But the longer fester, the bigger they grow and the more they create. "If conflict is not managed, it can become overwhelming and break down the lines of communication in an organization," says Steve Dinkin, president of the San Diego, Calif.-based National Conflict Resolution Center. "If there's a lot of anger and mistrust, teams can't work effectively. Conflicts create a lot of inefficiency in organizations."

Notably, the number of workplace conflicts increases when the economy is weak and jobs grow scarce, adds Dinkin. Some employees retreat into self-preservation mode, where they'll do anything to save their job, including .

The most common workplace conflicts stem from someone taking credit for another person's work (whether it was intentional or unintentional) or someone badmouthing a co-worker to advance their career, says John Reed, executive director of staffing company Robert Half Technology. Conflicts also arise from differences among employees' communication and work styles, he notes.

Dinkin and Reed agree that coworkers should try to address their interpersonal problems on their own before they involve their managers. Here are their four tips for taking the steam out of workplace squabbles.