An expanded typology of conflict at work: Task, relationship and non-task organizational conflict as social stressors

• Published in: Work and stress Vol. 27; no. 4; pp. 339 - 350
• Main Authors: Bruk-Lee, Valentina, Nixon, Ashley E., Spector, Paul E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 01.10.2013; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Behavioural psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Conflict; Emotional Abuse; Emotions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Mental health; Mental stress; Occupational health; Occupational psychology; Occupational stress; Organizational Research; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Roles; Social conflict; Social Function; social stressor; strain; Stress; Tasks; Typology; Well Being; Work condition. Job performance. Stress; Working conditions; United States > US; USA; Social environment; Human; strain; well-being; Well being; Professional relation; occupational health; Stress; Social conflict; Occupational environment; Employee; Social interaction; social stressor; Work; Typology; Job engineering; Occupational medicine; Interpersonal relation; conflict
• ISSN: 0267-8373; 1464-5335
• DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2013.841303

This study investigated the roles of three types of conflict at work - task, relationship and non-task organizational - in predicting employee strain. These conflict types refer to disputes over issues that are, respectively, work-task specific, driven by emotionally charged interpersonal animosity or rooted in more broad organizationally relevant issues. Findings from a sample of 260 working adults from various organizations in the United States supported the notion that the three types of conflict function as social stressors and are related to a variety of psychological, behavioural and physical strains. They extend previous research based primarily on relationship conflict. Non-task organizational conflict emerged as a key predictor across strain criteria, thus highlighting the importance of including a more complete conceptualization of the conflict construct in social stress research. The results for task conflict are at variance with findings that it can be beneficial, and suggest that its negative relationship with well-being may be due to its co-occurrence with the other forms of conflict. These findings provide support for an expanded typology of conflict.