Conflict Happens

When we have people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, we will always have conflict. Healthy conflict over ideas and concepts can be a benefit to a thriving organization, helping the group reach the best ideas and conclusions.

Unhealthy conflict is the topic for today. This type of conflict revolves around personal attacks, personalities, etc. and does not have the best intentions.

While the ideal situation is to not have this conflict, it is not realistic.

The key to not letting conflict zap all your energy is to have effective communication practices in place and a clearly defined process to follow when conflict arises.

Strategies for Effective Communication:

• Create a safe and open environment where all parties feel comfortable expressing their perspectives and feelings. This can be achieved through team meetings, one-on-one discussions, or even anonymous feedback mechanisms.

• Ensure that everyone has a voice and feels heard.

• Create an environment where it is okay to make mistakes to avoid blaming and deflecting behaviours. As a leader, admit your own mistakes.

Have a Clearly Defined Process:

Addressing staff concerns promptly and effectively is crucial for maintaining a positive work environment.

Here Is An Example Of A Step-By-Step Guide:

1. Ask: Has the Employee Spoken with the Person Directly?

   First Step: If the employee has not yet spoken directly with the person involved in the conflict, encourage them to do so. Direct communication can often resolve misunderstandings quickly and efficiently.
   
   Proceed to Step 2: If the employee has already spoken with the person and the issue remains unresolved, move to the next step.
   
   *Minor conflict is generally resolved after step one. 90% of the time conflict is about miscommunication/misunderstanding.

2. Has the Person Escalated the Issue to Their Supervisor?

   Next Step: If the issue persists after direct communication, the employee should escalate the concern to their supervisor.

   If You Are The Supervisor: Proceed to step 3.

3. Supervisor’s Duty to Act

   Gather Details: As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to act on the concern. Start by gathering all relevant details from the employee.

   Discuss: Have a thorough discussion with the employee to understand the nature of the conflict.

   Inform of Next Steps: Clearly communicate the next steps to the employee, ensuring they understand the process that will follow.

4. Have a Conversation with the Accused or Investigate

   Conversation or Investigation: Depending on the seriousness of the concern, either have a direct conversation with the accused party or initiate a formal investigation.

   Assess the Situation: Ensure that the approach taken is appropriate to the severity of the issue.

5. Document and Review Results and Next Steps

   Documentation: Keep detailed records of all discussions, findings, and actions taken.

   Review: Regularly review the results and next steps with all parties involved to ensure the issue is being resolved satisfactorily.

   Follow-up: Schedule follow-up meetings to check in on progress and address any further concerns.

By following these steps, you can ensure concerns are managed in a structured and fair manner, fostering a respectful and collaborative work environment.

The goal is not just to resolve the conflict but to strengthen the team and improve overall dynamics. Creating a workplace where everyone enjoys coming to work.

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Nancy Dewald is a business development professional, workshop facilitator and optical industry veteran. She is CEO and founder of Lead Up Training & Consulting, which specializes in identifying business gaps, implementing solutions and developing leaders.

Article as seen in Optical Prism.