“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”

Discussion

1. What are the main causes of conflict between people at work?
2. What are some causes of conflict between different businesses?
3. Are conflicts inevitable at work? Are they common where you work? Have you ever had a conflict with a colleague? If so, what happened?
4. Do people tend to take sides when there is a workplace dispute? How does this affect the team's morale?
5. What are the best ways to resolve workplace disputes? What are some bad ways?
6. How are conflicts managed where you work? Do you think your company has been successful in resolving/avoiding conflicts?
7. Do you think some cultures are more confrontational than others? If so, which ones?
8. Is conflict always negative? Can it ever be advantageous?

Vocabulary

• animosity (noun) – a strong dislike or hatred between people; hostility.
• to get it/something off one's chest (verb) – to talk about something, or express something, that has been worrying you or you have wanted to say but have been unable to.
• to bite one's tongue (verb) – to not say something because it will annoy, hurt, or upset another person.
• to get the wrong end of the stick (verb) – to misunderstand something.
• to escalate (verb) – to become more intense or more serious.
• to undermine (verb) – to gradually make someone or something weaker or less effective.

vocabulary comprehension questions

1. Have you experienced animosity at work?
2. Do you have the opportunity to get things off your chest at work?
3. When have you had to bite your tongue at work?
4. Why do some people get the wrong end of the stick at work? How can this lead to conflict?
5. What kind of things can escalate a workplace conflict?
6. Have you ever felt like you were being undermined at work?