7 Tips for Managing Conflict in the Workplace

What is workplace conflict?

Workplace conflict, sometimes called organizational conflict, happens when two or more people who work together disagree due to differing ideas, priorities or interests. It can show up in small, everyday interactions or develop into larger, ongoing issues if it’s not addressed.

Common causes of workplace conflict include:

• Unclear expectations
• Lack of workplace teamwork
• Poor communication
• Stress or employee burnout
• Rude behavior
• Workplace bullying or harassment
• Lack of transparency or honesty
• Performance issues
• Poor leadership
• Clashing values or personality types

Understanding conflict through established frameworks

Conflict is part of every workplace, but not everyone handles it the same way. One of the most widely used models for understanding these differences is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), developed by Kenneth W. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann.

The TKI framework outlines five common ways people handle conflict, based on two factors:

• Assertiveness (how strongly someone pushes for their own needs)
• Cooperativeness (how much they try to meet the other person’s needs)

These two dimensions shape five conflict-handling styles:

1. Competing (high assertiveness, low cooperativeness): This style is about getting your way. People take a firm position and may rely on authority or persuasion to push a decision through.
2. Collaborating (high assertiveness, high cooperativeness): This is the most involved approach. Everyone works together to find a solution that fully addresses each person’s concerns, which usually takes time and open communication.
3. Compromising (moderate assertiveness and cooperativeness): Think of this as meeting in the middle. Each side gives something up to reach a solution everyone can accept.
4. Avoiding (low assertiveness, low cooperativeness): Some people step back from conflict altogether. That might mean postponing a conversation, changing the subject or disengaging.
5. Accommodating (low assertiveness, high cooperativeness): Here, the focus is on keeping the peace. One person goes along with the other’s preferences, even if it means setting aside their own.

Understanding these styles can help you recognize your own tendencies and choose a more effective approach, depending on the situation.

Another widely referenced resource is the Harvard Negotiation Project and its successor, the Harvard Program on Negotiation (PON). Their research focuses on practical conflict resolution strategies, including systems for diagnosing, managing and resolving disputes in business settings.

Tips for managing conflict in the workplace

The tips below can help you navigate workplace conflict more effectively and maintain a more respectful, collaborative work environment.

1. Be proactive about workplace conflict.

One of the best ways to handle workplace conflict is to prevent it from escalating in the first place. Workplace tension often starts small — a miscommunication, a missed expectation or a pattern of friction between teams.

That kind of everyday friction is more common than many leaders realize. SHRM research found that more than 60 percent of U.S. workers have experienced or witnessed incivility in the past month, and many say it reduces productivity and hurts morale. When those issues go unaddressed, they can quickly turn into larger, more disruptive conflicts.

Pay attention to the natural dynamics in your workplace and where friction tends to surface. If a conflict does arise, addressing it early can make it easier to resolve and keep it from dragging on.

For example, if you know your marketing team doesn’t interact well with the accounting department, that tension can quietly build into something more disruptive. A strong leader will recognize that pattern and take steps to improve communication and collaboration, setting up a more cooperative environment instead of letting issues simmer.

2. Set clear expectations for acceptable behavior.

Don’t assume employees automatically know what’s acceptable in your workplace or where the line is. When expectations aren’t clear, small misunderstandings can turn into bigger issues over time.

Set clear guidelines for workplace behavior from the start, and revisit them regularly so they don’t fade into the background. This is especially important if your team is remote or hybrid, where norms can be less obvious than they are in a traditional office.

To avoid confusion, outline what appropriate behavior looks like in each work setting. For example, your remote work plan should define expectations for communication, responsiveness and professionalism, while your in-office guidelines may focus more on workplace collaboration and day-to-day interactions. Once you’ve established these standards, include them in your employee handbook and review them with your team. Having employees acknowledge these expectations annually can also help reinforce them.

Just as important, apply your standards consistently. If you have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, it has to apply to everyone, no exceptions. When employees see that expectations are clear and enforced fairly, it’s easier to prevent conflict before it starts.

3. Promote healthy communication.

Communication plays a role in nearly every workplace issue, and conflict is no exception. When communication breaks down, misunderstandings tend to follow.

For example, if expectations aren’t clearly explained, employees may be unsure how to behave or misread a colleague’s intent. What might seem like a small issue can quickly turn into unnecessary tension. Training employees and managers on how to communicate clearly and respectfully can help prevent those situations from escalating.

For remote teams, the risk is even higher. Without tone, inflection or nonverbal cues, messages can be easy to misinterpret. A quick email or Slack message might come across as abrupt or negative, even when no offense was intended. Delayed responses, whether intentional or not, can also create friction.

Setting clear expectations for digital communication can go a long way here. Simple guidelines around response times, tone and message clarity help reduce confusion and keep small issues from turning into bigger conflicts.

4. Choose the right time to address conflict.

When conflict comes up, timing matters, but not in a rigid, “act immediately” way. Jumping into a conversation while emotions are still running high can make things worse, not better.

In many cases, it’s more effective to give people a little space before addressing the issue. That might mean speaking with individuals separately first or waiting until everyone has had time to cool down and think more clearly about what happened.

Trying to force a resolution too quickly (especially in a group setting) can backfire if people aren’t ready to have a productive conversation. The goal isn’t just to resolve the issue, but to do it in a way that actually sticks.

If the situation still feels tense or unproductive, it’s worth stepping back and reconsidering your approach. A different time, setting or format can make a meaningful difference in how the conversation unfolds.

