Conflicts in organisations are a certainty - be it significant or trivial. Organisations are made up of individuals who not only bring diverse opinions, perspectives and approaches but emotions as well to work each day. As a result, there are bound to be situations where disagreements and differences of opinion escalate into a conflict.
Sometimes organisational conflicts can be a good thing, especially when it leads to innovative problem-solving or an enhanced competitive spirit. It is when conflicts begin to impact interpersonal relationships and eventually employee morale that leaders need to step in to mediate.
Conflict resolution is more complex given the current organisational context. As organisations evolve and transition through various economic cycles, conflicts between colleagues become inevitable. So the goal of the organisations must be to effectively manage conflicts productively and proactively rather than trying to eliminate it.
Effective management of conflicts enables co-workers to listen to each other and share views and ideas. It enables teams to look at various solutions and evaluate problems from various dimensions. This leads to higher involvement and therefore ownership and commitment to the goal. So how should leaders manage conflict?
Confront conflicts head on immediately. Prompt action is needed to weed out disagreement and get the team back on track. A conflict left unresolved can harm the work environment and resurface with much greater intensity when least anticipated.
Create an environment for successful conflict resolution. Conflicts are best resolved preferably in neutral settings, away from uninvolved parties. The objective should be clearly laid out prior to the meeting so that the resolution is achieved as all parties come mentally prepared.
Communicate. In any conflict, a positive, open and meaningful communication is necessary to resolve the issue, especially if one or all of the persons involved in the conflict feel as if they are not being heard.
Be transparent, open, non-judgmental and fair. All parties involved should be given an opportunity to exchange views. Leaders must ensure that colleagues try to understand the other's point of view.
Aspire to reach a win win scenario. Leaders must motivate employees to focus not only on their views but also appreciate others' points of view. A compromise or co-operation from all parties eventually leads to a "healthy conflict outcome".
Train employees. Most conflicts are more emotional outbursts rather than rational dialogues as employees fail to assert themselves. Interpersonal communication skills backed by sound training on problem solving usually does the trick.
Learn and plan ahead. Leaders must encourage colleagues to assimilate key learnings from previous conflict resolutions. The objective of such an exercise should be to decide on what steps to be taken in future to resolve conflicts more effectively.
Once leaders have mastered the art of conflict resolution and trained their employees, it would be worthwhile to let employees resolve conflict on their own. There might be complex situations where intervention is required but it would still be beneficial if employees manage conflicts on their own.
- Sanjiv Anand is the Managing Director and Amit Khare is Engagement Manager at Cedar Management Consulting International.
