Sleep problems were linked to more workplace conflict in research summarized by Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, with the pattern especially pronounced in interactions with colleagues of higher rank. The findings point to an association, not proof that poor sleep causes employees to clash with supervisors.
What the study found
A Johns Hopkins Carey Business School account dated September 25, 2026, describes two stages of research on sleep and conflict within organizational hierarchies. The paper is identified as “Sleep and Strife: The Effects of Sleep on Conflict within Organizational Hierarchy”; the account says its preprint appeared online in August 2026 in Academy of Management Discoveries.
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Pilot scenario
In a pilot study involving 197 online participants, people considered a frustrating colleague and a scenario in which they had either high- or low-quality sleep. Participants anticipated more conflict in the low-quality-sleep scenario. This was a measure of anticipated conflict in a scenario, not an estimate of how much conflict occurred in workplaces.
Data from U.S. Army soldiers
The primary study used data from U.S. Army soldiers. Sleep problems predicted more conflict overall, and the increase was more distinct in interactions with higher-rank individuals than with colleagues of the same or lower rank. The Johns Hopkins account says subsequent studies and analyses validated the finding, but does not provide their sample sizes or detailed methods. It also gives no quantified effect size, so the size of the increase cannot be stated from this account.
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The research was conducted with collaborators from the University of South Carolina and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The primary-study population matters: the account does not establish how well the result applies to civilian workers, other countries, or particular industries.
Why higher-rank interactions may be different
The researchers propose that self-control and workplace norms may help explain the rank-specific pattern. Employees may need to suppress hostile reactions and follow stricter norms when dealing with higher-rank colleagues; sleep problems could make that self-control harder. This is a proposed explanation, not a demonstrated causal pathway.
As Brian Gunia, a professor and area chair for management and organization at the Carey Business School, put it: “Avoiding conflict with higher-rank individuals in organizations involves following strict workplace norms.”
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The account supports a cautious conclusion: sleep problems predicted or were associated with more conflict in the studied settings, particularly with higher-rank colleagues. It does not establish that poor sleep caused the conflict. Nor does it report measured effects on productivity, turnover, job satisfaction, or profit; those are possible workplace concerns, not outcomes quantified in the summary.
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The account names air traffic control, healthcare, first response, and law enforcement as settings where distraction caused by conflict could be especially consequential. It does not report separate results for those professions, so the soldier findings should not be treated as direct evidence about each occupation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What employers can take from the research
Johns Hopkins says organizations may want to support healthy sleep and avoid excessive work demands. It also suggests equipping managers with “sleep leadership” skills: encouraging and enabling employees to get healthier sleep. These are practical implications, not interventions shown in the reported studies to prevent conflict.
For employers, the findings are a reason to consider sleep as one factor in workplace interactions—not a basis for blaming an individual employee or assuming that sleep support alone will resolve conflict. The available account does not identify a specific program or product proven to reduce clashes.
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