Conflict in general can be normal and healthy, but it is important to be able to recognize when a situation is constructive and when it is detrimental to the work environment. Unnecessary or malicious conflict can cause stress, lowered productivity, reduced cohesion, and increased costs to solve the problem.
Conflict resolution can be an incredibly nuanced process that must account for the personalities of the individuals involved as well as their environments. However, it can be simplified into two main principles: prevention and mediation.
Prevention
Resolution begins well before an incident occurs, by cultivating a company culture that discourages conflict in the first place. Avoid escalation that can create a toxic work environment and even violent encounters. Prevention hinges on creating a positive work environment where employees feel comfortable addressing their issues to their colleagues and their superiors.
- Promote Teamwork
- An effective starting point for avoiding negative conflict is by promoting projects where employees are able to collaborate together. By highlighting the success of these projects, you can remind everyone of the benefits of working in unison. This also has the added benefit of improving productivity, because it encourages employees to find common ground and solve problems together.
- Announce Praise
- Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator. Recognizing the accomplishments of exemplary employees helps highlight the characteristics that your organization values and provides an incentive to try to emulate those traits.
- Foster Communication
- A closed door office is the breeding ground for conflict. Make sure that employees understand that they can voice their concerns without fear of reprisal or judgment.
Mediation
After the fact, the best way to resolve an incident is by addressing it head on. By bringing the affected parties together and arbitrating you can prevent further contention. The only way to effectively mediate is through impartiality.
- Address the Conflict Immediately
- Ignoring an issue hoping that it will fix itself can lead to even greater consequences down the road. it is important to carefully consider the circumstances of the conflict and not rush into judgment, but it should be addressed as soon as possible.
- Meet Together
- When mediating, it is important to get all of the involved parties in the same room. Give everyone an opportunity to explain the situation from their perspective. By hearing the argument from every side you can gain a better understanding of the conflict. Having them together can also help quickly facilitate an amicable resolution.
- Listen then Respond
- As mentioned above a huge factor of conflict resolution is simply not jumping to conclusions and getting both sides of an argument. Without understanding the nature of the conflict, it is easy to misjudge and make the situation worse.
While these steps are useful in the event of a potentially harmful conflict, remember that some disagreement can be beneficial and even essential to progress. One aspect of being a leader is being able to cultivate positive arguments and intervene in negative ones.
