When I engage with an audience of leaders, I often mention the difficulty of quantifying the cost of workplace conflict. While I wish I could confidently declare that every dollar our clients spend on In-Accord’s expertise will save them six, the reality is more nuanced. Instead of telling them how expensive conflict is, I ask about their experiences.

Thus begins one of those training moments in which I can’t call on every raised hand. If I tried, we’d spend much of the session (and precious whiteboard real estate) listing problems rather than getting to solutions.

Still, before investing the necessary time, money, and emotional energy required to fix disruptive conflict, it’s imperative to understand the significant consequences that arise when it remains unresolved. Here are the recurring problems that many leaders mention:

Turnover. Conflict causes organizations to lose highly skilled, difficult-to-replace employees.

Reduced Productivity. Employees entangled in interpersonal conflict are not focused on their duties or the mission.

Decreased Morale. Conflict tends to infect those around it. People avoid each other, lose enthusiasm, call in sick, and engage in other negative behaviors.

Lost Opportunities. People who are busy opposing each other fail to explore growth prospects.

Distracted Management. Leaders must referee staff conflicts rather than focusing on the bigger picture.

Direct Costs. Conflict can result in litigation payouts, attorney fees, lost clients, reduced resources, employee claims, union grievances, and more.

As you can see — and have certainly experienced firsthand — conflict has a deleterious effect on nearly every aspect of organizational effectiveness. Contact In-Accord if you need help controlling these costs.

In-Accord fixes workplace conflict, provides professional coaching, and conducts training. Contact us if you need help. Call (503) 723-9982
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