Preparing Students for Early Work Conflicts

To improve college students’ skills in resolving workplace conflict, the authors studied the types of workplace conflicts that students encounter with peers or supervisors in part-time or seasonal work and with whom they discuss these conflicts. The authors found that most students report conflicts that are process or relational in nature, with few students reporting task-oriented conflict. Nearly all students report discussing the conflict with third parties—individuals outside the organization and/or the conflict—and nearly all students find these discussions helpful in resolving or working through the conflict. Based on their literature review and research, the authors developed scenarios to help students “read” and resolve workplace conflicts. The scenarios use conversations with people outside the conflict—third-party discussions—to help students respond appropriately to the conflict.