Interpersonal conflict in organizations has been recognized as a leading social stressor across occupations with detrimental effects on employee well-being and organizational outcomes. However, reliable and valid measures of conflict are scarce and even the most widely used scales are limited by weaknesses in construct definition. In order to address the need for an improved measurement tool, the 63-item Interpersonal Conflict in Organizations Scale (ICOS) was developed. The ICOS was based on a comprehensive conceptualization of conflict that defines the construct on the basis of three definitional components: disagreement, interference, and negative emotion (Barki & Hartwick, 2004). In addition, the ICOS reliably measures four conflict types, including task outcome, task process, relationship, and non-task organizational conflict. Data were collected in two phases. The phase I sample included 126 participants from a variety of occupations whose data were used for the purpose of refining the scale. The scale validation (phase II) sample consisted of 260 full-time employees, who were also representative of various occupations. Initial validity results supported significant relationships with various organizational and personal outcome variables, including depression, job satisfaction, somatic symptoms, negative emotions, turnover intentions, counterproductive work behaviors, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Factor analytic results for the four subscales, as well as, evidence for convergent validity are reported. Overall, the ICOS is a promising new measure of conflict that offers researchers the flexibility of assessing various types of conflict while addressing the conceptual limitations of existing scales.

Interpersonal conflict in organizations has been recognized as a leading social stressor across occupations with detrimental effects on employee well-being and organizational outcomes. However, reliable and valid measures of conflict are scarce and even the most widely used scales are limited by weaknesses in construct definition. In order to address the need for an improved measurement tool, the 63-item Interpersonal Conflict in Organizations Scale (ICOS) was developed. The ICOS was based on a comprehensive conceptualization of conflict that defines the construct on the basis of three definitional components: disagreement, interference, and negative emotion (Barki & Hartwick, 2004). In addition, the ICOS reliably measures four conflict types, including task outcome, task process, relationship, and non-task organizational conflict. Data were collected in two phases. The phase I sample included 126 participants from a variety of occupations whose data were used for the purpose of refining the scale. The scale validation (phase II) sample consisted of 260 full-time employees, who were also representative of various occupations. Initial validity results supported significant relationships with various organizational and personal outcome variables, including depression, job satisfaction, somatic symptoms, negative emotions, turnover intentions, counterproductive work behaviors, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Factor analytic results for the four subscales, as well as, evidence for convergent validity are reported. Overall, the ICOS is a promising new measure of conflict that offers researchers the flexibility of assessing various types of conflict while addressing the conceptual limitations of existing scales.

Interpersonal conflict is a research topic increasingly gaining importance in project management. The purpose of this exploratory study was to find out how relationship conflict affects task conflict in projects. The research investigated the styles individuals prefer to handle task conflict with colleagues in bad personal relationship. The influence of four personal characteristic variables (Gender, Age, Work experience and Culture background) on the choice of conflict handling styles were examined at the same time. ROCI-II was used as the data collection instrument. Questionnaires were published through web-based online survey system. 182 valid responses were collected in two weeks. Data was analyzed with statistic software SPSS. The results revealed that integrating, compromising, avoiding, dominating and obliging are the five styles ranked from highest to lowest preferred by individuals to handle task conflicts with colleagues in bad personal relationships. High value of assertiveness and negative value of cooperativeness indicated that in a situation of relationship conflict, individuals are more assertive and less cooperative to deal with task conflicts with colleagues. Results of the study didn't show significant difference among personal characteristic groups. High correlations among conflict handling styles were discovered from this study. Implications of the research findings for theoretical and practical organizations or individuals are provided. Areas and recommendations for future research are suggested.

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to further clarify and expand or understanding of the relationship between interpersonal conflict, incivility, and their roles as stressors in the stressor-strain relationship. The second goal was to examine how neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, trait anger, and sphere specific locus of control moderate the stressor-strain relationship between task conflict, relationship conflict, incivility and workplace and health outcomes. The results suggest that extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, trait anger, and locus of control play significant roles in how workplace aggression affects individuals. These findings suggest that occupations that experience a high level of workplace aggression should consider incorporating these personality traits into their selection system as a way of limiting or reducing the effects workplace aggression can have on individual health, wellbeing, and job outcomes.

