Why is dealing with conflict important

While conflict is a normal part of any social and organizational setting, the challenge of conflict lies in how one chooses to deal with it. Concealed, avoided or otherwise ignored, conflict will likely fester only to grow into resentment, create withdrawal or cause factional infighting within an organization.

So, what creates conflict in the workplace? Opposing positions, competitive tensions, power struggles, ego, pride, jealousy, performance discrepancies, compensation issues, just someone having a bad day, etc. Clear, concise, accurate, and timely communication of information will help to ease both the number and severity of conflicts.

Emotions : Another common mistake made in workplace communications which leads to conflict is letting emotions drive decisions. I have witnessed otherwise savvy executives place the need for emotional superiority ahead of achieving their mission not that they always understood this at the time.

Case in point - have you ever witnessed an employee throw a fit of rage and draw the regrettable line in the sand in the heat of the moment? If you have, what you really watched was a person indulging their emotions rather than protecting their future. So the question then becomes how to effectively deal with conflict when it arises. It is essential for organizational health and performance that conflict be accepted and addressed through effective conflict resolution processes.

While having a conflict resolution structure is important, effective utilization of conflict resolution processes is ultimately dependant upon the ability of all parties to understand the benefits of conflict resolution, and perhaps more importantly, their desire to resolve the matter.

The following tips will help to more effective handle conflicts in the workplace:. Define Acceptable Behavior : You know what they say about assuming…Just having a definition for what constitutes acceptable behavior is a positive step in avoiding conflict.

Creating a framework for decisioning, using a published delegation of authority statement, encouraging sound business practices in collaboration, team building, leadership development, and talent management will all help avoid conflicts.

Clearly and publicly make it known what will and won't be tolerated. By actually seeking out areas of potential conflict and proactively intervening in a just and decisive fashion you will likely prevent certain conflicts from ever arising. The existence of a grievance system may also improve employee morale because employees feel they have options for pursuing conflict resolution. Open-door policy. This is a first step. It encourages employees to meet with their immediate supervisor to discuss and resolve work-related issues.

Employees should know that there will be no negative repercussions for voicing a complaint. Management review. If the open-door approach does not resolve the conflict, the next step is to have the issue reviewed by the next-higher level of management. Peer review. The aggrieved employee presents his or her side of a dispute to a small panel of employees and supervisors selected from a pool of employees trained in dispute resolution.

This method often succeeds because employees participate in decisions that affect them. Depending on the organization, a peer review may be binding on both parties. If it is not binding and the resolution is not satisfactory to the employee, the dispute may be submitted to mediation or arbitration.

A neutral employee in the organization—often an employee relations manager—acts as a facilitator, not to judge the merits of the dispute or to render a final decision, but to help both sides decide the best way to settle the dispute. A mediator is a neutral third party who helps the conflicting parties explore innovative solutions to their dispute. Mediators can be internal employees trained in conflict management and mediation, or they can be trained external professionals who have no perceived conflict of interest with the employer.

Resolving a dispute through mediation should be voluntary. This is typically the most formal, costly and time-consuming method of resolving disputes. Witnesses may be presented and cross-examined, and an arbitrator issues a binding decision.

HR must ensure that effective management training is provided regularly in the organization. Managers should also know how to spot issues and seek counsel from specialists before responding to a problem. This can ensure fair treatment of subordinates and can also protect the employer from being inadvertently exposed to legal issues. See Conflict Resolution Training for Supervisors. HR must ensure that managers have skills and training in several additional areas, including:.

Performance reviews typically occur at least once a year; some are more frequent. During such reviews, goals and objectives are determined and agreed on, and managers can give candid feedback to employees. Managers who constructively and frankly communicate such information to employees tend to establish stronger workgroups and foster better individual performers. Without feedback, employees are left to wonder how they are doing and what their manager really thinks about them, which in turn can lead to dissatisfaction, misunderstandings and conflict.

See Managing Employee Performance. Most workplace litigation arises because individuals feel they were not taken seriously or did not receive a fair hearing. HR should review disciplinary policies and procedures to ensure there is a fair process that protects employees from impulsive or ill-considered reactions by management.

Employees are more likely to view a dispute-resolution system as fair and equitable if it allows them to correct problematic behavior before termination is considered. This perception of fairness can also help minimize emotions and disruptions by other employees when a co-worker must be terminated. Supervisors and managers should be well-informed about all the organization's dispute resolution systems. They should know the rationale for each system and be able to explain how each works in practice.

An HR professional's decision about how to communicate a dispute-resolution system's details to employees will depend on the culture of the organization and the various types of media that are available and that are most effective within the workforce.

Such media may include training, staff meetings, policy and procedure manuals, organization intranet, e-mail, newsletters, flyers, new-employee orientation training materials, and individual letters to employees. HR should regularly remind managers and supervisors about the importance of dealing with conflict early and about the options available to them to resolve such matters. Problem Resolution and Peer Review Procedures.

Conflict Resolution Policy. Conflict Resolution Rules and Steps. Incident Report. Agreement: Mediation and Arbitration Agreement. Grievance Procedures: Non-Union. Conflict Resolution. Getting under the skin of workplace conflict: Tracing the experiences of employees. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server.

Please enable scripts and reload this page. Toolkits Managing Workplace Conflict. Reuse Permissions. Page Content. Overview Workplace conflict is inevitable when employees of various backgrounds and different work styles are brought together for a shared business purpose. Background Conflict can occur in any organization when employees with different backgrounds and priorities work together.

Experts offer several causes of workplace conflict, including: Personality differences. Workplace behaviors regarded by some co-workers as irritating.

Unmet needs in the workplace. Perceived inequities of resources. Unclarified roles in the workplace. Competing job duties or poor implementation of a job description—for example, placing a nonsupervisory employee in an unofficial position of "supervising" another employee. A systemic circumstance such as a workforce slowdown, a merger or acquisition, or a reduction in force. Mismanagement of organizational change and transition. Poor communication, including misunderstood remarks and comments taken out of context.

Differences over work methods or goals or differences in perspectives attributable to age, sex or upbringing. To manage conflict, employers should consider the following: Make certain that policies and communication are clear and consistent, and make the rationale for decisions transparent. Ensure that all employees—not just managers—are accountable for resolving conflict.

Do not ignore conflict, and do not avoid taking steps to prevent it. Seek to understand the underlying emotions of the employees in conflict. Keep in mind that approaches to resolving conflict may depend on the circumstances of the conflict.

Common Mistakes in Conflict Resolution. I agree with what you said that conflict resolution is an important life skill because if a person knows how to handle it effectively, they can accomplish goals and strengthen relationships. My husband is getting promoted to an executive position at his job. Previous Next. Here are several important topics related to Conflict Resolution that we will cover in more detail in future posts: 1. Learn More About Our Solution. About the Author: Terry Schmitz. Terry Schmitz is the founder and owner of The Conover Company.

Terry has been involved in the development of assessments for both education and corporations for over 30 years. He has developed hundreds of job-specific assessment systems that link to skill building systems. One Comment. Levi Armstrong October 29, at am - Reply.