4.3.3—Conflict at work

4.3.3 Conflict at work.

• levels of group conflict (intra-individual, inter-individual, intra-group and inter-group). Causes of organisational and interpersonal group conflict.
• Thomas-Kilmann's five conflict-handling modes.
• bullying at work; types, phases and causes, including a study, e.g. Einarsen (1999).
• Relevant issues and debates and methodology for this topic include: application to everyday life, individual and situational explanations, cultural differences, reductionism versus holism, idiographic versus nomothetic.

This matters because —conflict at work determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —conflict at work to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Conflict at work is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.