HOW TO MANAGE CONFLICT
Gregory P. Smith
 Do you have people in your
office that dislike each other? Do they cause problems for everyone
else? Conflict in the workplace is a painful reality.
The goal is to recognize
friction and tension and deal with it before it escalates into a major
problem. One point is clear--conflict does not magically go away if
ignored.
Certain types of conflict
in the workplace, such as sexual harassment and discrimination, are very
obvious and readily identified. Other forms of conflict may not be
so easily identified.
Small, irritating events
that occur repeatedly over time may cause one individual to strike out at
another. Managers who exhibit favoritism toward one or more
employees set themselves up for problems with the “non-favored.”
Employees who find ways to appear busy while doing nothing can easily
create dissatisfaction among the rest of the department.
Conflict may develop when an employee, because he or she did not fully
understand the job responsibilities, receives an unsatisfactory job
evaluation.
What type of conflict
requires intervention? Anything that disrupts the office or
poses a threat to other employees needs addressing. The degree to
which you tolerate a situation before intervention may vary. A
manager may not feel it necessary to intervene when a minor exchange of
words occurs between employees--unless such an incident becomes a daily
occurrence and expands beyond the employees initially involved.
However, a situation where one employee threatens another requires
immediate action. When handling conflict, some basic guidelines
apply.
Acknowledge the
situation. I
remember an exchange between a manager and an upset employee. The
manager said, “Well, don’t worry about it. It really doesn’t
matter.” To which the employee replied, “Just because it doesn’t
matter to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter to me.” Refusing to
acknowledge an employee’s anger or concerns only adds fuel to the fire.
Get all the
information. Few
situations are exactly as presented by one person or even two.
Before you try to settle a dispute, you need to hear all sides of the
matter.
Take your time-be
patient. The old
adage, “Haste makes waste,” has more truth in it than we sometimes
realize. Take time to evaluate all information. A
too-quick decision can do more harm than good when it turns out to be the
wrong decision.
Focus on the problem,
not the individual.
Employee X may not be the most congenial of your employees. Most
people know at least one “problem employee” during their work experience.
This is the employee who is consistently unhappy and
uncooperative--regardless!
This does not mean employee
X does not have a legitimate problem. Focus on identifying and
resolving the problem. If, after careful and thorough investigation,
you determine the individual is the problem, then focus on the individual
at that point.
Keep talking; keep
listening.
Keep the communication open. Allow the employee to express their
viewpoint, but also share with the employee the view from your
perspective. In addition, be aware of the difference between
talking “with” the employee and talking “to” the employee.
Talking “with” the employee involves listening.
Act decisively.
Once you have taken time to gather information, talked to all the parties
involved, and reviewed all the circumstances, make your decision and act.
Leaving the matter in limbo can damage your employees’ perception of you
as an effective manager. They may view you as either too weak,
too uncaring, or both, to handle the problem. The employees
may not all agree with your decision, but at least they will know where
matters stand.
Do not try to resolve
conflict by intimidation.
Yelling at someone or using manipulation techniques may stop the problem
at that moment, but do not fool yourself into thinking it is a long-term
solution. Odds are the problem will resurface. At that
point not only will you have the initial problem to deal with but also the
angry feelings that have festered below the surface in the interim.
Take our Resolving Conflict training course.
Gregory P. Smith speaks at
conferences, leads seminars and helps organizations solve problems.
He leads an organization called Chart Your Course International located in
Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464.
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