Conflict Management in the Workplace

Conflict Management in the Workplace

Conflict Management in the workplace involves a lot of understanding and listening skills.  Workplace conflict is a time-consuming and costly problem that can have a severe impact on the bottom line.  (Groenewald)  Conflict in the workplace can arise from several issues including clashing personalities, miscommunication, perceived backbiting, negative politics, or a perception of hidden agendas.  These create bad relationships amongst co-workers and the result of not having a good communication model or grudges held by individuals from the outset of a disagreement where initial problems were not addressed.

These workplace conflicts usually are the outcome of serious disagreements over needs and goals.  The resulting behaviors include gossip, avoidance, verbal abuse, passive or aggressive communication, and even hostility.  This creates a drop in productivity, a slump in creativity and innovation, and the focus shifts more towards the problems than solutions to the problem.  If this problem is not approached head-on, it will result in hostility, stress and wasted resources.

Carter McNamara’s Basics of Conflict Management lists the types of managerial actions that cause workplace conflicts as the following:

1. Poor communications
a. Employees experience continuing surprises, they aren’t informed of new 
decisions, programs, etc. 
b. Employees don’t understand reasons for decisions, they aren’t involved in 
decision-making.
c. As a result, employees trust the “rumor mill” more than management.

2. The alignment or the amount of resources is insufficient. There is:
a. Disagreement about “who does what”.
b. Stress from working with inadequate resources.

3. “Personal chemistry”, including conflicting values or actions among managers and employees, for example:
a. Strong personal natures don’t match.
b. We often don’t like in others what we don’t like in ourselves.

4. Leadership problems, including inconsistent, missing, too-strong or uninformed leadership (at any level in the organization), evidenced by:
a. Avoiding conflict, “passing the buck” with little follow-through on decisions.
b. Employees see the same continued issues in the workplace. 
c. Supervisors don’t understand the jobs of their subordinates.

McNamara further lists how key managerial actions/structures can minimize conflicts by:

1. Regularly review job descriptions. Get your employee’s input to them. Write down and date job descriptions. Ensure:
a. Job roles don’t conflict.
b. No tasks “fall in a crack”.

2. Intentionally build relationships with all subordinates.
a. Meet at least once a month alone with them in office.
b. Ask about accomplishments, challenges and issues.

3. Get regular, written status reports and include:
a. Accomplishments.
b. Currents issues and needs from management.
c. Plans for the upcoming period.

4. Conduct basic training about:
a. Interpersonal communications.
b. Conflict management.
c. Delegation.

5. Develop procedures for routine tasks and include the employees’ input.
a. Have employees write procedures when possible and appropriate. 
b. Get employees’ review of the procedures.
c. Distribute the procedures.
d. Train employees about the procedures.

6. Regularly hold management meetings, for example, every month, to communicate new initiatives and status of current programs.

7. Consider an anonymous suggestion box in which employees can provide suggestions.

Finding a workable solution to solving conflict scenarios involves conflict management and resolution which addresses everyone’s needs and concerns, including your own.  (Swinton)  There must be an understanding of the different forms of behavior resulting from the conflict.  The conflict management model shows how assertive and co-operative behaviors inter-relate.  The ability to manage conflict is a critical skill and has been identified as a core competency for managers and leaders at every level.

McNamara identifies 9 steps to successfully solve workplace conflict.  They include the following:

1.     Once you have been made aware of the problem, call a meeting with the people concerned and define the situation as factually as possible.

2.    Confront the possible negative issues in the relationship.  Find out the problems and constraints the two people involved are dealing with.  Let them list their problems, while emphasizing that you are talking about ‘possible’ negatives.  Do not look for solutions at this stage.

3.    Encourage the people involved to look at the possible positive sides to their relationship.  Persuade the parties to identify the constructive aspects of their daily dealings with each other.  Brainstorm the possibilities for a resolution.

4.    Once you have analyzed the different options.  Generate and integrate positive aspirations in order to begin creating motivation from the involved parties.

5.    Generate strategies to achieve the listed aspirations.  List your combined plans, actions, objectives and supporting goals.  Focus on the positives.

6.    Set up a supporting structure (resources and system) to accomplish the aspirations and selected directions.

7.    Measure the cost of non-compliance.   Ensure that the parties are aware of the cost of not following the solutions to the problem.

8.    Decide when and how the situation will be evaluated and re-evaluated.  Make sure you stress that the parties will be held accountable.

9.    Summarize your discussions up to this point.  Reiterate the positive.  Remind the parties what it is they want and what the organization is expecting from them.  End on a positive note.

References:

Groenewald, Adriaan.  A nine-step process for resolving workplace conflict.  The Manager.org.  Retrieved on 18 May, 2011 from http://www.themanager.org/hr/workplace_conflict.htm

McNamara, Carter.  Basics of Conflict Management.  Free Management Library.  Retrieved 18 May, 2011 from http://managementhelp.org/intrpsnl/basics.htm

Swinton, Lyndsay.  Workplace Conflict Management:  Strategy for Successful Resolution.  Mftrou.com.  Retrieved on 18 May, 2011 from http://www.mftrou.com/workplace-conflict-management-strategy.html

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