“Imbalanced systems, whether internal or external, will tend to polarize.”
— Richard C. Schwartz, Founder of Internal Family Systems
Quiet or loud, conflict comes at a cost
Not all conflict at work is loud. Sometimes it shows up as silence, hesitation, or avoidance.
But even quiet conflict has a cost.
The relational strain it creates is often the most expensive part:
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Endless meetings
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Decision-making gridlock
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Drop in productivity and performance
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High turnover rate
Here’s what global and Canadian research tells us:
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Managers spend up to 25–40% of their time dealing with workplace conflict.¹
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70% of people avoid difficult conversations altogether.²
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Employees lose an average of 2.8 hours per week to unresolved conflict.³
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And in Canada, conflict-related stress is one of the top causes of employee disengagement and absenteeism.⁴
Handled well, conflict becomes your advantage
When teams face what's beneath the surface, everything opens up.
In organizations that build the capacity, in both leaders and team members, to name and work through tension:
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Productivity increases by up to 25%.⁵
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Psychological safety improves by over 40%, unlocking innovation and shared ownership.⁶
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Teams with strong psychological safety exceed revenue targets by up to 17%.⁷
Clarity and connection are performance drivers.
Conflict, when handled effectively, becomes the path to happier employees and higher performance.
¹CPP Global Human Capital Report, 2008
²VitalSmarts “Employees Fear Crucial Conversations” survey, 2010
³CPP Global via Peaceful Leaders Academy, referenced in 2025
⁴Canadian HR Reporter & Statistics Canada
⁵Google Project Aristotle, 2012–2014
⁶Google Project Aristotle, 2012–2014
⁷CIPD Workplace Conflict Report, 2024