2.1 Distinguish between organisational conflict and misbehaviour and between informal and formal conflict.

There are individuals from different backgrounds with varying opinions, personalities, and opposing perspectives in the workplace. These elements provide a breeding ground for conflict, resulting in tension that can have a negative impact on workplace performance. Conflict in the workplace is unavoidable, and it can arise among colleagues or between the staff and management. Conflict may be disruptive or even costly to an organisation if it is not handled promptly and properly.

On the other hand, misbehaviour is a deliberate act by an employee that violates organisational and cultural norms, resulting in a system or process being disrupted (Suff, 2021). It is not uncommon for employees to commit vandalism against organisational property, theft, misappropriation of finances, deception of consumers, or sabotage of the organisation’s reputation. All of these are examples of inappropriate behaviours. There are three types of misbehaviour: type-O, which is designed to profit the organisation, such as attempting to defraud the government, type-S, which is intended to benefit the individual, and type-D, which is intended to harm the organisation. (Suff, 2021). Nonetheless, misbehaviour of any kind is costly to the employee, the government, or the firm.

Informal vs. Formal conflict

As previously mentioned, conflict is an inherent feature of any societal structure, and the workplace is no exception. However, there are occasions when conflict can be advantageous; however, it can develop and have significant ramifications for employees or the organisation when conflict is not correctly handled. Informal disputes with co-workers or superiors can be resolved fast and efficiently informally. The dispute is often resolved in its early stages; an example of a problem-solving technique utilized in such scenarios is mediation. In an informal dispute, the parties involved collaborate and maintain control over the process in order to negotiate and arrive at a workable settlement.

On the contrary, formal conflict frequently occurs when matters are beyond the control of employees, necessitating management intervention. A formal dispute necessitates an official resolution process, which includes formal documentation and investigations (Harcourt et al., 2021). When individual dialogues fail to produce results while seeking a solution, it is often the outcome of an intensified informal conflict.