Tortuous Convolvulus in Asterix and the Roman Agent was an element introduced by the Romans in the indomitable Gaulish village to sow discord. It happens in modern day organisations too. The odd part is that these agent provocateurs are brought in not by competition but by the top brass of the organisation itself.

“Many Indian organisations are now making the transition from Theory X to Theory Y,” says Mumbai-based HR consultant Shashi Rao. “Some ideas of the old regime — that employees will only work when they are forced to do so — still prevail.”

The reasoning is that if you introduce a discordant note within an organisation, it will anger others. Complacency will go out of the window to be replaced by a furious desire to prove oneself.

There are times when it works. Be honest. Can’t you identify the management pets in your company whose only talent is assmosis? (Web definition: A process by which people absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss.) Doesn’t just thinking of them raise your blood pressure? And haven’t you decided that, if ever there is a question of comparing competence, you will walk the extra mile.

There are some HR practitioners and commentators who see virtues in such disruptive influences. Their view is that it will happen anyway; the best solution is to create such irritants yourself, instead of allowing them to develop naturally. That way you will have more control.

“As long as human beings come into contact, there will be conflict,” says Steven A. Watson in the TechRepublic. “Workplace conflict, when managed well, can be harnessed to create an energised and creative work environment. Effective managers will create a structured and identifiable process for resolving conflict within their teams. They will encourage controlled conflict about the work and discourage conflict based on personal issues and personalities. Managing conflict involves finding a balance between creativity and stability.”

“In today’s fast-changing world, ‘stability’ is considered a kiss of death,” says Rao. “So get in your creatures. They normally have awful interpersonal skills and get themselves hated because of their hotline to the top. In all parameters barring one or two, they are living examples of Peter’s Principle. (“In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”) But the management view is that they keep others on their toes.”

The larger bulk of HR literature in the West, however, treats conflict within an organisation as something to be avoided. For one, it is unhealthy. According to a recent study by ComPsych Corporation of the US, co-worker conflict has become the no. 1 reason for higher employee stress levels. It takes over from work overload. It also costs money. The ComPsych survey says the impact is as much as one hour per day in productivity loss.

In India, the situation could be even worse. If there are such conflict situations (with a sponsored non-performer on one side) in a company, young people will just walk with their feet. Ask the folks leaving IT and BPO companies in droves to take up a similar job elsewhere with often just a marginal increase in pay. They will tell you it’s the work environment they want to escape.

One saving grace, according to many HR experts, is that this culture is a feature mainly of moribund organisations. Many of these companies are either on their way to closure or a complete management revamp. The Convolvuluses should thankfully disappear with their bosses.

The trouble is that all organisations have a life cycle. One day, when the environment favours them, they will return.

BEYOND CONVOLVULUS

Other sources of conflict

Poor communication: Different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings between employees or between employees and managers. Lack of communication drives conflict underground.

Different values: Any workplace is made up of individuals who see the world differently. Conflict occurs when there is a lack of acceptance and understanding of these differences.

Differing interests: Conflict occurs when individual workers ‘fight’ for their personal goals, ignoring organisational goals.

Scarce resources: Too often, employees feel they have to compete for available resources in order to do their job. In a resource-scarce environment, this causes conflicts.

Personality clashes: All work environments are made up of differing personalities. Unless colleagues understand and accept each other’s approach to work, conflict will occur.

Poor performance: When one or more individuals within a work unit are not performing and this is not addressed, conflict is inevitable.

Source: University of Colorado