Job Success: Resolving Workplace Conflict. Identifying conflict There are many reasons behind workplace conflict. Different communication styles. People communicate in different ways.
For example, a person with an indirect communication style may have trouble successfully communicating with someone with a direct communication style. People often respond negatively to change, especially if they feel threatened or unprepared to successfully deal with it. This can sometimes be a source of conflict. Today's workplace is filled with people of different ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations.
Some people reject rather than embrace such differences. Mismatched goals, expectations, or values. This type of conflict is often the most difficult to resolve. Coping with conflict Many people are uncomfortable with any sort of conflict because they feel unequipped to handle it. In order to deal with workplace conflict, they incorporate a variety of negative coping methods, including: Avoidance.
The belief that if you ignore a problem, it will go away. Sometimes it's easier to accept the problem, than gossip and complain about it later. Trying to please everyone and fix everything rather than deal directly with the conflict.
Combative behavior. Exhibiting mean, abusive, and rude behavior, which is inappropriate and can turn violent. A strong leader will step in, without getting involved in the drama, without taking sides, and will resolve the conflict professionally and amicably, so that all parties feel valued and can be sent on their merry way to do what they are paid for — their jobs.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but often employees involved in the conflict will not be aware of how their behaviour is affecting the wider business. Call a meeting between the affected parties and focus solely on work issues, calmly bringing to their attention how internal politics or fighting is affecting their colleagues, customers, and job performance.
Make it clear that whilst disagreements over work issues can be resolved without further disruption for the benefit of the business, personality clashes and issues related to personal relationships outside of work are wholly unacceptable and unprofessional, and will not be tolerated in your workplace. Sometimes, conflicts at work are just so entrenched that it becomes impossible to resolve them internally. Employees are more likely to view a dispute-resolution system as fair and equitable if it allows them to correct problematic behavior before termination is considered.
This perception of fairness can also help minimize emotions and disruptions by other employees when a co-worker must be terminated. Supervisors and managers should be well-informed about all the organization's dispute resolution systems.
They should know the rationale for each system and be able to explain how each works in practice. An HR professional's decision about how to communicate a dispute-resolution system's details to employees will depend on the culture of the organization and the various types of media that are available and that are most effective within the workforce.
Such media may include training, staff meetings, policy and procedure manuals, organization intranet, e-mail, newsletters, flyers, new-employee orientation training materials, and individual letters to employees.
HR should regularly remind managers and supervisors about the importance of dealing with conflict early and about the options available to them to resolve such matters. Problem Resolution and Peer Review Procedures. Conflict Resolution Policy. Conflict Resolution Rules and Steps. Incident Report. Agreement: Mediation and Arbitration Agreement. Grievance Procedures: Non-Union. Conflict Resolution. Getting under the skin of workplace conflict: Tracing the experiences of employees.
You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Toolkits Managing Workplace Conflict. Reuse Permissions. Page Content. Overview Workplace conflict is inevitable when employees of various backgrounds and different work styles are brought together for a shared business purpose. Background Conflict can occur in any organization when employees with different backgrounds and priorities work together.
Experts offer several causes of workplace conflict, including: Personality differences. Workplace behaviors regarded by some co-workers as irritating. Unmet needs in the workplace. Perceived inequities of resources. Unclarified roles in the workplace. Competing job duties or poor implementation of a job description—for example, placing a nonsupervisory employee in an unofficial position of "supervising" another employee. A systemic circumstance such as a workforce slowdown, a merger or acquisition, or a reduction in force.
Mismanagement of organizational change and transition. Poor communication, including misunderstood remarks and comments taken out of context. Differences over work methods or goals or differences in perspectives attributable to age, sex or upbringing. To manage conflict, employers should consider the following: Make certain that policies and communication are clear and consistent, and make the rationale for decisions transparent.
Ensure that all employees—not just managers—are accountable for resolving conflict. Do not ignore conflict, and do not avoid taking steps to prevent it. Seek to understand the underlying emotions of the employees in conflict. Keep in mind that approaches to resolving conflict may depend on the circumstances of the conflict. When an individual aggrieved by overt or aversive racism describes his or her experiences, listeners have a natural tendency to be defensive or to find parallels with their own experiences.
This is conflation, the most common mistake made by those guilty of inadvertent racism. We must listen to others with an open mind, hearing their story without injecting ourselves into it. All workers, leaders and HR professionals must make listening a top priority. When driving open and honest dialogue, emphasize that the purpose of getting together is to discuss, not to debate or disagree. Setting up discussion rules is important so conversations don't take a turn for the worse.
Discussing matters too deeply can result in feelings of indignation and invalidation, which is not acceptable. The best course is listening to people's varying perspectives and finding ways to shape future actions. Treat open discussions about race as you would discussions of job performance. This means avoiding blame or attribution and focusing on behaviors. Consistent measurement is key, as with all other feedback. Psychologists have argued for the use of goal-setting theory in social instances for years; in today's climate, organizations must set the goal of eradicating racial discrimination.
The goal is zero tolerance for racism. It's always appropriate to acknowledge others who were instrumental in your success: "I couldn't have done it without Sally and Ted," or to share something valuable you learned from the experience: "Researching that area was great for me.
I learned so much about the project. Skip to main content. Resolving Conflicts at Work: Employee Information. During your time at the university, a conflict may arise in your workplace. The presence of conflict is not necessarily a negative thing. If conflict is effectively resolved, it can lead to personal and professional growth. It does not, however, make it go away. Rather it pushes the conflict underground, only to have it resurface in a new form. In its commitment to ensuring a positive work experience, the University of Oklahoma provides several resources helpful in understanding and resolving conflicts.
Employees must attempt internal, informal resolution of a conflict. However, if your own attempts at resolution are not successful, HR Employee Relations may be able to help. If needed, the university provides a formal dispute resolution process. The policy and form can be found below. What is workplace conflict? How can I resolve this conflict? Sources of Conflict There are many causes or reasons for conflict in any work setting.
Poor Communication: different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings between employees or between employee and manager. Different Values: any workplace is made up of individuals who see the world differently.
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