
How Our Brains Shape Workplace Conflict - And Why It Matters to Lawyers
Our brains are storytelling machines. In a recent episode of the Hidden Brains podcast, Brian Klaas discussed how our minds instinctively create narratives to explain the world around us. This tendency is an evolutionary safeguard, designed to protect us from potential threats.
Consider the example Klaas gives: a pre-modern hunter-gatherer hears rustling in the grass. Is it just the wind, or is it a saber-toothed tiger? If the hunter-gatherer assumes it’s nothing and is wrong, the cost is fatal. But if they assume it’s a tiger and are wrong, they’ve only lost a bit of energy running away. Evolution favors those who err on the side of caution, leading to brains that are highly attuned to patterns—sometimes even when no real pattern exists.
The Stories We Create And the Conflicts They Fuel
This same pattern-seeking instinct plays out in the modern workplace, shaping the way employees and employers interpret events. When faced with incomplete information—an ambiguous remark from a manager, a perceived slight from a colleague, or an unexplained change in workplace dynamics—our brains automatically fill in the gaps with a story that makes sense to us. This is not a conscious act of deception but an innate cognitive function designed to help us navigate uncertainty and to protect us.
For example, an employee who has experienced past unfair treatment may interpret a supervisor’s neutral comment as biased, believing it fits into a larger pattern of discrimination. A manager may view an employee as "difficult" because they often challenge company policies; later, when the employee raises a legitimate concern, the manager instinctively dismisses it as more negativity, rather than evaluating it on its own merits. In both cases, the individuals aren’t necessarily fabricating issues; rather, their brains are drawing connections and reinforcing narratives that align with their previous experiences and expectations.
From Story to Solution: How Mediation and Investigations Help
As a mediator and workplace investigator, I see firsthand how these cognitive tendencies shape workplace disputes. When employees voice their complaints, they often present not just isolated incidents but a narrative that ties those incidents together. Likewise, employers may respond based on their own pre-existing perceptions of the employee. My role is to help separate actual patterns from perceived ones—to examine the evidence objectively and determine what is truly happening, rather than what instinct and past experiences suggest is happening.
Understanding this psychological reality benefits everyone. It allows workplaces to approach conflicts with curiosity rather than assumption. It encourages leaders to ask more questions, seek clarity, and recognize that different perspectives on the same event are a natural outcome of how human brains process information. And when necessary, it highlights the value of bringing in a neutral third party to help untangle subjective interpretations from objective facts.
Our ancestors' survival depended on their ability to detect patterns and anticipate threats—like assuming that rustling in the grass meant a lurking predator. Today, we no longer face saber-toothed tigers, but our brains are still wired to find meaning in uncertainty, especially in workplace conflicts.
By recognizing this instinct, workplaces can take a more thoughtful approach to resolving disputes. Instead of reacting based on assumptions or incomplete narratives, we can pause, gather the full picture, and ensure that decisions are grounded in facts rather than fear-driven patterns. Mediation and workplace investigations provide the structured process needed to separate real threats from imagined ones, fostering fairer outcomes for everyone involved.
After all, not every rustle in the grass is a tiger—but in workplace conflict, it helps to have someone who can tell the difference.