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Dissertation
Exploring the impacts of workplace conflict on employees' well-being and creativity process: a qualitative study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Sep 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011218
Abstract
Organizations today face significant challenges in the marketplace due to an increasingly complex and ever-changing world. As the world changes, so do customers' tastes and expectations. To stay competitive in the market, companies must adapt to changes, meet and, if possible, exceed customers' expectations, thereby retaining existing customers and expanding their customer base. The only way to do so is to initiate, implement, and adapt to changes, which result from creativity. Creativity has carved out a place in today's organizations to an extent it never had before, either because they ignored its importance or relegated it to a select group of people, such as musicians, painters, and sculptors. Creativity is essential to organizational prosperity and growth; nevertheless, it can be hindered by workplace conflict. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impacts of workplace conflict on the employees' well-being and creativity. Three research questions guided this study: 1) What are the primary sources and types of conflicts among employees in a multicultural and multigenerational high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing organization, and how do these conflicts manifest in the workplace environment? 2) How do the employees perceive the influence of workplace conflict on their well-being and creativity? 3) How do leaders' conflict management strategies mitigate the negative impacts of workplace conflicts on employee well-being, enhance workplace creativity, and contribute to improving overall organizational productivity and growth? The researcher employed a qualitative narrative design to gain insight into employees' lived experiences regarding the sources, impacts, and leaders' responses to workplace conflict. The data were collected from 18 participants, all employees of a multicultural, multigenerational high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing organization located in northern Pennsylvania, through semi-structured one-on-one interviews. From the data analysis emerged themes and subthemes that revealed the sources of workplace conflict, its impacts, employees' and leaders' responses to it, and strategies for preventing it. The study's results indicate that employees' behavior is the primary source of workplace conflict. The extent to which workplace conflict affects employees depends on their level of awareness. Both employees and leaders have a responsibility to respond to workplace conflict and take actions to prevent it. The researcher suggests that employees and leaders should be culturally intelligent, that workplace conflict should be addressed at an early stage, and that employees should be adequately trained to enhance their creativity. Keywords: challenge, customers' expectations, customer base, workplace conflict, employees' well-being and creativity, organizational productivity and growth, culturally intelligent, workplace environment, employees' behavior
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Details
- Title
- Exploring the impacts of workplace conflict on employees' well-being and creativity process
- Creators
- Yourvens Cadet
- Contributors
- John M. Gould (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- xii, 156 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022135843504721