Managing Workplace Conflicts
29 November 2012
Read by 1505 persons
While conflicts often indicate healthy, creative, and productive exchanges of viewpoints, they can quickly become detrimental and negatively impact individual productivity: poor customer service, increased absenteeism, various complaints, increased stress...
Managing conflicts is crucial to avoid unmanageable situations and to discern whether a conflict is a normal part of a workday and its related relationships, or a deeper issue.
Here are the most common attitudes towards conflict:
Accommodating Collaboration
Here, the employee prioritizes collaboration over self-assertion. This is usually positive. However, the individual tends to neglect their needs to satisfy others, and this "sacrifice," intended for appeasement, can lead to violent clashes.
The goal is to find a solution that suits everyone and prioritizes the company's interests.
Excessive Competition
Here, the employee chooses power and dominance, self-assertion, but not collaboration. The goal is to achieve their objective, regardless of others, focusing only on their needs.
This choice most often leads to clashes and legal resolution.
Avoidance
Here, the employee avoids assertion, collaboration, and dominance. They only seek to avoid or deny the problem. This delays problematic issues.
Ideally, a respite allows employees to find an accommodating solution. However, it's more likely to worsen the situation and lead to extreme unpleasantness.
This "retreat to regroup" approach is common but not ideal for significant conflicts.
Essential and Immediate Solutions:
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
Managing conflicts is crucial to avoid unmanageable situations and to discern whether a conflict is a normal part of a workday and its related relationships, or a deeper issue.
Here are the most common attitudes towards conflict:
Accommodating Collaboration
Here, the employee prioritizes collaboration over self-assertion. This is usually positive. However, the individual tends to neglect their needs to satisfy others, and this "sacrifice," intended for appeasement, can lead to violent clashes.
The goal is to find a solution that suits everyone and prioritizes the company's interests.
Excessive Competition
Here, the employee chooses power and dominance, self-assertion, but not collaboration. The goal is to achieve their objective, regardless of others, focusing only on their needs.
This choice most often leads to clashes and legal resolution.
Avoidance
Here, the employee avoids assertion, collaboration, and dominance. They only seek to avoid or deny the problem. This delays problematic issues.
Ideally, a respite allows employees to find an accommodating solution. However, it's more likely to worsen the situation and lead to extreme unpleasantness.
This "retreat to regroup" approach is common but not ideal for significant conflicts.
Essential and Immediate Solutions:
- Address the problem promptly to avoid disastrous consequences for employees and the company.
- Consider compromise, a middle ground between self-assertion and collaboration, aiming for quick common ground.
- Communicate. Build bridges through calm, respectful dialogue, expressing discomfort and/or disagreement.
- Hold regular meetings for decision-making (e.g., job assignments). Avoid unspoken issues and rumors.
- Understand your colleague's objectives related to their role in the company.
- Foster a positive, friendly atmosphere beyond the professional setting and objectives.
- Consider external help. A mediator can find middle ground.
Article written by The ReKrute.com Team
