How to Manage and Resolve Conflict in the Workplace
Let’s talk about conflict – that taboo topic we all love to criticize, yet completely avoid. However, conflict in the workplace exists everywhere: disagreements, miscommunications, misperceptions, errors, you name it – these can all stir or perpetuate conflict between people. Often, there are unresolved conflicts that can exacerbate passive aggressiveness, non-confrontational personalities, or even avoidance of issues altogether. Is that healthy for your organization? No, but is it common? Yes!
What does that mean for your team? Is something wrong with your workplace if conflict is pervasive? Not necessarily, but it is *helpful* and more productive to learn how to work with and manage conflict for resolution, rather than ignoring issues until they implode. So, let us begin by figuring out what conflict is, why it happens, how to resolve and manage it for the long term.
What is Conflict?
The definition of conflict may seem obvious, but if you had to define it right now, what would you say? According to Merriam-Webster, the term “conflict” actually has multiple definitions – one being: “to be different, opposed, or contradictory: to fail to be in agreement or accord.” While I agree with this overview of the term, it ignores the humanity behind workplace conflict. My reframed definition simply puts conflict as "showing up authentically expressing differing viewpoints while allowing the other person to respectfully express theirs."
To understand conflict and how it works, it is important to understand what defines it and how different viewpoints will inevitably cause conflict to unfold. The good news is that conflict is manageable, so let’s get an understanding of what can cause it!
Conflict at Work
This may feel familiar or obvious, but truly knowing the various causes of conflict can help us better identify, understand, and proactively resolve it. The idea of being proactive here will be key. We tend to react to conflict rather than thinking about it ahead of time. It’s good to know that there are strategies that can help you manage and handle obstacles at work.
Conflict can be a necessary evil due to different personalities, perspectives, and experiences all coming together in one place. When values, goals, and expectations are not clear between coworkers, conflict can arise. Disagreements can also happen between managers, supervisors, and other team members as well. This is the harsh reality, but there is a solution for all office issues that you might have to deal with at some point.
On a team, miscommunication or lack of communication is one of the main reasons conflict exists in the first place. It is possible for an employee to mishear a set of instructions or misinterpret a comment from a supervisor. Communication styles and work preferences differ, depending on how fast your organization is growing and/or working, too. Even though workplace disagreements are common, there is no reason why the issues that create them should be avoided. Leaving these matters unresolved will only cause or worsen problems between team members.
Mastering Conflict Resolution
We now have an understanding of workplace conflict and can identify what causes it, but can we confidently resolve it?
Check out these 3 simple ways to resolve conflict:
1) Identify the problem and confront the situation –people cannot read each other’s minds and sometimes difficult conversations are necessary for progress. It is helpful to announce to coworkers how you handle and respond to conflict, too.
2) Acknowledge what is happening. Difficult conversations can be challenging and intimidating, especially when power dynamics are involved, yet they are necessary for conflict resolution.
3) Listen to all sides of the issues that are causing problems. Take time to process before responding, and offer tangible, action-oriented solutions. When it comes to resolving conflict authentically and effectively, many factors such as body language, tone, language, and response time are all very important.
How to Manage Conflict
Just because conflict exists does not mean it cannot be resolved, or that it is even negative in the first place. So, instead of pretending like problems do not exist, take time to learn how to deal with various communication styles, personalities, and situations that may exist on your team. Resolving conflict over time can appear to be a long-term process of recognizing and addressing workplace disagreement. Giving employees an open platform to speak freely and give input is a good concept, and it will allow you to manage issues so that conflict doesn’t dominate your workplace culture. Your organization can only be as strong as the foundation of your team, so feel free to learn more about workplace conflict resolution and management.