Hidden, suppressed, or covert conflict is more difficult to deal with because it may even be hidden from the person who is conflicted (as in inner conflict), and there is never an opportunity to talk it through or to come to terms with it.

When Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer, went from whole product work teams, where employees worked on a car from start to finish, to the more efficient assembly line model, workers were incensed. However, rather than making their position known to senior managers, they chose to be covert about their resentment and sabotaged a number of the automobiles coming off the assembly line.

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Spontaneous and Reflective Behavior