Six Action Steps to Reduce Workplace Conflict
How to Address the Top Five Conflict-Provoking Behaviors
Sep 25, 2009
Left unresolved though, it can result in feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and hopelessness. A frequent cause of workplace conflict occurs when someone feels taken advantage of. For example, when a hard driving manager demands the same commitment from employees but does not compensate them for the late or weekend hours, pressure can build to a boiling point.
Other examples could be an employee having unrealistic expectations of what his or her job description really is, or of being misunderstood in the workplace. Conflict also arises when an employee has personal goals and values at odds with those of the organization.
Six Action Steps to Reduce Workplace Conflict
Here are six action steps a manager can take to reduce workplace conflict.
- Audit the communication skills, in the group both in terms of how people are communicating and how they are modeling communication styles with each other. Owning personal feelings and communication style goes a long way toward reducing conflict.
- Improve listening skills. Active listening involves things like actually trying to understand what the other person is saying, and then communicating to the other person in ways that indicate an understanding of what they are saying.
- Establish strong boundaries. Without boundaries, there will be squabbles, power struggles, and all kinds of conflict.
- Be professional and empathetic toward employees. This is very important when there is a power difference between people in a work situation.
- Develop emotional intelligence. Developing the skills to be more effective by showing people how to combine both intelligence and emotions in the workplace. Relating with people as human beings with real lives is often overlooked at work. People with high emotional intelligence can do this in a professional manner, and maintain appropriate boundaries. Part of this equation is training managers to be sensitive as to how they are coming across to others.
- Establish behavioral consequences to be used with those who are unwilling to change. There will be a few employees that just won’t change because they are unwilling or unable. Deal with them by explaining the likely outcome of continuing problematic behavior.
This last action step requires a sharp focus on a few specific behaviors that must be addressed and dealt with head on.
The Top Five Conflict-Provoking Behaviors
- Person Centered Criticism
- Blaming Comments
- Histrionic Behavior
- Comments that suggest ignorance
- Comments that have a threatening undertone
At the end of the day, acknowledge that conflict is important. Don’t be overly concerned that people are upset with each other. That’s what it’s like to manage change. Remember there are trained facilitators available for really tough situations. Seek them out. When planning a meeting that could get ugly, seek a good facilitator to help guide it.
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