Conflict Resolution Begins with an Open Mind
Some amount of conflict is inevitable any time you get two or more people together -- including in the workplace. To facilitate cooperation and productivity, leaders must have strong conflict resolution skills to handle disputes and disagreements that arise between employees, teams and departments.Listed below are several great articles and blog posts I’ve read on conflict resolution this week. They offer specific guidelines and rules I think you’ll find helpful.Solving Workplace Conflict: Lessons From the Blurred Lines Lawsuit. TLNT: “Of course, Thicke and Williams’ position is that while they may have been influenced by Gaye’s music, this particular song is their unique creation. Williams’ spokesperson put it this way: ‘Pharrell created ‘Blurred Lines’ from his heart, mind and soul and the song was not taken from anyone or anywhere else.’ Thicke is singing another tune. He claims he was high while recording the song and for many months afterward. He’s also saying that Williams ‘wrote almost every single part of the song.’A rat from a sinking ship? I don’t know, but that’s what tends to happen when conflict gets out of control and people want to distance themselves from the mess.”Handle Workplace Conflict Like a Boss. Millennial Magazine: “At times it’s difficult not to become offended or defensive during a workplace conflict. It’s easy to want to put on a pair of gloves and duke it out when you’re upset at something. Obviously you want to keep your job so let’s jump to plan B. Check the ego and emotions at the door and stick with the facts. When emotion comes into play, you can lose sight of the real issue at hand and it can escalate into a situation that may need assistance from a third party mediator; thus potentially messing up your reputation at work. Be sure to stick to the problem and don’t put yourself in the mix. Also, try and keep it as professional as you can.”Tips for Managing Hostile Employees. University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business: “Mentally separate the person’s professional role from their difficult personality. Try to focus on their professional contributions and do not, under any circumstances, engage in arguments or allow your buttons to be pushed. Your ultimate goal is to get this employee to be productive and contribute to the team, not to argue back-and-forth.”Clarkson Controversy Highlights the Impact of Workplace Conflict. Stratum: “Conflict is commonplace in most work environments and arguably can be an important part of the creative and bonding processes. Teams are described by Bruce Tuckman as going through stages of forming, storming and norming before finally performing to their full potential. But it’s fair to say that when punches begin to be thrown things are beginning to get out of hand. As a leader, it’s important to recognise how destructive conflict can emerge. The alleged cause of the Clarkson dust up, the lack of a hot meal at the end of a long shoot, seems trivial, but is evidence that the immediate catalyst can often a symptom of an underlying and long-term issue.”Four Strategies for Addressing Company Conflict. Andrew Jensen: “Usually, if you choose to confront the opposing parties using the smoothing technique, you inform the parties that you are aware of the situation but expect productivity and organization to remain intact. This leaves the parties with the choice to either rectify the situation or ignore it, but in either situation, they know that their workplace responsibilities are not to be negatively affected.”Need help training your company’s leaders in conflict resolution? Contact us; we’re happy to assist.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.
