Conflict situations are a critical aspect of the workplace. A conflict is a situation when the interests, needs, goals or values of involved parties interfere with one another. A conflict is a common occurrence in the workplace. Different stakeholders may have different priorities; conflicts may involve team members, departments, projects, organization and client, boss and subordinate, organization needs vs. personal needs. Often, a conflict is a consequence of perception. Conflict is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, a conflict presents chances for improvement. Hence , it is important to understand (and apply) various conflict resolution techniques.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict has a major impact on project success, so resolving it is an essential part of the leader’s role. This can be done either by the team leader alone or with the assistance of a neutral facilitator.
Some of the more common issues that cause conflict are:
- In any team, there will be personality clashes. These are a basic human form of conflict where, for instance, strong personalities jockey for position, or an optimistic personality clashes with a pessimistic one.
- As team members take on different roles, pressures emerge that can often cause conflict. Internal deadlines, differing styles of work, or pressure from management all contribute to conflict situations.
- Different people will bring different sets of values to any team situation. People may differ in the value they place on ethics, success, relationships, or work. Values can also differ between a team and management. Differences can lead to tensions that can escalate to conflict.
- Different people, different levels of management, or different subgroups will have different priorities. One person might insist on quality, while another could insist on quantity. This can lead to conflict. Often, a person’s perspective and priorities depend on their position in the organization.
- Unless goals are clearly defined agreed upon, they can be a big cause of conflict on a team. Without clarity, one person might think quality is the goal while another might think it’s quantity. These kinds of divergent goals can cause disastrous misunderstandings and terrible conflict in a team.
- Change can be threatening, and if team members perceive that their position is being threatened by the implementation of new practices or management systems, there’s a greater chance of conflict developing.
Conflict Resolution Strategy
- Avoiding is a temporary way of handling conflict that involves giving up, pulling out, or simply refusing to deal with the situation. It’s appropriate when a “cooling off” period is needed in order to learn more about the issues behind the conflict.
- Accommodating is the art of de-emphasizing, or avoiding areas of difference, and instead finding and emphasizing the areas of agreement. As a strategy, it’s useful when one party is wrong or the issue is more important to one party than to others.
- Competing is an aggressive strategy used when there’s no common ground on which to negotiate or bargain, and when both parties are uncooperative and strong-willed.
- Collaborating is the most productive strategy of all and involves both parties facing the conflict directly, adopting a problem-solving approach, and working through their disagreements.
- Compromising is the art of give-and-take. It is a strategy that allows you to search for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to the parties in a dispute.
Conflict is inevitable in a team environment. As a leader, you need to be familiar with the causes of conflict and what approach to take to deal with the conflict. Once you recognize an emerging conflict, you can choose the best approach for dealing with it. Then you can proceed through the conflict-resolution process and choose the best solution for the situation.
Forcing
Also known as competing. An individual firmly pursues his or her own concerns despite the resistance of the other person. This may involve pushing one viewpoint at the expense of another or maintaining firm resistance to another person’s actions.
Examples of when forcing may be appropriate
- In certain situations when all other, less forceful methods, don’t work or are ineffective
- When you need to stand up for your own rights, resist aggression and pressure
- When a quick resolution is required and using force is justified (e.g. in a life-threatening situation, to stop an aggression)
- As a last resort to resolve a long-lasting conflict
Possible advantages of forcing
- May provide a quick resolution to a conflict
- Increases self-esteem and draws respect when firm resistance or actions were a response to an aggression or hostility
Some caveats of forcing
- May negatively affect your relationship with the opponent in the long run
- May cause the opponent to react in the same way, even if the opponent did not intend to be forceful originally
- Cannot take advantage of the strong sides of the other side’s position
- Taking this approach may require a lot of energy and be exhausting to some individuals
Win-Win (Collaborating)
Also known as problem confronting or problem solving. Collaboration involves an attempt to work with the other person to find a win-win solution to the problem in hand – the one that most satisfies the concerns of both parties. The win-win approach sees conflict resolution as an opportunity to come to a mutually beneficial result. It includes identifying the underlying concerns of the opponents and finding an alternative which meets each party’s concerns.
