Many people professionals find it hard to differentiate between organizational conflict and misbehavior. However, from the definition, the differences will start to emerge. A crucial element in the two definitions below is the intention underlying the said misbehavior.
Definitions
According to Y Ronquillo et al. (2023), workplace conflict is an internal disagreement among colleague workers, or between them and the organizational leadership. Misunderstandings are inevitable, and they greatly disrupt cohesion and collaboration at the workplace.
Sofia David, in a ResearchGate publication, defines organizational misbehavior as “any intentional action by members of organizations that violates core organizational and / or societal norms.”
Differences Between Organizational Conflicts and Employee Misbehavior
Workplace conflict and uncouth, challenging behaviors are very different things. The table below highlights six key differences between corporate disputes and inappropriate employee conduct.
| Organizational Conflicts | Employee Misbehavior |
| Workplace conflict is a serious disagreement between employees and their leadership or amongst workers. | Employee misbehavior is either an uncouth expression of feelings towards organizational leadership, policy, ethical conventions, colleagues, or a means of manipulation by an individual worker. |
| Conflict at work is inevitable because companies employ people with different work patterns, social behaviors, and socioeconomic backgrounds. | Misbehavior is a personal choice and is avoidable. People professionals can take misbehavior as an indicator of deteriorating workforce wellbeing while planning for management overhauls. |
| Disputes at work, especially between the workforce and the company, lead to official industrial action and sanctions. | Misbehavior culminates in violation of organizational norms, policies, or ethical standards. It leads to suspension, summary dismissal, and sometimes follow-up legal suits. |
| Conflict involves and focuses on organizational disagreements. | Misbehaviour involves inappropriate conduct or abhorrent actions that disrupt the smooth functioning of an organization. |
| Conflict sources and their resolutions are either formal or informal. | Misbehaviour is a result of fraud, lateness, truancy, theft, misrepresentation, among others. |
Table 1(a): Key differences between workplace conflict and employee misbehavior.
Does Misbehaviour Lead to Workplace Conflict?
Yes, misbehavior may spark workplace conflict under the following scenarios:
- If misbehavior originates from the leadership, it will lead to workplace conflicts.
- A colleague who endlessly misbehaves without the organization taking action against them may spread their untoward character throughout the company.
- When the act of misbehavior is towards an individual or a demographic group, it can translate to discrimination on the victims.
However, in most cases, misbehavior doesn’t escalate to workplace conflicts with proper interventions.
Further Reading
Managing Conflict in the Modern Workplace.
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