuning:
Pay attention to how power is moving, especially when it comes to who can raise performance issues, whether there is a clear, observable, and consistently applied standard, and if there are any patterns in who raises these questions and who is questioned, how and why.
Bonus tip:
If you’re the one holding expectations, aim for two things:
– Clarity: Be specific about what’s not working. Make it observable.
– Humility: Stay open to the idea that others might see it differently OR need more support than you thought.
3. Relationship-Based Conflict
What it is: When an ongoing pattern becomes unhealthy or unsustainable.
Example:
A staff member avoids taking initiative. Their supervisor steps in constantly to make sure things get done. Both are frustrated and the same dynamic keeps playing out over and over.
What’s happening:
This isn’t about one moment. It’s a pattern that’s developed over time, something they’ve both contributed to. While one person isn’t to blame, the situation is no longer working.
How to respond:
- Notice and name the pattern (without blaming).
- Talk honestly about what’s happening.
- Make small changes in how you work together.
- Keep checking in and adjusting.
Attuning:
It can be easy to mistake a conflict as Relationship-Based, especially when emotions and tensions are high. Ask what the disagreement is truly about: is there a dynamic between them personally, or is there something outside of them that they are reacting to?
Key insight:
You don’t “fix” this kind of conflict with one good talk. It takes time, reflection, consistency, and shared effort to change the dynamic. The goal isn’t to assign blame, it’s to make the relationship better by having both parties regain agency in changing the pattern.
4. Harm-Based Conflict
What it is: When someone’s behavior crosses a line, causes harm, and requires accountability.
Example:
A supervisor yells at an employee in front of everyone. The employee feels ashamed and unsafe. No one steps in.
What’s happening:
Unlike the other types of conflict, this isn’t a misunderstanding or shared dynamic. This is harmful. Someone acted in a way that hurt another person, and it needs a serious, clear organizational response.
How to respond:
- Look into what happened right away.
- Decide what consequences are appropriate.
- Make sure the process is trustworthy and fair.
- Set boundaries that protect people who were harmed.
Attuning:
Be sure that the situation is a harmed/harm-doer dynamic. Wrongly or unskillfully approaching a conflict as though it is harm-based can unnecessarily and inappropriately assign blame and create shadow power dynamics.
Key insight:
It’s not the job of the person who was hurt to fix this. The organization has a structural responsibility to take action accordingly and protect its people. ,
Why Identifying the Type of Workplace Conflict Matters
Workplace conflict is often complex, involving unmet expectations, strained relationships, consistent behavior, and past harm. A clear perspective on these workplace conflict examples can help navigate these challenging situations effectively.
Accurately naming the type of conflict is key to skillful individual and organizational responses. Quite often, teams become overly dependent on a single conflict resolution strategy. For example:
- Viewing every workplace conflict solely as a relationship issue may build empathy, but it won’t resolve the underlying problem.
- Naming the type of conflict helps you decide what’s needed. Whether that’s a conversation, a reset of expectations, or real accountability, that clarity helps everyone move forward with more trust and less confusion.
The Positive Impact of Addressing Workplace Conflict
Conflict doesn’t have to mean something’s broken. Often, it just means something’s changing.
When we respond with curiosity and care, we can find new ways of working, relating, and growing, together.Connect with the team at Harmonize today to learn how we can help you navigate workplace conflict and foster a more collaborative, productive environment.
