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Is all workplace conflict bad?

Blogs
March 19, 2026•2 min read

Conflict is something we all hear about, yet many people struggle to explain what is actually happening when it occurs. It is a significant workplace issue: employees in the US spend around 2.1 hours per week involved in conflict, and this rises to 2.8 hours per week in Australia (Passive Secrets, 2023). A 2023 Gartner survey also found that 57% of managers feel fully responsible for managing and resolving team conflict, and CEOs identify conflict management as the number‑one skill needing development (Scandura, 2022).

Conflict is defined as “the process that begins when one party perceives that the other has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that they care about” (Scandura, 2022). I often describe substantive conflict simply as “a differing opinion”—not good or bad, just different. Importantly, conflict begins with perception, and perceptions are shaped by past experiences, memory, expectations, and emotions. Left unchecked, these biases can distort how we interpret others’ intentions.

Many people assume conflict is inherently negative or a sign that something is broken. While unmanaged conflict can certainly be destructive, the issue is not conflict itself but how we respond to it. When conflict escalates, several predictable patterns emerge:

  • Competitive, win–lose thinking where parties believe their goals cannot coexist.

  • Misperceptions and bias, leading people to see others as allies or enemies.

  • Emotional intensity, which overwhelms clear thinking and shifts conversations from substantive to personal.

  • Decreased communication, especially with those who hold opposing views.

  • Blurred issues, where unrelated concerns get pulled in.

  • Rigid commitments, with people becoming entrenched even when they sense they may be wrong.

  • Magnified differences and minimised similarities, making common ground harder to see.

As escalation continues, individuals and their supporters become more entrenched, less tolerant, and less communicative. Yet conflict, when managed well, can be highly productive. It can spark creativity, improve problem‑solving, strengthen communication, and build team cohesion. When people with different backgrounds and viewpoints engage constructively, they generate richer ideas and more innovative solutions. Through expressing concerns and perspectives, teams learn to communicate more clearly and respectfully, fostering transparency, collaboration, and trust—key ingredients of high‑functioning organisations (SLM MBA, n.d.).

If we reframed conflict as simply a difference in opinion, we might see it as an opportunity rather than a threat. With shared goals and a clear vision, teams can focus on solving the issue rather than protecting egos. The key is to be hard on the issue and soft on the people—to pull apart the problem while maintaining respect for those involved.

What possibilities might open up if we stopped avoiding difficult conversations and instead approached them with curiosity?

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