How to perform conflict management in the workplace
It has been proven that stepping aside from the discrepancies that come up while communicating or cooperating is actually an unhealthy scenario. Being able to arrange a proper conflict management in the workplace is one of the tickets to success. Ignoring, in its turn, leads to misunderstandings and further arguments. Conflict management theory states that you can never hide contradictions so that they weren’t a problem afterwards.
Avoiding conflicts always has bad effects on interpersonal communication as well as on the working climate. Try and figure out how good and effective your conflict management skills are by answering a few simple questions:
- How inconvenient is it for you to talk to a person, if you feel confronted? Give yourself a mark from 1 to 5.
- Which conflict management styles do you prefer while communicating? Is this communication performed one-to-one, or you choose to do that virtually and giving a call?
- How difficult you find taking control over your reactions while having an unpleasant conversation?
- What are your conflict management strategies with colleagues in the course of direct communication?
- Do you stay calm and confident in situations which presuppose conflict management?
- Is it difficult for you to say something unfavourable to others?
If you are not acquainted with what conflict management is, then you probably should develop a better collaborating conflict management style by taking into consideration the next rules:
- See how conflict management activities assist at professional growth. Any argument builds up an understanding of how your partner thinks. If there’s an interest clash, you talk about it, both of you explain their view, and, consequently, this process may generate new ideas and solutions, you or your partner hasn’t noticed yet.
- Applying some of the conflict management techniques helps to create a healthy atmosphere. When it comes to working out effective cooperation within your company, try to practice requesting your colleagues’ opinion on a regular basis. Don’t wait for them to tell something negative, ask them what problems they see and what solutions they may suggest. Such an approach will lend credibility to you, as this way you’ll give your colleagues to know that you are ready to receive and respect their viewpoint. Knowing that you appreciate their thoughts, your team won’t react with hostility to your remarks and demands, as they’ll feel you both aspire to mutual understanding.
- Holding impulses back is one of the types of conflict management. A confrontation usually requires fast reaction. However, it is very important to count the cost and do not haste with decisions. Try to change your view angle and project a positive understanding of the situation. One more tip is concerned with your language. Choose the words carefully, so that you didn’t sound aggressive and bossy (even if you are the boss), because starting the conversation like this will set the negative tone resulting in a hostile self-defensive behavior of your partner.
- Face-to-face communication will eliminate the problem faster. If you are used to discuss the problem via the other means of communication, it is time to stop that practice, as figuring out the solutions individually is practically a conflict management definition itself. Doing it via e-mail or over the phone may even worsen the problem, because when you hang up, a person stays with all their thoughts anyway. Moreover, it is difficult to guess the emotions when you see the message written.
- Make up the alternative history. This is one of the most effective methods of conflict management which presupposes you thinking as your opponent. Analyzing the situation from their side, you’ll see their reasons and motives, and what solutions are preferred by them. In addition, supposing that your partner has the point, you decrease the level of confrontation and become more flexible to find a compromise. When you are alone, act some kind of play aloud, talk to a person giving your reasons and pay attention to their answers.
Hopefully, having got acquainted with all the mentioned conflict management definitions, you are now able to develop your effective strategy which will assist you in resolving the arguments skillfully and without loss.