Management Training Tips: Managing Conflict

Your day is already very full. You have a production meeting in half an hour, a set of TPS reports is due before you can go to lunch, and you must attend a senior staff meeting this afternoon. In an effort to stay ahead of the workload, you have delegated the prep work for a marketing presentation to one of your sales managers, and as she storms into your office, you have the distinct impression that something is wrong. She launches into a long litany of complaints about the scope and definition of the presentation. You nervously eye the clock so that you don’t miss your meeting and try to figure out how to ratchet down the negative energy in the room. You definitely didn’t need this today of all days.

In any organization, it is inevitable that people will occasionally clash in ways that are uncomfortable and distracting for the whole team. Most talented employees have strong opinions and very healthy egos! Sometimes your best performers can present the biggest management challenge. Also, unfortunately, personal problems and character issues often manifest themselves in the workplace, and someone has to address them quickly and effectively. As a manager, one of your most important responsibilities is that of managing conflict whenever and however it arises. It is rarely pleasant, but it is vital to the success and health of you team.

Here are some guidelines for handling conflict and finding solutions. The first step to resolving a conflict is to understand where it is coming from. By first understanding where the conflict comes from, you can take the appropriate steps to resolve the issue. Conflicts generally fall into four categories:

DATA conflicts arise from:

• Incorrect, missing, or poorly communicated information

• Honest mistakes and incorrect assumptions

RELATIONSHIP conflicts arise from:

• Strong emotions

• Incompatible personality traits

• History

• Competitive affiliations and associations

• Misreading behavioral cues

VALUE conflicts arise from:

• Unclear rules

• Contrasting political ideologies or religious beliefs

• Different lifestyles

• Outside pressures

• Occupational preoccupations

STRUCTURAL conflicts arise from:

• Complexity of organizational power structure

• Perceived injustices in power

• Perceived inequities in resource allocation

• Cultural, economic, or legal barriers

• Constraints of time or location

When we are confronted with conflict situations, we tend to respond by taking some type of position. According to Dr. Kenneth Thomas, there are five likely positions:

AVOIDING – This position is the most unproductive because we are the most unassertive and the most uncooperative. We are hoping the situation will go away.

ACCOMMODATING – This position is where we make no attempt to satisfy our own concerns, but attempt to satisfy the concerns of the other party. However, this action can intensify the situation and increase our frustration.

COMPETING – This position is the direct opposite of accommodating. Only our needs are addressed and the needs of the other party are not considered. This is where conflict can become openly hostile and unpleasant.

COMPROMISING – This position is typically considered the standard conflict resolution technique of a 50/50 split. Sadly, both sides may end up feeling they have lost.

COLLABORATING – This position is the ideal and takes the most patience and cooperation to achieve. Both sides remain highly assertive and highly cooperative in order to work together to develop a solution that will satisfy the needs of both parties. Collaborating requires both sides to be firm on concerns, but flexible on the positions. Also, listening, communicating, expressing concerns, sticking to the issues, and taking responsibility for one’s role is critical to the success of collaboration.

Understanding where the conflict really arises as well as recognizing the positions we can take gives us the ability to direct the conflict toward a more constructive resolution. The most important thing is to listen carefully rather than reacting immediately, and then work to create a solution that will resolve the problem and get things back on track.