La présente recherche a pour objectif d’étudier les effets que peuvent exercer la conception du travail sur le type de conflit qui émerge en milieu de travail. La notion de conception du travail se divise en trois dimensions, soit les caractéristiques reliées à la tâche, les caractéristiques reliées aux connaissances et les caractéristiques sociales. Ces dimensions sont mises en relation avec les deux types de conflit en milieu de travail, soit le conflit relié à la tâche et le conflit relié à la relation. Cette recherche vise également à vérifier l’effet modérateur des traits de personnalités sur les relations entre les dimensions de la conception du travail et celles du conflit en milieu de travail. Cette recherche est basée sur 473 participants qui occupent un emploi rémunéré et qui ont vécu une situation de conflit en milieu de travail allant jusqu’à 6 mois avant la période de sondage, allant du 14 au 18 janvier 2012. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’y a pas de relations particulières entre la conception du travail et le type de conflit en milieu de travail. En ce qui a trait aux effets des traits de personnalité, les résultats indiquent que ces variables n’ont aucuns effets modérateurs sur la relation entre la conception du travail et le type de conflit en milieu de travail. Globalement, les résultats ne démontrent aucune relation entre la conception du travail et les types de conflit en milieu de travail, ou les effets modérateurs que les traits de personnalités peuvent avoir sur ces relations. / The goal of this research is to study the effect of work design on the type of conflict that emerges in the workplace. The concept of work design is divided in two three dimensions, namely task, knowledge and social characteristics. These dimensions are linked to the two dimensions of workplace conflict, that is, task conflict and relationship conflict. This research is also intended to verify the moderating effect of personality traits on the association between work design and workplace conflict. This study is based on 473 employed participants who have experienced workplace conflict up to 6 months prior to the canvass period, which was from January 14th to the 18th 2012. The results indicate that there is no particular association between work design and conflict in the workplace. With regards to the moderating effect of personality traits, results indicate that these variables do not moderating the association between the dimensions of work design and the type of workplace conflict. Overall, results do not show a relation between work design and types of workplace conflict, or the moderating effect that personality traits can have on these relations.

La présente recherche a pour objectif d’étudier les effets que peuvent exercer la conception du travail sur le type de conflit qui émerge en milieu de travail. La notion de conception du travail se divise en trois dimensions, soit les caractéristiques reliées à la tâche, les caractéristiques reliées aux connaissances et les caractéristiques sociales. Ces dimensions sont mises en relation avec les deux types de conflit en milieu de travail, soit le conflit relié à la tâche et le conflit relié à la relation. Cette recherche vise également à vérifier l’effet modérateur des traits de personnalités sur les relations entre les dimensions de la conception du travail et celles du conflit en milieu de travail. Cette recherche est basée sur 473 participants qui occupent un emploi rémunéré et qui ont vécu une situation de conflit en milieu de travail allant jusqu’à 6 mois avant la période de sondage, allant du 14 au 18 janvier 2012. Les résultats indiquent qu’il n’y a pas de relations particulières entre la conception du travail et le type de conflit en milieu de travail. En ce qui a trait aux effets des traits de personnalité, les résultats indiquent que ces variables n’ont aucuns effets modérateurs sur la relation entre la conception du travail et le type de conflit en milieu de travail. Globalement, les résultats ne démontrent aucune relation entre la conception du travail et les types de conflit en milieu de travail, ou les effets modérateurs que les traits de personnalités peuvent avoir sur ces relations. / The goal of this research is to study the effect of work design on the type of conflict that emerges in the workplace. The concept of work design is divided in two three dimensions, namely task, knowledge and social characteristics. These dimensions are linked to the two dimensions of workplace conflict, that is, task conflict and relationship conflict. This research is also intended to verify the moderating effect of personality traits on the association between work design and workplace conflict. This study is based on 473 employed participants who have experienced workplace conflict up to 6 months prior to the canvass period, which was from January 14th to the 18th 2012. The results indicate that there is no particular association between work design and conflict in the workplace. With regards to the moderating effect of personality traits, results indicate that these variables do not moderating the association between the dimensions of work design and the type of workplace conflict. Overall, results do not show a relation between work design and types of workplace conflict, or the moderating effect that personality traits can have on these relations.