How to Manage Workplace Conflicts
26 April 2011
Read by 2131 persons
Trouble between a manager and their team, clashes between company employees, blockages, stress... Conflict is normal and inherent in any human relationship. The important thing is not to try to avoid it, but to know how to anticipate it and defuse it before it escalates and causes pain and emotional suffering.
Often, conflicts are internalized by team members until the last straw breaks the camel's back. There are several types of conflict with multiple causes and different associated risks (professional disagreements, power struggles, cultural conflicts, personality differences...). The goal is to know them well in order to better manage them.
Anticipating Conflicts
It's not about preventing conflicts from happening, but about trying to anticipate them in order to minimize their consequences.
To do this, certain management errors, often sources of conflict, can be avoided, such as:
- Showing favoritism among team members;
- Not giving enough importance to a problem encountered by one of the team members;
- Rejecting ideas proposed by the team without concrete and relevant arguments;
- Not trying to understand why some people on the team are demotivated by their work.
Managers, by avoiding this type of behavior, you will prevent the risks of jealousy and disagreements among your employees and thus promote work in a climate of trust and serenity.
Knowing How to Communicate
Many conflicts between people are often underlying. If this crisis persists, it deteriorates working relationships, sometimes leading to total and obvious breakdown. Yet, a frank and honest explanation is often enough to "break the ice" and de-escalate a situation often marked by mutual misinterpretations.
Talking openly allows you to clarify the causes of the conflict in order to bring it to a positive outcome. The logical next step is to find solutions that are acceptable to everyone: the people involved and yourself, the manager... However, the decisions taken must be compatible with the company's objectives.
Developing Your Mediation Skills
The interdependence of stakeholders should encourage them to seek a "win-win" rather than a "lose-lose" outcome. Mediation is then the way to find solutions that are beneficial for both parties and thus lead them to a mutual agreement.
By developing your mediation skills, you can unblock a situation that is harmful to the company and thus avoid resorting to legal action. By organizing a meeting between the protagonists, you will facilitate communication and structure the discussion until the final resolution of the problem.
In conclusion, here are five key attitudes to adopt to effectively manage conflicts:
Consultation and teamwork
Respect for others and their feelings
Continuous self-reflection and empathy
Effective communication: active listening and openness
Determination to pursue common goals and succeed
Posted on April 26, 2011
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
Often, conflicts are internalized by team members until the last straw breaks the camel's back. There are several types of conflict with multiple causes and different associated risks (professional disagreements, power struggles, cultural conflicts, personality differences...). The goal is to know them well in order to better manage them.
Anticipating Conflicts
It's not about preventing conflicts from happening, but about trying to anticipate them in order to minimize their consequences.
To do this, certain management errors, often sources of conflict, can be avoided, such as:
- Showing favoritism among team members;
- Not giving enough importance to a problem encountered by one of the team members;
- Rejecting ideas proposed by the team without concrete and relevant arguments;
- Not trying to understand why some people on the team are demotivated by their work.
Managers, by avoiding this type of behavior, you will prevent the risks of jealousy and disagreements among your employees and thus promote work in a climate of trust and serenity.
Knowing How to Communicate
Many conflicts between people are often underlying. If this crisis persists, it deteriorates working relationships, sometimes leading to total and obvious breakdown. Yet, a frank and honest explanation is often enough to "break the ice" and de-escalate a situation often marked by mutual misinterpretations.
Talking openly allows you to clarify the causes of the conflict in order to bring it to a positive outcome. The logical next step is to find solutions that are acceptable to everyone: the people involved and yourself, the manager... However, the decisions taken must be compatible with the company's objectives.
Developing Your Mediation Skills
The interdependence of stakeholders should encourage them to seek a "win-win" rather than a "lose-lose" outcome. Mediation is then the way to find solutions that are beneficial for both parties and thus lead them to a mutual agreement.
By developing your mediation skills, you can unblock a situation that is harmful to the company and thus avoid resorting to legal action. By organizing a meeting between the protagonists, you will facilitate communication and structure the discussion until the final resolution of the problem.
In conclusion, here are five key attitudes to adopt to effectively manage conflicts:
Consultation and teamwork
Respect for others and their feelings
Continuous self-reflection and empathy
Effective communication: active listening and openness
Determination to pursue common goals and succeed
Posted on April 26, 2011
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
