Newswise — With the election days away, politics is currently a major topic of conversation everywhere. Political conversations will soon become even more charged after the November election when there are clear winners and losers. But do politics make for safe water-cooler conversation? Such talk can be risky, according to Eric Patton, Ph.D., assistant professor of management at Saint Joseph's University.
Commenting on a recent cover story in HR Magazine, which focused on human resource policy concerning political activities, Patton noted that idle political chitchat could lead to trouble.
"Management research has shown that, although conflict surrounding tasks and processes can be beneficial by increasing creativity and generating ideas, personal conflict is always dysfunctional."
Even when discussions remain civil, sharing political views can still pose risks. Patton explains that research on workplace diversity shows that problems concerning surface diversity (race, gender, age, etc.) tend to decrease over time, while problems relating to deep diversity (involving attitudes and values) tend to get worse over time.
"If political views indicate important value differences between workers, bringing this to light can lead to negative outcomes."
Labels such as "liberal" and "conservative" often generate stereotypical thinking, according to Patton, and can be harmful to workplace unity. Studies have demonstrated that individuals across the political spectrum have ingrained ideas about how liberals and conservatives think and behave. The same research, paradoxically, shows that actual differences between liberals and conservatives are often quite small on issues believed to be the source of disagreement.
"But if you perceive that your coworker's values are different than yours, that belief is enough to lead to workplace problems," says Patton. "Anything that creates labeling or 'us against them' feelings within a workplace should be avoided."
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