Chapter 13 Case Study 1: DISORDERLY CONDUCT

The sound of Matt and Peters arguing is familiar to everyone in the office by now.

In an effort to make the best use of space and ensure a free flow of discussion and ideas, the founder of the design studio had converted the companys one-floor office to an open plan with no walls between workers. The goal of this layout was to eliminate boundaries and enhance creativity. But for Matt and Peter, the new arrangement created a growing tension.

The argument boils down to the question of workspace order and organisation. Peter prefers to keep his desk completely clean and clear, and he keeps a stack of cleaning wipes in a drawer to eliminate any dust or dirt. Matt, on the other hand, likes to keep all his work visible on his desk so sketches, plans, magazines or photos are scattered everywhere alongside boxes of crackers and coffee cups. Peter finds it hard to concentrate when he sees Matts piles of materials everywhere, while Matt feels he can be more creative and free flowing when hes not forced to clean and organise constantly. Many of Matt and Peters co-workers wish theyd just let the issue drop. The men enjoyed a good working relationship in the past, with Peters attention to detail and thorough planning serving to rein in some of Matts wild inspirations, but lately the tension has derailed this collaboration.

Everyone knows its not productive to engage in conflicts over every small irritant in the workplace. However, completely avoiding conflict can be equally negative. An emerging body of research examines so-called conflict cultures in organisations. The findings suggests that cultures that actively avoid and suppress conflicts can encourage lower levels of creativity. Cultures that push conflict underground but dont succeed in reducing the underlying tensions can become passive-aggressive, marked by underhand behaviour against other co-workers.

Finding a way through the clutter dispute is likely to be an ongoing process to find a balance between perspectives. Both Matt and Peter worry that if they cant find a solution, their usually positive work relationship will be too contentious to bear. And that would be a real mess.

Summaries the main issues identified in the case study that is relevant to the topic (DISORDERLY CONDUCT) and link them to OB theory.

please don't include the dot point, write in paragraph with explanation and include reference