Put any 2 people together at work and there is bound to be some level of conflict. Have you ever wondered what gives rise to conflict?
What gives rise to conflict?
0%Different points of view
0%Fear of being over shadowed or proven wrong
0%Different ideas
0%Different personalities, cultures, backgrounds
You can vote for more than one answer.
Conflict at the workplace can be a big drain on an individual's effectiveness and can ultimately drive down the organisation's profitability. After all, conflict can lead to a negative work environment and work not being completed. The aim for any leader, manager or individual contributor is to convert this negative 'conflict' into a positive 'collaboration'. As with any power skill, this too, requires a lot of focussed attention and repeated practice so that it is executed well.
The 6 steps that should be followed to turn conflict into collaboration:
Create an environment that is accepting of ideas.
Recognise and acknowledge a conflict situation.
Determine the cause / trigger of the conflict.
Mediate between the conflicting parties, only if required.
Find common ground.
Encourage, appreciate and celebrate successes.
Let's have a look at each of these in turn and see what is involved in each step so that you can turn the next conflict situation into a collaboration.
Create an environment that is accepting of ideas
On paper, every organisation would want to say that it accepts ideas from everyone. On the ground, though, is that the reality? Are the actions of everyone in the organisation consistent with those words?
This open environment that accepts ideas from everyone in the organisation is not created merely by words but through actions as well. An idea shared should be considered and thought through carefully, involving the idea generator and impacted stakeholders. When everyone in the organisation feels that they have a voice, and that voice matters - you have created the environment that accepts ideas.
Are you facing conflict at work? Interested in learning how to turn it into collaboration? We have a workshop for you.
Recognise and acknowledge a conflict situation
Very often, individuals and teams steer away from calling a conflict what it really is. It is branded as 'two individuals who cannot get along' and so generalisation sets in. Maybe the conflict is about a specific project plan rather than two individuals not being able to work together.
Hence, it is important to recognise when there is a conflict situation at work and also acknowledge that through the conflict individuals, teams and the organisation are impacted. This is an important step that verbalises factually what is going on. There is no judgement, no opinion, just a statement of facts. By bringing the facts into the open, the conflicting parties understand that it is not personal, but about the work.
Determine the cause / trigger of the conflict
Now that the conflicting parties have stated the facts about the conflict, it is important to identify the root cause or the trigger of the conflict. Sometimes, there may be more than 1.
Finding the trigger of the conflict may require talking to all parties involved to understand their perspectives. Very often, when employees from different departments are working together, conflict arises because of varying departmental goals. Sometimes, it could be about assuming power or leadership within a cross-departmental project team. Identifying the trigger will help you solve the real issue.
Mediate between the conflicting parties, only if required
This is a delicate step. There may be times when the conflicting parties might come to you to help mediate, or make a decision on their behalf. Be careful and clearly articulate your reasons for your decision because it could turn into one party believing that you are showing favouritism for the other party.
There may be other times when the conflict situation cannot be solved by the parties because they are so entrenched in the conflict. You might need to step in to mediate a solution that benefits the organisation. Once again, it is important to articulate your reasons for making a decision so that you give all conflicting parties transparency.
If you are one of the conflicting parties, and feel that you need mediation to solve the conflict, be sure to reach out to the other party and get their buy-in for the mediation. Only when you have their buy-in will the mediation be a successful one.
Find common ground
This next step involves the conflicting parties writing down and sharing their drivers for why their stance in a conflict situation is important. This step will help the conflicting parties understand each other's perspectives. When these perspectives are put in the organisation context, i.e., how each other's stance helps the organisation, it will help the parties work towards finding a common ground.
A common ground is an agreement of how the conflicting parties will proceed in a collaborative manner. By hearing each other's perspectives, the conflicting parties can start to think about negotiating their stance so that a common ground and way forward can be found. This step may involve brainstorming workshops or even an external facilitator to help the parties move forward.
Encourage, appreciate and celebrate successes
This step of conflict management is often forgotten, missed or taken for granted. This is an important step that motivates the erstwhile conflicting parties to understand the benefit of turning conflict into collaboration.
Hence, all stakeholders that were previously impacted by the conflict should participate in talking about how the collaboration has helped them and their organisation achieve positive outcomes. Celebrating the success together also helps build a bond for future collaboration.
At Unlock More, we run workshops that help individuals, teams and organisations turn conflict situations into collaboration. Our clients are reaping the benefits of investing in their employees.
