Company Blog

Conflicts are unavoidable when different personalities work together.  Someone will say something, or do something and this will cause another team member to have strong negative feelings. These feelings can include annoyance, frustration, disappointment and anger. The offended individual will replay what happened over in their mind and will talk, often at length, with others in the company. However they will generally not talk to the offending person directly.

As a manager you are likely to be sensing that something is happening, and may be hearing noise from across the company. It may be brought to your attention that two team members are always 'at each other' with put-down remarks or finding fault with one another. There's also the chronic bickering and the demeaning comments. Or there may be icy coolness where they ignore each other except during the most formal of interactions.

This general air of discontent is affecting workplace morale and productivity and you need to do something about it. Underlying issues need to be confronted and, as the manager, if you don't intervene to help people discuss their problems, situations can intensify to the point where lasting damage will occur.

In McKenna and Maister's book "First Among Equals - How to Manage a Group of Professionals" (Chapter 17) advice is given that the most effective response to dealing with conflict is one of negotiation. The manager listens to both sides, identifies the common areas of interest and agreement, and builds on these areas of agreement so that each individual can understand the other's point of view.

5 steps to resolve conflict are outlined:

1. Describe the conflict and the non-productive behavior you are observing:

For example, "It appears to me that neither of you seems to be listening to the other, and obviously each of you has some very strong views on how you want to approach this project".

Potential triggers for conflict include differences in needs, goals, values, or competition for scarce resources. As manager you must take the initiative to bring the disagreement to the surface as soon as it is apparent and help the people involved to analyse their differing points of view. The first step is to get your two team members to take the time to look objectively at how they are interacting with each other.

2. Ask each person to comment on the causes of the disagreement:

For example, "Can I suggest that we take a few minutes and may I ask each of you in turn to comment on what you see going on between you? What is the problem here as you perceive it?

As manager you must exercise active listening and be able to hear the emotional aspects of what is being said. During the meeting calmly invite each of them to describe what they think is the reason for their conflict. Don't try to solve the problem. Simply invite your colleagues to discuss the underlying cause of their differences.

There are four basic categories of conflict (See 'Managing Workplace Conflict', Jean Lebedum, AmerMedia Inc 1998):

i. Over facts and data. A basic misunderstanding or misinformation is the easiest type of conflict to resolve.

ii. Over process or methods. Your people may have the same goals but differ on how to achieve those goals, a situation where compromise is often possible.

iii. Over purpose. Your people may have different goals or agendas, which sometimes can be merged.

iv. Over values. Your people may have differences in basic beliefs or principles. These create the most difficult conflicts, and sometimes people must agree to disagree.

3. Have each person summarize what the other person said:

For example, "For purposes of just making absolutely sure that we are all understanding each other, can you briefly tell us what you just heard your colleague say is the core issue?"

Now ask each person to repeat back what the other person said. By having each one paraphrase the other's main points, you are encouraging them to listen to and acknowledge each other's views. Then ask each person to confirm, clarify or correct the summary that was repeated back. As manager, maintain a position of neutrality. Don't try to solve the conflict. Your role is simply to gather information.

4. Ask each person, in turn, to identify points of agreement and disagreement:

For example, "Can we identify the points where the two of you obviously agree? You both seem to be saying that you want to work together on this project. Now, without losing sight of that, let's identify the points of contention between the two of you on how you each want to approach this differently".

First ask each to identify the points of agreement in their two respective positions. Then do the same for areas of disagreement. Should either person just want to rehash where they disagree, ask questions to help them see where they agree. Don't pretend the differences don't exist.  Your role is to clarify the various points of view. An interpersonal conflict is most likely to be productively resolved if both parties can see that they stand to gain something from the resolution. As manager your task is to highlight what is in their mutual best interests, or where they need each other to accomplish more than either of them could on their own.

5. Invite your colleagues to suggest ways to proceed:

For example, "How would you suggest we move forward? Are either of you willing to compromise slightly in the interests of achieving what you both have agreed that you want?"

Ask them to suggest actions that address the points of agreement and disagreement they've just reviewed. Your role, as manager, is to have them reach agreement on the steps that are needed to resolve the situation. Look for workable suggestions and small action steps. Sometimes the only viable suggestion may be simply to let the dust settle and set a date for another meeting between the two.

Any agreements and actions that do result from your discussions should be put in writing to prevent any further problems from arising and reduce the chances of any misunderstanding at some later point.

Conflict within the workplace is inevitable. People have different personalities and different working styles. They have different goals and agendas, different views on processes and methods, or they may be competing for scarce resources. Your role as manager is to resolve conflict between team members as early as possible so that workplace morale and productivity is maintained.

References

First Among Equals - How to Manage a Group of Professionals, Patrick McKenna and David Maister. Free Press 2002

Managing Workplace Conflict, Jean Lebedum, AmerMedia Inc 1998