How to effectively manage conflicts and maintain a strong team
19 February 2009
Read by 2157 persons
Take any group of people, even the best of friends: at some point, individuals will find themselves in conflict. Aristotle rightly stated that we are social animals, but we can also be extremely antisocial when we don't get our way.
Consequently, even the best leader, even at the head of the best-matched team in the world, will at some point have to manage serious conflicts.
How do conflicts arise? A look in the dictionary tells us that a conflict results from a "powerful disagreement in ideas or interests," explains business science teacher Karl Kepner. "When a conflict settles in the office, it always results in the destruction of moral barriers, a decrease in productivity, an increase in absenteeism, and constant disputes that can even escalate into real violence."
It's up to you to make sure that small daily annoyances don't turn into wild confrontations. And you can ensure this by taking the following steps:
Better understand the sources of conflict
Play the role of mediator and encourage compromise
Use conflicts to strengthen team spirit
Better understand the sources of conflict
It is extremely useful to understand how conflicts arise, because this knowledge can help you understand how to anticipate them, and how to prevent them from becoming destructive.
Kepner has identified a number of potential sources of conflict:
Available resources – are two (or more) people likely to need the same resources at the same time? Does everyone have enough space, the necessary tools, attention and listening?
Style – are the working methods and lifestyles of the collaborators likely to oppose each other and thus cause conflicts? Does one of your collaborators need a lot of order, while another can only work in disorder?
Perceptions – do your different collaborators have very different ways of seeing problems? When you compliment one of your employees, do the others feel underestimated?
Objectives – do your different collaborators have objectives that are difficult to reconcile? Do they all share the vision that you are trying to imprint on the management of your company?
Pressure – do you expect too much from your collaborators? Do some of your employees sometimes find themselves overwhelmed with tasks because they have to fulfill the requests of different managers? Is the pressure difficult to bear, to the point that some of your employees don't feel capable of handling it?
Roles – are you asking your collaborators to perform tasks that are outside their area of expertise? Are there rivalries between certain roles? Are your collaborators competing to exert their influence?
Values – is there a risk of discrimination among your collaborators? Do some feel rejected or threatened with rejection?
Changes – are your collaborators familiar with the rules you have established? Do they understand them? Do you give them enough time to adapt in case of change?
Take each of these potential sources of conflict, and review your company to determine what is likely to occur in your own company, among the members of your team. If you identify one or more potential sources, if you spot difficulties or causes of discomfort, think about what you can do to prevent the situation from worsening into a real conflict. For example, if two of your collaborators work in radically different styles, to the point of having difficulty understanding each other, ask yourself if you can separate them, or talk to them so that they become aware of their differences. Prevention is often better than cure!
Playing the role of mediator and encouraging compromise
When a conflict arises, you should always start by asking yourself: "what is the problem?" Rephrase the conflict and its reasons as clearly as possible, and share your analysis with your collaborators. Most of the time, the reasons for a conflict are simple and benign, but they become worse for reasons related to the personality of each individual. Consequently, act as quickly as possible.
Most of the time, you will also find that your different collaborators each have a different vision of the problem and its "true" reasons. It's a matter of perspective, and that's normal. You must give everyone the opportunity to express their own vision, to give their opinion, even if that opinion seems inappropriate to you.
Often, it is enough to give the people involved in a conflict the opportunity to express the reasons for their dissatisfaction, to calm the resentments of each other, and to get everyone back to work. If you feel it is necessary, impose on the people involved to respect the same speaking time. Be careful not to favor anyone. Your role is to ensure that each member of your team receives the attention they need, and can speak freely, feeling supported and secure.
Then, help each of the collaborators involved to describe the ideal outcome of the conflict from their own point of view. Often, it becomes clear at this point that the different perspectives, which seemed irreconcilable a few hours earlier, are not so far apart after all. If there are still incompatible differences, make sure they are expressed as clearly as possible. Finally, remind everyone of the common objectives.
At this stage, it is often tempting to impose a solution, the one that seems – from the manager's point of view – the most appropriate or the most effective. However, avoid giving in to this ease, as an imposed solution generally has the effect of containing the conflict, until it resurfaces some time later, usually in an even more serious way.
Help your collaborators formulate a compromise. To do this, rely on the points on which everyone agrees, by placing the conflict within the broader framework of the company's overall objectives. Generally, these measures are sufficient to successfully address most conflicts.
What to do if nothing works and conflicts worsen? Before resorting to drastic solutions, think about possible alternatives. Do some collaborators need temporary help? To talk to someone outside the company about the crisis they are going through? Help your collaborators by providing them with the resources they need – it's often better than losing a talented employee because he/she is unhappy with his/her work.
Using conflicts to strengthen team spirit
Why is conflict resolution essential? Because a team that knows how to resolve its conflicts is a stronger team, and because a manager who knows how to help his team resolve its conflicts is a better manager. Conflicts are useful: they help team members learn to know each other better and to work better together.
When you help your collaborators express and resolve their conflicts, you learn to know them better, to understand them better. This is how you can discover, for example, how to better help them in case of difficulty. Indeed, conflicts generally force people to come out of their shell, to express more of their true personality, to discover themselves more broadly. By working closely with your teams, you should understand what each person is most sensitive to – which is very useful when it comes to finding the best way to motivate your collaborators.
Finally, if you are able to help your collaborators resolve their conflicts, you will establish in each a firm trust in your qualities as a manager. You will be for each a reference person and a person of trust with whom it is possible to talk about their difficulties, and whose advice is useful. No manager could dream of anything better.
