A new measurement instrument for conflict personalization at work

Abstract: Conflict at work is common, and not necessarily problematic. Staff is often told to focus on the issue, and to not take it personally. Conflict personalization is expected to be a determinant of a workplace conflict turning from potentially beneficial to detrimental, amongst others through suboptimal conflict management behavior. While the importance of conflict personalization is recognized, it is unfortunately not yet part of empirical studies on workplace conflict. We need a new instrument to measure conflict personalization at work, containing the three dimensions of conflict personalization; negative affect, cognitive reaction, and the perception of threat/danger to the self. First, we generated an item pool (N = 45) through collecting experiences of workplace conflicts that were – or were not – personalized. Second, potential items will undergo a validation check by a panel of workers. Third, multiple pilot tests will enable extensive factor analysis, and the construction of a well-founded measurement instrument.

Keywords: Conflict personalization, workplace conflict, measurement instrument, scale development