How conflict shapes innovation: investigating resistance to change, task conflict and relationship conflict

Purpose Change serves as a crucial driving force for innovation and growth, but it can also result in conflict within the workplace. This study aims to investigate how resistance to change instigates conflict; specifically, it investigates task conflict and relationship conflict, and their effects on innovative work behavior. In addition, it highlights the significance of the organizational voice climate within these dynamics. Design/methodology/approach The SPSS PROCESS macro is used to analyze a three-wave survey of 221 employees from Pakistan’s information technology and banking sectors. Findings The findings show that resistance to change is positively correlated with both task conflict and relationship conflict. While task conflict promotes innovative work behavior, relationship conflict hinders it. Furthermore, the organizational voice climate enhances the positive relationship between task conflict and innovative work behavior while diminishing the negative impact of relationship conflict on innovative work behavior. Originality/value This study provides unique insights into the complex role of workplace conflict in fostering innovation. It underlines the critical influence of contextual elements, such as organizational voice climate, on the effective management of workplace conflict dynamics.