Conflict is something most of us would rather not encounter. When we see others engaged in disagreement, our first impulse may be to just walk away. However, you may not have this privilege if you're employed in a leadership role with your organization. If your company relies on you to ensure your department meets expectations and fosters a pleasant and non-toxic environment, it may be your responsibility to step in with effective conflict resolution strategies.
Unresolved conflicts and heated words exchanged across the lunch table are not conducive to a happy workplace. They make others feel uncomfortable, and they can escalate into worse scenarios. To keep your workplace safe and your team positive and productive, you must sometimes draw upon your leadership skills in conflict resolution to save the day, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you feel.
Common Causes of Conflict in the Workplace
What causes conflict in the workplace? According to the Harvard Business Review, most workplace dust-ups can be attributed to just four factors:
- Poor communication
- Unclear performance expectations
- Time management issues
- Cloudy definitions of employee roles
Whether these occur on the part of management or staff doesn't really matter. Each can create a work environment that seems confusing, toxic, or unfair. For example, if nobody on the team has a clearly defined part to play, their roles may overlap, leaving one or two employees feeling the brunt of the pressure. Similarly, if no one on the team is clear on the project due date, this could cause some work to be finished early while other work is turned in late. As a result, the team misses the project deadline, and everyone involved gets a red mark on their record, regardless of whether they were the offender.
These are the types of issues that cause discord and dissatisfaction on the job. The good news is that most of them can be avoided through solid leadership. However, if these small issues go unaddressed and not corrected, your employees will feel the pain. They may begin to view management as unfair or biased and may start looking for new positions with other companies. Your organization, as a whole, may suffer, too, especially if it earns a reputation for fostering a non-inclusive workplace environment. If you want your department or organization to stand out as a reputable and enjoyable place to work, you must become a master at conflict resolution.
Key Conflict Resolution Skills
As a team leader, manager, or department supervisor, how do you resolve old conflicts that have haunted your department for years and defuse new conflicts before they become problematic? The answer lies in strong leadership and effective conflict resolution strategies. If you wish to advance to a management level in any industry, you're going to need proven leadership skills and skills in active listening, including those that allow you to resolve long-standing conflicts. You can learn these skills by earning your master's degree in organizational leadership at Champlain College Online. Many of the skills you'll learn in this program will benefit you both on and off the job.
Effective Communication Techniques
Do you consider yourself an effective listener? Do you maintain eye contact when someone comes to you with a concern? Do you actively listen to ensure you're gaining a clear understanding of the problem? Are you respectful of your employee's feelings?
You may think you've mastered these skills, but does your body language agree? If you're saying all the right things but unable to look the person in the eye and are maintaining a confrontational stance with your arms crossed angrily in front of your chest, they may not feel like they've been heard.
Emotional Intelligence in Conflict Management
How would you rate your emotional intelligence during difficult conversations? Do you try to see yourself in your employee's situation? Do you hold off making quick judgment calls and reacting to water-cooler gossip? As a leader, you must be above these things. You must have empathy and self-awareness and be well-versed in company-approved language regarding DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging).
These skills are especially important today as our society becomes more and more attuned to problems such as inequality, gender definition, and ageism. The vocabulary has changed, and so have the expectations. Emotional intelligence is vital in keeping your work environment pleasant and your workforce satisfied.
Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
What about your problem-solving skills? Are you good at seeing where the problem initially began? Sometimes, not even the person who comes to you with the issue will be able to identify its root cause, but you must know which questions to ask to make that apparent. Then you and your employee, team, or department must arrive at a suitable solution together. In this way, everyone involved feels heard. The problem not only goes away, but employee morale increases as a by-product of your resolution.
5 Conflict Resolution Strategies
Effectively resolving disagreements in the workplace requires an understanding of different approaches to conflict. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies five common strategies, each with its own strengths depending on the situation. Below, we explore these strategies and how they can support relationship building and clearer communication in professional settings.
Avoiding
Avoiding involves withdrawing from a conflict or sidestepping it altogether. This strategy may be useful when the issue is minor, emotions are running high, or when more information is needed before engaging. However, relying too heavily on avoidance can cause misunderstandings to linger and escalate over time, especially when communication skills are not actively applied.
Accommodating
Accommodating emphasizes giving in to the other party's needs or viewpoints, often to maintain harmony or preserve a relationship. This strategy can help de-escalate strong emotions in the short term, especially in situations where maintaining goodwill is more important than winning a specific point. While useful in some contexts, over-accommodating may lead to unresolved tension or a lack of balance in team dynamics.
Competing
Competing is a more assertive and uncooperative approach, in which one party pursues their own interests at the expense of others. This strategy may be appropriate in high-stakes scenarios where quick, decisive action is necessary, such as in safety-related disputes or when enforcing organizational policies. However, it can also damage relationships if used too frequently, especially when nonverbal communication cues like tone or body language are misread.
Compromising
Compromising involves each party giving up something to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. It is a practical and often quick solution, especially when time is limited or when both sides have equally important goals. This approach can support emotional awareness and help build trust when used thoughtfully, though it may not fully satisfy all parties involved.