Some caveats of collaborating
- Requires a commitment from all parties to look for a mutually acceptable solution
- May require more effort and more time than some other methods. A win-win solution may not be evident
- For the same reason, collaborating may not be practical when timing is crucial and a quick solution or fast response is required
- Once one or more parties lose their trust in an opponent, the relationship falls back to other methods of conflict resolution. Therefore, all involved parties must continue collaborative efforts to maintain a collaborative relationship
Compromising
Compromising looks for an expedient and mutually acceptable solution which partially satisfies both parties.
Possible advantages of compromise
- Faster issue resolution. Compromising may be more practical when time is a factor
- Can provide a temporary solution while still looking for a win-win solution
- Lowers the levels of tension and stress resulting from the conflict
Some caveats of using compromise
- May result in a situation when both parties are not satisfied with the outcome (a lose-lose situation)
- Does not contribute to building trust in the long run
- May require close monitoring and control to ensure the agreements are met
Withdrawing
Also known as avoiding. This is when a person does not pursue her/his own concerns or those of the opponent. He/she does not address the conflict, sidesteps, postpones or simply withdraws.
Possible advantages of withdrawing
- When the opponent is forcing / attempts aggression, you may choose to withdraw and postpone your response until you are in a more favourable circumstance for you to push back
- Withdrawing is a low stress approach when the conflict is short
- Gives the ability/time to focus on more important or more urgent issues instead
- Gives you time to better prepare and collect information before you act
Some caveats of withdrawing
- May lead to weakening or losing your position; not acting may be interpreted as an agreement. Using withdrawing strategies without negatively affecting your own position requires certain skill and experience
- When multiple parties are involved, withdrawing may negatively affect your relationship with a party that expects your action.
Smoothing
Also known as accommodating. Smoothing is accommodating the concerns of other people first of all, rather than one’s own concerns.
Possible advantages of smoothing
- In some cases smoothing will help to protect more important interests while giving up on some less important ones
- Gives an opportunity to reassess the situation from a different angle
Some caveats of smoothing:
- There is a risk to be abused, i.e. the opponent may constantly try to take advantage of your tendency toward smoothing/accommodating. Therefore it is important to keep the right balance and this requires some skill.
- May negatively affect your confidence in your ability to respond to an aggressive opponent
- It makes it more difficult to transition to a win-win solution in the future
- Some of your supporters may not like your smoothing response and be turned off
Resolving Conflict Situations
To manage conflict effectively you must be a skilled communicator. That includes creating an open communication environment in your unit by encouraging employees to talk about work issues. Listening to employee concerns will foster an open environment. Make sure you really understand what employees are saying by asking questions and focusing on their perception of the problem.
Whether you have two employees who are fighting for the desk next to the window or one employee who wants the heat on and another who doesn’t, your immediate response to conflict situations is essential.
Dealing with Anger
When you meet with someone who is angry, you can use the tools of effective listening to help defuse this anger. Nevertheless, when anger is directed at you, it is much more difficult to respond definitively, because your own emotions are usually involved.
To effectively defuse anger, keep in mind the needs of the angry speaker:
- To vent – An angry person needs to let off steam and release the anger that may have been brewing for a long time – use your communication skills to allow the person to do this.
- To get the listener’s attention – An angry person wants to know that you are paying attention – use your body language to show this.
- To be heard – An angry person wants someone to listen to his/her point of view – acknowledge the feelings you hear so that the speaker knows you appreciate how angry he/she is.
- To be understood – An angry person wants someone to appreciate how he/she feels – try to empathize with his/her experience so that he/she feels you understand the situation, and acknowledge his/her right to feel the way he/she does.
When you’re listening to an angry person:
- Be attentive and patient. Keep in mind that he/she will become less angry as you let him/her express him/herself.
- Be sincere. Empathy and validation must be both honest and genuine.
- Be calm. Try to remove your own emotions from the discussion. Remember that an angry person may say inflammatory things in the heat of the moment, but you do not have to react angrily.
