Avoid These Actions in Effective Conflict
Resolution
Organization leaders are
responsible for creating a work environment that enables people to thrive. If
turf wars, disagreements and differences of opinion escalate into interpersonal
conflict, you must intervene immediately. Not intervening is not an option if
you value your organization and your positive culture. In conflict-ridden
situations, your mediation skill and interventions are critical.
Actions to Avoid in Conflict Resolution
Do not avoid the
conflict, hoping it will go away. Trust me. It won't. Even if the conflict
appears to have been superficially put to rest, it will rear its ugly head
whenever stress increases or a new disagreement occurs. An unresolved conflict
or interpersonal disagreement festers just under the surface in your work
environment. It burbles to the surface whenever enabled, and always at the
worst possible moment. This, too, shall pass, is not an option - ever.
Do not meet
separately with people in conflict. If you allow each individual to tell their
story to you, you risk polarizing their positions. The person in conflict has a
vested interest in making himself or herself “right” if you place yourself in
the position of judge and jury. The sole goal of the employee, in this
situation, is to convince you of the merits of their case.
Do not believe,
for even a moment, the only people who are affected by the conflict are the
participants. Everyone
in your office and every employee with whom the conflicting employees interact, is affected by the stress.
People feel as if they are walking on egg shells in the presence of the
antagonists. This contributes to the creation of a hostile work environment for other employees. In worst case
scenarios, your organization members take sides and your organization is
divided.
How to Mediate and Resolve Conflict
These are the steps you'll want to
take to help employees resolve conflicts in your workplace.
Meet with the
antagonists together. Let each
briefly summarize their point of view, without comment or interruption by the
other party. This should be a short discussion so that all parties are clear
about the disagreement and conflicting views. Intervene if either employee
attacks the other employee. This is not acceptable.
Ask each
participant to describe specific actions they’d like to see the other party
take that would
resolve the differences. Three or four suggestions work well. An example is,
“I’d like Mary to send the report to me by Thursday at 1 p.m. so I can complete
my assignment by my due date of Friday at noon.” A second example is, “I would
like to have responsibility for all of the business development and follow-up
with that client. The way the work is divided now causes Tom and I to never
know what the other person is doing.”
Sometimes,
as in the second example above, you, as the
supervisor, must own some of the responsibility for helping the employees resolve their
conflict. Always ask, “What about the work situation is causing these staff
members to fail?”
If the situation
needs further exploration, use a process I've adapted from
Stephen Covey in which you ask each participant to additionally identify what
the other employee can do more of, less of, stop and start.
All participants
discuss and commit to making
the changes necessary to resolve the conflict. Commit to noticing that the
other person has made a change, no matter how small. Commit to treating each
other with dignity and respect. It is okay to have reasonable disagreements
over issues and plans; it is never okay to have personality conflicts that affect the workplace.
Let the
antagonists know that you will not choose sides. It is impossible for a
person external to the conflict to know the truth of the matter. You expect the individuals to
resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. If they are unwilling to do so, you will be
forced to take disciplinary action that can lead to dismissal for both
parties.
Finally, assure both parties that you have
every faith in their ability to resolve their differences and get on with their successful contributions
within your shared organization. Set a time to review progress.
Mediating a conflict is
challenging, but as a manager or supervisor, the role of mediator comes with
your territory. Your willingness to appropriately intervene sets the stage for
your own success. You craft a work environment that enables the success of the
people who work there. I believe you can learn to do it. Conflict mediation is
an example of “practice makes perfect.”
This article is reprinted
from about.com, About Money http://humanresources.about.com/od/managementtips/a/conflict_solue.htm
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