Managing Workplace Conflict

While conflict is a natural part of any workplace, it can sometimes lead to challenges like missed work, reduced productivity, and mental health issues. Conflict can also be a good thing, sparking new ideas, encouraging innovation, and improving teamwork. However, for conflict to help an organization grow, it needs to be managed well. If not properly managed, it can lead to stress and insecurity.

One of the key challenges in managing workplace conflict is the wide variety of personalities found in any team, each bringing their own style of communication and work ethic to the team. We’ve all met them at some point in our working lives: the gossip, the complainer, the know-it-all, the bully, the kiss-up, the procrastinator, the control freak, the game player — the list goes on. They’re the people who waste our time, cause us stress, and often draw us into unwanted conflict and drama. Effective management of different personalities requires a cool head and keeping an eye on the real goals — saving time, energy, and stress.

How does conflict affect organizations and individuals?

A mix of talents and personalities is needed for a business to stay innovative and competitive. However, conflicts can be expensive for both employees and employers. For example, 52% percent of work time is wasted defending, avoiding, and venting to others. Absenteeism (due to workplace conflict) costs Canadian firms more than three billion dollars a year. Employees who feel mistreated and disrespected often withhold ideas and refuse to share information, skills, and knowledge which further damages organizations. Workplace conflicts can also lead to more client complaints, sabotage, increased injury and accidents, rising disability claims, grievances and litigation, employee turnover, and low morale.

For individuals, the results are equally damaging. They include: stress, frustration, anxiety, depression, loss of sleep, strained relationships, and poor performance.

Sources of Conflict

There are many causes for conflict. Some of the primary ones include:

• Poor communication. Different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings.

• Different values. Each of us sees the world differently. Conflict occurs when there is a lack of acceptance about these differences.

• Differing interests. Conflict happens when individuals ‘fight’ to attain their personal goals, putting them before organizational goals and disregarding the feelings of others.

• Workload imbalance. When someone feels like they're carrying more of the workload, it can lead to resentment and conflict.

• Personality clashes. We’re not all going to like each other, but we all do need to find ways to work effectively together.

• Different work styles. We all work in different ways and conflicting working styles can cause problems.

• Bullying and harassment. Persistent negative behaviour, such as bullying or harassment, can damage team morale, create a toxic work environment, and lead to long-term emotional harm for those affected.

• Unfair treatment and poor leadership. When people see favouritism or feel like leadership isn’t doing a good job, it can cause frustration and lead to conflict.

• Poor performance. When one or more people within a department are performing poorly and others are picking up the slack, conflict is inevitable.

Addressing Conflict

There are a number of ways people deal with any conflict. They can: ignore it and hope it goes away, compete and let the winner take all, accommodate by surrendering their own needs to please the other person, collaborate to find a mutually beneficial solution, or compromise and find the middle ground. Collaboration and/or compromise are the most productive forms of dealing with any dispute because both parties work together to find an agreeable solution. No one loses and everyone wins.

Resolution

The first step in resolving a workplace conflict is to think about the other person’s point of view. Try to be reasonable, respectful and polite, or at least neutral, in all your dealings. Your rational behaviour might encourage the other person to act accordingly. If simply changing your own behaviour isn’t enough, you might need to address the person head on. If so, keep the following in mind:

Tips for Resolving Conflict

• Try to understand the cause of the conflict. What’s the problem really about? Is it a personality conflict? Is a personal agenda getting in the way of organizational needs?

• Be prepared with some solutions before you even approach the other person and address the issue face- to-face.

• Stay calm and stick to the subject. Avoid saying things like, “You make life difficult for everyone!” or “You never get your stats to me in time!” Accusatory statements only make people defensive.

• Use “I” Statements. When discussing the conflict, use “I” statements instead of “you” statements. For example, say “I feel frustrated when meetings start late” instead of “You always make us late.” This approach focuses on your feelings and reduces the chance of the other person becoming defensive.

• Listen to the other person. Give the other person a chance to tell his or her side of the issue without interrupting.

• Be prepared to compromise. Resolving conflicts fairly almost always involves give and take on both sides.

• Get help from a manager or human resources representative if necessary. If you don’t feel that you can handle the conflict on your own, talk to your manager or someone from human resources for support.

• Know when to walk away. Sometimes, conflicts can become heated. If things are getting out of hand, it’s okay to take a step back. Suggest taking a break and revisiting the conversation later when both parties are calmer.

Turning Workplace Conflict into Growth

You might think work would be so much easier if you didn’t have to deal with difficult people, but difficult co-workers or clients can actually be helpful in your professional growth. Successfully managing workplace conflict requires patience, logic, excellent communication skills, and a cool head — essential tools for any successful people-leader, or anyone else trying to resolve conflict in order to maintain a healthy workplace.