Conflict occurs when two or more parties have opposing attitudes or approaches to a particular situation, issue, or person. Sources of conflict range from a difference of opinions, problematic working conditions, or unrealistic work expectations to discriminatory behavior such as racism, poor communication, or non-compliance with organizational norms or values.
Conflict can occur between a member of staff and a manager, between two or more members of a team, or between departments, sections, or managers. Whether you are involved directly affects whether you negotiate with someone else, apply grievance or disciplinary measures, or mediate between other parties.
Conflict can be convert, taking the form of resentment from a team member passed over for promotion or irritation caused by an individual’s personal habits. Such conflict is much harder to detect and easier to ignore. Whichever type it is, all conflict needs to be managed before it becomes a destructive force.
Advantages
The advantages of managing conflict situations are:
- Better motivated staff; staff energies are directed toward work instead of emotions;
- A more positive image of the organization or staff;
- Improved teamwork;
- Better personal development of individuals.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of avoiding or failing to manage a conflict situation may include:
- The escalation or spread of the conflict to others;
- The dissipation of staff energy;
- The misdirection of staff energy, contributing to falling productivity;
- The misperception that inaction is the easiest option – the problem will ultimately be harder to solve.
Arresting the Conflict Situation
1. Recognize Conflict – To handle conflict you have to spot it. Remember it can be overt, from an obvious or identifiable cause, clearly visible and defined; or covert, from a less obvious or apparently unrelated cause (for example, an employee could seem in conflict with colleagues, when the root cause is a perception that the supervisor’s treatment of staff is discriminatory).
2. Monitor the Climate – Monitoring the climate at work gives you an early warning system, making it far easier to deal with conflict swiftly and efficiently before it gets out of hand. This does not mean constantly being on your guard; it simply means being prepared and keeping your eyes open. If you see a likely conflict situation, don’t ignore it. Early action saves time and stress later.
3. Look Into The Situation – Take time to find out the real cause of the conflict, who is involved, what the key issue is, and what its actual and potential effects are. Empathize – see the situation from other people’s point of view.
4. Plan Your Approach – Encourage the parties concerned to examine the interests behind their position and try to create a climate of exchange so that the parties can deal with each other more constructively next time. Devise a strategy based on what the investigation has shown. Managers should decide on a result they want to achieve, bearing in mind that as different evidence emerges their preferred outcome may not always be possible.
5. Handle the Issue – Handling conflict is a difficult process that can create extreme emotions. Use the following techniques.
Stay Calm: Take time to respond – don’t give a knee-jack reaction. If necessary declare a time out until people are calm enough to discuss the issues rationally and constructively.
Listen to the points of view of everyone involved and take time to understand all the issues raised by the conflict. Remember that people will usually be more open and honest if they feel they have a receptive and interested audience. Be aware of your body language and spoken language.
Avoid fight or flight: The instinctive human reaction to conflict is either to run away or face it and fight. Neither of these approaches is constructive.
- Fighting back or being aggressive toward one or both parties when you are not personally involved causes greater long-term conflict and intimidates staff.
- Fight avoids solving the conflict and leads to loss of respect.
Stay Assertive: This means avoiding being either passive or aggressive; neither is assertive and each is a short-term approach unlikely to solve the conflict.
- Passive behavior is characterized by apologizing, withdrawn body language, and always accepting the other person’s point of view whether it is right or not.
- Aggressive behavior is characterized by being authoritarian and refusing to listen to reasoned argument.
An assertive approach is generally the best way to handle conflict. It means:
- Acknowledging the views and rights of all parties;
- Encouraging the parties to find the causes of the conflict – and solutions to it;
- Trying to make sure that the opinions and thoughts are expressed honestly and openly;
- Suggesting a constructive way forward.
6. Let Everyone Have A Say – If you have managed to get the parties around a table for discussion in a climate in which exchange is possible, reaching a compromise solution may be feasible. Remember that your desired solution needs to hit a wide range of targets. It should:
- Help to build good working relationships;
- Be legitimate, non-discriminatory, and compatible with organizational practice;
- Recognize all parties’ alternatives;
- Help to improve communication;
- Help to generate a lasting commitment to the solution.
7. Find the Way Forward – The most important aspect of handling a conflict situation is to find an acceptable way forward. Examine the options and decide what to do next. Can you reach a compromise acceptable to both or all sides? If not, what action needs to be taken to prevent the conflict from continuing? Make sure everyone knows what the conclusion is and what each person is expected to do.
The next steps need to be agreed and spelled out: they could include an individual’s need for counseling, the likelihood of disciplinary proceedings, or an agreement to be implemented (even moving a member of staff to another department if there is a deep-rooted personal antagonism). Sometimes problems relate to health or psychology – you have to judge where your limits lie in resolving apparently intractable personal antagonisms.
8. Appraise, Don’t Dwell – It is important to learn from conflict situations and move forward. Don’t dwell on the past and reopen old wounds. Appraise the conflict and the way it was handled or see what you can learn. How can similar conflicts be avoided in the future? How could a similar situation be handled better? Learn from the experience and keep your eye on what has been resolved to stop it flaring up again.
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