Posted on February 18, 2009
pouruneentrepriseplusefficace
Consequently, even the best leader, even at the head of the best-matched team in the world, will at some point have to manage serious conflicts.
How do conflicts arise? A look in the dictionary tells us that a conflict results from a "powerful disagreement in ideas or interests," explains business science teacher Karl Kepner. "When a conflict settles in the office, it always results in the destruction of moral barriers, a decrease in productivity, an increase in absenteeism, and constant disputes that can even escalate into real violence."
It's up to you to make sure that small daily annoyances don't turn into wild confrontations. And you can ensure this by taking the following steps:
Better understand the sources of conflict
Play the role of mediator and encourage compromise
Use conflicts to strengthen team spirit
Better understand the sources of conflict
It is extremely useful to understand how conflicts arise, because this knowledge can help you understand how to anticipate them, and how to prevent them from becoming destructive.
Kepner has identified a number of potential sources of conflict:
Available resources – are two (or more) people likely to need the same resources at the same time? Does everyone have enough space, the necessary tools, attention and listening?
Style – are the working methods and lifestyles of the collaborators likely to oppose each other and thus cause conflicts? Does one of your collaborators need a lot of order, while another can only work in disorder?
Perceptions – do your different collaborators have very different ways of seeing problems? When you compliment one of your employees, do the others feel underestimated?
Objectives – do your different collaborators have objectives that are difficult to reconcile? Do they all share the vision that you are trying to imprint on the management of your company?
Pressure – do you expect too much from your collaborators? Do some of your employees sometimes find themselves overwhelmed with tasks because they have to fulfill the requests of different managers? Is the pressure difficult to bear, to the point that some of your employees don't feel capable of handling it?
Roles – are you asking your collaborators to perform tasks that are outside their area of expertise? Are there rivalries between certain roles? Are your collaborators competing to exert their influence?
Values – is there a risk of discrimination among your collaborators? Do some feel rejected or threatened with rejection?
Changes – are your collaborators familiar with the rules you have established? Do they understand them? Do you give them enough time to adapt in case of change?
Take each of these potential sources of conflict, and review your company to determine what is likely to occur in your own company, among the members of your team. If you identify one or more potential sources, if you spot difficulties or causes of discomfort, think about what you can do to prevent the situation from worsening into a real conflict. For example, if two of your collaborators work in radically different styles, to the point of having difficulty understanding each other, ask yourself if you can separate them, or talk to them so that they become aware of their differences. Prevention is often better than cure!
Playing the role of mediator and encouraging compromise
When a conflict arises, you should always start by asking yourself: "what is the problem?" Rephrase the conflict and its reasons as clearly as possible, and share your analysis with your collaborators. Most of the time, the reasons for a conflict are simple and benign, but they become worse for reasons related to the personality of each individual. Consequently, act as quickly as possible.
Most of the time, you will also find that your different collaborators each have a different vision of the problem and its "true" reasons. It's a matter of perspective, and that's normal. You must give everyone the opportunity to express their own vision, to give their opinion, even if that opinion seems inappropriate to you.
Often, it is enough to give the people involved in a conflict the opportunity to express the reasons for their dissatisfaction, to calm the resentments of each other, and to get everyone back to work. If you feel it is necessary, impose on the people involved to respect the same speaking time. Be careful not to favor anyone. Your role is to ensure that each member of your team receives the attention they need, and can speak freely, feeling supported and secure.
Then, help each of the collaborators involved to describe the ideal outcome of the conflict from their own point of view. Often, it becomes clear at this point that the different perspectives, which seemed irreconcilable a few hours earlier, are not so far apart after all. If there are still incompatible differences, make sure they are expressed as clearly as possible. Finally, remind everyone of the common objectives.
At this stage, it is often tempting to impose a solution, the one that seems – from the manager's point of view – the most appropriate or the most effective. However, avoid giving in to this ease, as an imposed solution generally has the effect of containing the conflict, until it resurfaces some time later, usually in an even more serious way.
Help your collaborators formulate a compromise. To do this, rely on the points on which everyone agrees, by placing the conflict within the broader framework of the company's overall objectives. Generally, these measures are sufficient to successfully address most conflicts.
What to do if nothing works and conflicts worsen? Before resorting to drastic solutions, think about possible alternatives. Do some collaborators need temporary help? To talk to someone outside the company about the crisis they are going through? Help your collaborators by providing them with the resources they need – it's often better than losing a talented employee because he/she is unhappy with his/her work.
Using conflicts to strengthen team spirit
Why is conflict resolution essential? Because a team that knows how to resolve its conflicts is a stronger team, and because a manager who knows how to help his team resolve its conflicts is a better manager. Conflicts are useful: they help team members learn to know each other better and to work better together.
When you help your collaborators express and resolve their conflicts, you learn to know them better, to understand them better. This is how you can discover, for example, how to better help them in case of difficulty. Indeed, conflicts generally force people to come out of their shell, to express more of their true personality, to discover themselves more broadly. By working closely with your teams, you should understand what each person is most sensitive to – which is very useful when it comes to finding the best way to motivate your collaborators.
Finally, if you are able to help your collaborators resolve their conflicts, you will establish in each a firm trust in your qualities as a manager. You will be for each a reference person and a person of trust with whom it is possible to talk about their difficulties, and whose advice is useful. No manager could dream of anything better.
Posted on February 18, 2009
pouruneentrepriseplusefficace
