Resolving conflict in the workplace is a skill that must be mastered if you want to be a good leader. Many leaders shy away from difficult conversations which makes conflict much worse. In this video, I will walk you through some scenarios to show you how to have these conversations to resolve conflict.
Take this scenario for example. There are two employees who cannot agree on anything. One employee complains about how they’re being treated and they feel that they are not being heard. Their ideas are shut down and their expertise is always questioned. In other words, they are not being respected.
How Do You Handle Conflict on Your Team?
You (as a manager) speak to the second employee about this. You ask them what they think of the first employee and they say that employee is great. They tell you that employee #1 must misunderstand their intentions and they respect them. You believe employee #2 and relay this information to employee #1. They try to tell you that this issue is not resolved but you believe that it is. This is a very common occurrence in businesses today – managers state that conflict is resolved when it is not. This is largely because people want conflict to go away more than they want it resolved.
Managing Conflict
Even if you think that a conflict is resolved, you must check back in on it periodically. When people have time to think things through, their opinions may change or become even more heightened. You need to make sure that you listen to all sides of the conflict to decide how conflict should be resolved. In this scenario, the manager delivered messages back and forth between two employees. This is known as “playing telephone” and it is a very common misstep in resolving conflict. You cannot play telephone. This will only serve to separate the employees even more, especially if they are instructed to go to management whenever they have a problem.
How to Properly Manage Conflict in the Workplace
Instead, you need to mediate a conversation between the employees who are having a conflict. This is difficult at first but you will get the hang of it with practice.
You need to give the employees equal time to state their case. When one person is offended because they are not being respected or listened to, take special notice of the offender’s actions. You should watch how they interact with people outside of this conversation because they may be prone to unconscious bias. You can easily spot this if the person constantly tells you that someone “misunderstood” their intentions.
As a conflict mediator, it is not your job to take sides. However, if no compromise can be made then you will have to select a conflict resolution that will please one person but not the other. When managing conflict, you cannot aim to be everyone’s friend. You will inevitably disappoint one person if they are not in support of the resolution.
Explaining the Conflict Resolution
If an employee is not happy with the conflict resolution, you should take them aside and talk to them one-on-one. Explain to them why you chose that resolution. Give them time to respond if they want and truly listen to what they are saying. The most important part of conflict resolution is listening.
Resolving conflict in the workplace is a tough skill to master. However, when you manage conflict appropriately, you will be able to tap into your team’s capabilities for innovation as they all bring their own ideas to the table.
Resolving Conflict in the Workplace – Courses on Pluralsight
You can learn more about managing conflict in my Pluralsight course, Managing Technical Professionals. This course includes animated scenario-based training and you will watch as a management team uses best practices in conflict resolution as well as other skills to help you get your employees to perform at their highest potential. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills that you need to provide a positive and productive working environment as well as attract and retain top talent. Click the button below to get started with a free trial today!