Facing conflicts in the workplace is not unusual, as employees often have different personalities and points of view over a business related subject and what is the best way to handle it. For this reason, it is important to be prepared to deal with these situations in the best possible manner, developing what we call conflict management skills.
Conflict management is one of the core roles of someone in a leading position at a company. Learning how to handle conflicts efficiently can contribute to a healthy work environment and prevent bigger issues between employees to arise.
When it comes to conflict management, communication is key. In other words, trying to hear both parts of the story, understanding the source of the problem and coming up with a solution that seems fair to them is the most intelligent strategy to end the problem.
Besides, by establishing effective communication with your team, you’ll encourage them to keep an open and trusting relationship with you. And this will ultimately facilitate your efforts of being
Below, you will find the main steps to take in order to implement effective conflict management strategies in your company.
As we mentioned in the introduction, when a conflict arises in your office, the first step is to communicate with everyone involved in order to understand its reason. By knowing the source of the problem, it will be easier to define how to solve it.
Therefore, try to get all the information you can in this first moment, giving the opportunity for each employee to share their side of the story and
Take advantage of the fact that you will most likely be an outsider in this conflict, which gives you the chance to look at the situation without being bias or stressed out.
Many times, the source of the problem will be a minor issue that gained bigger proportions as both parts became defensive and started focusing on “winning” the argument instead of addressing the real issue or miscommunication. As a leader, it is your job to encourage both parts to think as a team and concentrate all efforts on trying to solve the problem rather than outplaying each other.
Once you have reclaimed everyone’s focus to the main issue, it is time to ask each party about their viewpoint on what the best outcome to solve that issue would be.
Encourage them to be reasonable and considerate of each other’s perspectives and opinions. You might be surprised with how cooperative they can be as you move forward from finger pointing and start thinking about ways to resolve the conflict.
After listening to everyone’s suggestions, the next step is coming up with a solution that both parties can support, drawing the most acceptable course of action towards solving the issue.
When making this decision, it is important to think about what is the best outcome for everyone (the company included). It is also fundamental to let your employees know what lead you to make that decision, mediating the two parties to shake hands as they have finally reached an agreement.
This is the best part of developing conflict management skills: you can always learn from previous conflicts, identifying ways of preventing future ones!
By taking these steps, you will see that managing conflicts in your company will be much easier, contributing to a healthy and more productive work environment.
Do you want to learn more tips to apply to your work routine? Keep posted on Twig’s blog!
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