Passage: Some managers view workplace conflict as inherently harmful, believing that harmony is a prerequisite for productivity. The passage questions this assumption by distinguishing between personal conflict and task conflict. Personal conflict—attacks on character or status—often corrodes trust and can indeed impede collaboration. Task conflict, however, can surface hidden assumptions, improve decision quality, and prevent premature consensus, especially when teams face complex problems. The author warns that task conflict does not automatically yield benefits: without norms that encourage respectful disagreement and mechanisms for integrating divergent views, it can easily slide into personal animosity or endless debate. The passage therefore recommends designing team practices—such as structured deliberation and clear decision rules—that preserve the informational value of disagreement while limiting its interpersonal costs.
Question: Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
- Managers should eliminate all conflict by enforcing strict behavioral rules in meetings.
- The passage explains why personal conflict is more damaging than task conflict in teams.
- Conflict in teams is always beneficial because it prevents groupthink.
- The passage discusses workplace conflict.
- Not all workplace conflict is harmful; task-focused disagreement can be productive if managed with appropriate norms and structures. (correct answer)
Explanation: This question tests main idea identification, requiring recognition of the passage's central claim about workplace conflict. A correct main idea answer must encompass the key distinction made throughout the passage and the author's nuanced position. The passage develops its central point by distinguishing between personal conflict (harmful) and task conflict (potentially beneficial), then explaining the conditions under which task conflict can be productive. The author emphasizes that benefits aren't automatic and require appropriate management structures and norms. Choice E correctly captures this main idea by stating that not all conflict is harmful and task-focused disagreement can be productive if properly managed. Choice D is too vague and merely identifies the topic, while choice C oversimplifies by claiming conflict is always beneficial, contradicting the passage's warnings about personal conflict and unmanaged task conflict.