5. Train your leaders to deal with conflict.

Workplace conflict often falls to managers to handle, but many aren’t given clear guidance on what to do or how to do it well. As a result, some avoid difficult conversations altogether, while others step in without the tools to resolve the situation effectively.

What makes a difference is how managers respond. A study from the University of California, Irvine, found that supervisors who actively mediate conflict are more likely to resolve issues successfully and retain employees, yet many managers aren’t trained in how to handle these situations in the first place.

Instead of assuming your managers will figure it out, give them the training and support they need. This is especially important for remote team leaders, who may have fewer opportunities to read team dynamics or step in early.

When training your leaders, focus on practical skills, like how to de-escalate tense conversations, ask the right questions and guide employees toward a resolution. Training on related topics, such as workplace discrimination and harassment, can also help managers handle more sensitive situations with confidence.

6. Remember the WIIFM factor.

The concept of WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”) plays a bigger role in workplace conflict than many leaders realize. When people feel uncertain or threatened, they tend to focus on how a situation affects them personally.

In most conflicts, employees aren’t just disagreeing about tasks or processes. They’re protecting something that matters to them, like their reputation, workload, autonomy or career growth. If those concerns aren’t acknowledged, it’s much harder to reach a real resolution.

That’s why effective conflict management goes beyond the surface issue. When people feel their interests are understood and considered, they’re more likely to engage in a productive conversation and support the outcome.

7. Use conflict as a learning opportunity.

Not every workplace conflict is a bad thing. When it’s handled well, it can highlight gaps in communication, unclear expectations or underlying issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Instead of moving on once a conflict is resolved, take a moment to reflect on what caused it and what could be improved. Ask questions like: What led to this situation? Were expectations clear? How can we prevent something similar from happening again?

Taking this approach helps teams spot what’s not working and adjust how they work together, instead of running into the same issues again. Over time, it also makes it easier for employees to speak up earlier, before small problems turn into bigger ones.

Types of workplace conflict

Understanding what’s driving a disagreement is a crucial first step in handling workplace conflict. Most conflicts can fit into a few common categories:

• Task-based conflict: Disagreements about how work gets done — deadlines, priorities, resources or the direction of a project.
• Relationship-based conflict: Tension between colleagues, often rooted in personality differences or communication styles that don’t line up.
• Value-based conflict: Differences in beliefs or priorities, such as work styles or personal values that start to affect professional interactions.

Other types of workplace conflict can also come into play, including:

• Leadership-based conflict: Disagreements about leadership decisions, direction or management style, whether between managers and employees or within leadership teams.
• Work style-based conflict: Differences in how people prefer to work, like needing quiet versus background noise or working independently versus collaboratively.
• Discrimination-based conflict: Situations where employees are treated unfairly based on protected characteristics such as race, gender or age. These issues are more serious and typically require HR involvement.

Recognizing these patterns can make it easier to pinpoint what’s really causing a conflict and choose a more effective way to address it.

When to seek professional help resolving conflicts

Many workplace conflicts can be handled internally, but some situations call for outside support. Knowing when to escalate an issue can help you protect your team, maintain trust and avoid bigger problems down the line.

When to involve HR

Bring in HR when a conflict goes beyond a simple disagreement or starts affecting the broader team. This may include situations involving:

• Clear violations of company policies outlined in your employee handbook
• Performance issues that start affecting more than one person or team
• Concerns about management practices or the overall workplace culture
• Situations where you may need to document what’s happening or take disciplinary action
• Behavior that could contribute to a hostile or unsafe work environment

When to consider professional mediation

In some cases, bringing in a neutral third party can help move things forward. Mediation may make sense when:

• You’ve already tried to resolve the issue internally without much progress
• The conflict involves senior leaders or there’s a clear power imbalance
• Communication has broken down and conversations keep going in circles
• The situation is starting to affect team performance or day-to-day operations

When to seek legal guidance

Some conflicts carry legal risk and should be escalated immediately. Consider legal support if the situation involves:

• Allegations of harassment or discrimination based on protected characteristics
• Workplace violence or credible threats
• Retaliation against employees who have raised concerns
• Potential violations of federal or state employment laws

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides guidance on both workplace violence prevention and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to help organizations prevent issues from escalating further.

The impact of workplace conflict

Workplace conflict takes a real toll on employees, fueling stress, anxiety, disengagement and a loss of confidence. Left unaddressed, those individual effects can snowball into broader business problems that are much harder to fix. Here’s how unresolved conflict can affect your organization:

• Decreased productivity: Conflict can be distracting and drain motivation, making it harder for employees to stay focused and do their best work.
• Customer service issues: Employees who are stressed or preoccupied with conflict are less likely to deliver a great customer experience, which can lead to unhappy customers and lost business.
• Low company morale: When conflict lingers, it can drag down team morale and strain company culture. Employees may disengage or show up late, and workplace absenteeism can increase.
• Reputational damage: Frustrated employees may speak negatively about the company to peers, friends or on social media, which can hurt your brand reputation and make it harder to attract top talent.
• Increased employee turnover: Ongoing conflict can push employees to leave or force difficult termination decisions, driving up employee turnover and hiring costs.
• Legal issues: In more serious cases, unresolved conflict can escalate into harassment, discrimination or legal action, creating financial risk and potential reputational harm.

The good news is that most workplace conflict is manageable, especially when leaders step in early. Addressing issues quickly, giving managers practical conflict-resolution tools and knowing when to bring in outside support can turn a tense situation into an opportunity to strengthen communication and trust. Done well, managing conflict isn’t just damage control — it’s a competitive advantage.

Zak Mustapha contributed to this article.