In order for a workplace to be harmonious, fair, and supportive, managers need to be experienced at managing conflict in the workplace.
This isn’t something which comes naturally to everyone. For instance, you might think that you know how to listen, but do you really? Can you hear beyond the words and look for clues that give you the real picture and the real story? Can you identify the truth beyond the words?
In addition, are you able to avoid taking sides or showing bias?
Conflict resolution isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, but it is something which can be learnt. Of course, that means having effective conflict resolution training in order to pass the information over and ensure that when a conflict does arise, everything can be sorted out quickly and without further incident.
So, what exactly does conflict resolution training look like?
There are five main steps to resolving a conflict of any type.
Step 1 - Find out where the conflict actually began
Defining where the conflict came from is vital. This allows you to get right to the heart of the problem and not simply skim over it and try and put a short-term Band-Aid on the issue. If you do that, the same conflict is going to keep coming up time and time again.
Step 2 - Look beyond what as happened
It can be very easy to show bias towards one person or to favour the point of view of one person, but by doing that you’re not showing effective conflict resolution skills and you’re not being a very effective manager either.
You have to keep emotions and reacts out of it and look at things objectively. This is where those listening skills need to come into play. Instead of simply hearing the words you need to watch body language, listen to the tone of voice and work out what is really being said and how it has really affected a person.
Step 3 - Ask your employees how they think the problem should be solved
Rather than telling your employees what you’re going to do and how it should be fixed, ask them for their suggestions and ask them to come up with ideas that can solve the problem and the core issue at the very heart of it and not just something which can quickly skim over the issue for now.
By asking for their opinions, you’re accessing new and innovate ideas and you’re also showing them that you’re listening to their ideas and that you’re happy for them to play an active role in resolving the problem.
Step 4 - Create a list of mutually acceptable solutions
Once suggestions have come your way, shortlist those down into a list which both sides of the conflict are happy with. Discuss each one and ask how they feel about them, whilst also looking at the bigger picture and how it might affect other employees at their office desks and at their work around the boardroom table.
Step 5 - Decide on a solution that everyone agrees with
The final step is to decide upon the final outcome of the resolution and to put it into practice. This should only be done if all sides of the conflict are in agreement and happy to move ahead. If not, you need to keep searching.
Conflict resolution training can be quite heavy because it’s learning to deal with situations that you might struggle with at other times. If you have in-house conflict resolution training, it’s important to make your training sessions fun and engaging. Of course, the same goes for any other type of training too.
By ensuring that managers are equipped with the skills to overcome workplace conflict, you can look forward to high morale, a harmonious, and happy workplace, which is highly productive and ensures the best experience for employees and customers/clients alike.