Collaborating
Collaborating seeks a win-win outcome by addressing the needs and viewpoints of all involved. It requires open communication, active listening, and a willingness to explore underlying concerns, often resulting in more durable, innovative solutions. While this method can be time-consuming, it promotes long-term relationship building and often leads to deeper understanding and alignment among team members.
5 Key Steps to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace
When it comes to resolving workplace conflicts, there are five conflict resolution steps you can employ. Master this step-by-step process and you'll become a better and more effective leader whom people feel they can trust.
1. Address the Conflict
Ignoring a problem in the workplace may seem like a good idea. Like a stray cat, if you don't feed it, it will eventually go away. However, when it comes to people's problems, ignoring them is rarely the right solution. This reaction can cause employees to feel bullied, forgotten, unimportant, and disgruntled. Instead, be proactive when you first suspect something is not correct. Follow the appropriate steps toward conflict resolution and address the problem instead of pretending to be unaware.
2. Clarify the Issue Causing the Conflict
Take the time to find out exactly what's going on. Check your sources, and don't rely on the company rumor mill. Misinterpretations may only escalate the issue, so ensure you approach the right people and ask the right questions.
3. Bring the Involved Parties Together to Talk
To get to the root of the problem, you must go directly to the source: the two or more parties involved in the conflict. While it's fine to talk with them separately, there should be a time when you bring them together, acting as a mediator. Allow them to talk through their issues and help them find healthy solutions. Be open and positive in your communication, and encourage them to do the same.
4. Identify a Solution
Hopefully, by the time you have reached this step, you will have arrived at a solution acceptable to everyone involved. Emphasize the importance of a win-win scenario, where everyone keeps their job, and tension at work is reduced. Offer compromises or trade-offs that employees can use to make each other happy while maintaining their own sense of peace. Let participants know that finding a workable solution is the only acceptable outcome.
5. Monitor and Follow Up
Follow-up is vital to good conflict resolution, so you must check back in to view the results of your negotiations. Is everyone abiding by the agreement? Are both parties satisfied with the outcome? Are boundaries being observed? If not, you may invite everyone to your office for a second conversation to de-escalate the situation before it repeats. In extreme cases, you may have to call upon your strong leadership skills and good judgment to make a difficult decision, such as demotion or termination.
Role of Emotional Intelligence in Conflict Resolution
But what about those employees who have a knack for getting under your skin? They seem to have an innate knowledge of manipulating your emotions, and nothing gives them more satisfaction than making you lose your cool. Training and education are vitally important when addressing this type of team member because losing your emotional regulation and resorting to angry words or name-calling could get you in deep with your HR department.
Emotional regulation is the ability to control how you react to what others say and do. On the inside, you may be filled with resentment. However, outwardly, you must appear calm and reasonable to have constructive interactions and resolve workplace conflicts.
Conflict Resolution in Leadership
As a workplace leader, you are responsible for handling yourself and your staff professionally, especially regarding conflict management. Taking a course or earning a degree in leadership can introduce you to that responsibility and show you how to achieve it, even in the most challenging situations.
Leading by Example
The most important way to reach your employees and gain their trust is to lead by example. Don't engage in behavior that's off-limits to others. Don't expect more from somebody else than you do of yourself. Lastly, treat your team members how you want to be treated. Find common ground and keep an open dialogue during uncomfortable interactions.
Providing Training and Development Opportunities
Try to remember that simply because you understand that certain language or behavior is taboo, your team members may not, which is where training and development programs can help. By putting all team members through the same orientation and training classes and providing ongoing training as policies change, you're giving them tools to succeed. Human relations in the workplace are much more complicated than they used to be. Companies are now much more aware of how easy it is to foster a hostile workplace unintentionally. By allowing toxic behaviors to continue or pretending they didn't happen, you could leave yourself and your company vulnerable to legal action. The best alternative is simply to make sure everyone receives the necessary workplace training.
Leveraging Conflict Resolution Skills for Career Growth
Do you have dreams of moving up within your company? Just because you're in a leadership role today doesn't limit you to what you may accomplish tomorrow. If you have your eye on the CEO's position, having deep knowledge of conflict resolution strategies may help you one day achieve your goal.
Strengthening Your Skills With a Degree
If you're ready to begin strengthening your conflict resolution, decision-making, active listening, and empathy skills, earning your master's in organizational leadership at Champlain College Online could be the most important career decision you'll make. At CCO, we understand the challenges of returning to college with full-time work, life, and family responsibilities. That's why our online programs are highly flexible and designed to meet the needs of students in the 21st century.
Ready to Lead With Confidence and Clarity in Your Future Career?
If you’re interested in deepening your leadership potential and mastering the skills needed to resolve workplace conflict with empathy and effectiveness, consider Champlain College Online’s Master’s in Organizational Leadership. This flexible, 30-credit program prepares professionals to lead diverse teams, navigate complex dynamics, and apply conflict resolution, mediation, and strategic decision-making to real-world challenges.
Explore the program today and take the next step in your leadership journey. Apply today!
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