Rethinking the "Conflictive Member" in Organizations: A Proposal for a Model of How Conflict Initiates

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 138 - 156, 22.07.2025

Sebastián Legue Godoy

Abstract

In this theoretical article, the concept of the "Conflictive Member" and its relationship with the initiation of conflict in organizations are reviewed. A narrative review of the "Conflictive Member" has been conducted, and articles addressing its definitions and descriptions have been selected. It has been observed that authors approach the phenomenon with similar definitions but different terms. The terms "Difficult People" and "Bad Apple" are commonly used, and the lack of reference to previous studies makes it difficult to establish a consistent theoretical framework. A new definition has been proposed; its scope and the individuals who should be included have been discussed. Additionally, the concept of Organizational Disruptive Behavior is introduced to understand the phenomenon better. Although few studies address the problem of how conflict begins, a valuable model describing the initiation of conflict has been identified, serving as a starting point. Based on this, the Conflict Rigidity Model is proposed to describe how a conflict begins in organizational contexts. The main contribution lies in the inclusion of diverse individuals under the concept of a "Conflictive Member", beyond those with personality-related issues.

Keywords

Conflictive Member , Difficult People , Bad Apple , Toxic Member , Dysfunctional Member , Intragroup Conflict , Workplace Conflict

Örgütlerdeki "Çatışmacı Üye"yi Yeniden Düşünmek: Çatışmanın Nasıl Başladığına Dair Bir Model Önerisi

Abstract

Bu teorik makalede, "Çatışmacı Üye" kavramı ve örgütlerde çatışmanın başlamasıyla olan ilişkisi incelenmektedir. "Çatışmacı Üye" üzerine bir anlatısal inceleme yapılmış ve bu olguya ilişkin tanımları ve açıklamaları ele alan makaleler seçilmiştir. Yazarların benzer tanımlarla ancak farklı terimler kullanarak bu olguyu ele aldığı gözlemlenmiştir; "Zor İnsanlar" ve "Kötü Elma" terimleri yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır ve önceki çalışmalara atıfta bulunulmaması, tutarlı bir teorik çerçevenin oluşturulmasını zorlaştırmaktadır. Yeni bir tanım önerilmiş olup, kapsamı ve hangi bireylerin dahil edileceği tartışılmıştır. Ayrıca, olguyu daha iyi anlamak için Örgütsel Bozucu Davranış kavramı tanıtılmıştır. Çatışmanın nasıl başladığı sorununu ele alan çalışmalar az olsa da, çatışmanın başlangıcını tanımlayan değerli bir model tespit edilmiş ve bu bir başlangıç noktası olarak kullanılmıştır. Buna dayanarak, örgütsel bağlamlarda çatışmanın nasıl başladığını tanımlamak için Çatışma Katılık Modeli önerilmiştir. Ana katkı, kişilikle ilgili sorunları olanların ötesinde, çeşitli bireylerin "Çatışmacı Üye" kavramı altında dahil edilmesinde yatmaktadır.

Keywords

Çatışmacı Üye , Zor İnsanlar , Kötü Elma , Toksik Üye , İşlevsiz Üye , Grup İçi Çatışma , İş Çatışması

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