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managing conflict

Read: Causes and solutions to conflict
Listen: Managing conflict

managing conflict and disagreement

Read the following article about conflict management and check how well you understand.  Click here to choose the best answer to these questions.

Conflict management

Conflict is something which happens in every walk of life from politics to the family to the workplace.  Some managers believe that conflict in the workplace is an almost inevitable consequence of highly motivated, dynamic and creative people working together closely.  Whether this is true or not, conflict is something that a manager should expect and even anticipate, and even though each single conflict situation may be different, the techniques for managing and attempting to resolve it are highly similar.

Why does conflict arise?  Conflict may arise due to a number of factors.  These include:

Poor communications – if people don’t know what decisions are being made or what changes are taking place in the organisation, conflict is inevitable.
Poor leadership – this includes leadership which is too weak (not giving enough guidance, feedback or praise) or too strong (when the manager is perceived as being aggressive or insensitive).
Ineffective or unclear decision-making processes – it is vital that people know, understand and respect these crucial processes.
Lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities – when people aren’t clear about who is doing what, they may end up treading on each other’s toes!
Clash of values or personalities.
Change – a lot of people don’t like change even if it may be for the better: change has to be managed very carefully to avoid conflict.

How can conflict be resolved?  Clearly, there are no easy solutions.  Yet some things can be kept in mind when attempting to resolve conflicts.

Recognise a conflict as soon as it appears and acknowledge it.  Do not avoid it hoping that it will go away.  It won’t.  A conflict not directly addressed will only get worse.
Arrange a meeting with the people involved as soon as you can.   Meet with all the people involved.  Do not meet separately with people in conflict – this will only cause suspicion, and you must remain impartial.
Stay objective and unemotional at all times.  Focus on the issues involved and not on the people involved.  Keep personal feelings away from work issues.   As manager, you should avoid taking sides in a power struggle.
Be prepared to accept some of the responsibility for a conflict having arisen, if necessary.
Attempt to get the interested parties talking to each other.  Make sure that there is clear, open, accurate and complete communication.
Use active listening techniques – make it clear that you have heard and understand what each party has to say.
Ask each participant to describe what specific action they would like the other party to take.
Try to come out of the meeting with a goal that is achievable, realistic, measurable and will be reached by a certain time.  Arrange a follow-up meeting to review progress.  Make it clear that you are following and interested in the situation, and that you are doing all you can to resolve it.
Realise that not all conflict can be resolved.  Know where your limits are.

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