The beginner’s guide to conflict resolution in the workplace

Perhaps it’s Pat eating Gemma’s sandwiches (again). An argument about whether the heating should be on or off. Or maybe it’s something more serious. Like someone feeling they’ve been short-changed or discriminated against.

Whatever the reasons, conflict in the workplace is bound to happen at some point. And, as the boss, it’s up to you to make sure there’s a satisfactory resolution.

Here’s an introduction to conflict management and resolution techniques in the workplace.

What is conflict management?

Conflict management means handling disagreements in a constructive way. It aims to:

• Find a fair solution that respects everyone’s needs

• Help those who’ve had the disagreement learn from the experience

• Improve relationships and the atmosphere in the workplace

• Avoid future disagreements about the same issue

How do you recognize conflict in the workplace?

Sometimes it’s obvious that there’s a conflict. Staff members may be cool towards one another. Or you might even witness a heated exchange yourself.

But other times, the signs of conflict may be more subtle. And in these cases, it’s your job to recognize that there’s an issue and take steps to resolve it.

Telltale signs of workplace conflict include:

• Lack of engagement. There may be less participation during team meetings. Or fewer people might volunteer to take on new tasks

• Behavioral changes. Are employees avoiding social gatherings? Or maybe they make snide remarks or just generally have a less positive attitude?

• A drop in productivity. If people are in constant disagreement, they’ll be less likely to get work done

• More sick days. Continuous conflict raises stress levels. And stress is one of the most common reasons employees take sick days

• Negative comments on questionnaires or during performance reviews

Addressing conflict in the workplace: Developing your conflict resolution skills

Want to manage conflict in the workplace effectively? You’ll need good conflict resolution skills. In particular, you should work on the following:

• Active listening
• Active listening means giving people your full attention. In other words, not just hearing, but using all your five senses.
• To practice active listening:
• Make eye contact about 60 to 70 percent of the time. This helps create an emotional connection with the speaker
• Observe the speaker’s body language. Tone of voice, posture and other non-verbal cues can tell you a lot more than words alone
• Ask open-ended questions to encourage the speaker to say more
• Don’t interrupt. And, more importantly, don’t prepare your reply in your head while the person is still speaking
• Empathy
• Expert facilitator Craig Freshley argues misunderstandings are the root cause of most conflicts. Which means that understanding each party’s feelings, needs and motivations is key. You can do this effectively only if you can put yourself in their shoes.
• International entrepreneurship organization Ashoka puts it this way:
• “Empathy is more than just awareness and concern … It’s about the ability to communicate effectively and understand the motivations of others. Empathy is about standing up, not standing by, uncovering what’s below the surface through active listening and putting words into action.”
• Patience
• Conflicts in the workplace are rarely as straightforward as they seem. For one, no one likes admitting they’re wrong. But, more importantly, the tension leading to the conflict could’ve built up over months or years. So, an argument about a misplaced mug may actually be about something much deeper. For instance, someone may be angry about having been overlooked for a promotion.
• With this in mind, you should take things one step at a time. Make sure everyone gets to tell their side of the story. And avoid rushing to judgement, even if you think there’s an obvious solution.
• Problem-solving
• At the risk of stating the obvious, to resolve conflicts you need solutions. Which means you have to look at situations critically and find a fair compromise.
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• Sound hard? That’s because it is.
• Luckily, there are ways to help your problem-solving skills along:
• Use mind maps. A mind map can give you more clarity by helping you lay out all the aspects of your problem visually
• Look at the problem as a hypothetical. According to Construal Level Theory, putting some distance between yourself and the problem encourages creative solutions
• Train your brain. Sudoku, crosswords, chess and other logic and strategy-based games and puzzles can boost your problem-solving abilities