Personal Values and Relational Conflitcs in Organizations: Taking the Example of Religious Values

The dividing line between work life and the private sphere is blurring. Increasingly, employees wish to express personal values at the workplace – values that are relevant to the respective individuals’ identities, but not directly relevant for their tasks at work. The public expression of those personal values may trigger relational conflicts within the company. Taking the example of diverse religious values in the U.S., we develop a framework that specifies why and under what conditions a public expression of diverse personal values can engender relational conflicts. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our framework and identify critical issues for future research