Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

They say that as many people there are, there are lines of thinking. So most of the time we beg to differ. In extreme cases this can lead to a really bad argument and conflict. In a workplace, these conflicts are not unheard off. Where there are different individuals, people will argue and sometimes while putting across a point they go overboard. A bitter conflict then takes place in the workplace. Organization leaders then have to intervene at some point lest the things sway totally out of control.

Conflict Resolution Strategies in the Workplace

No Man-to-Man Meet
No, this is not to say that as a leader you should not meet the individuals involved in conflict. What I meant was speak to both the parties together. Let both the parties put across their arguments. While one side is doing that, the other side should not interrupt. If that happens you would need to put your foot down. Never meet the parties separately. This is the cardinal rule in employee management in such a case.

Out With It
Remember that phrase a stitch in time saves nine? Well, use it here for dealing with workplace conflicts. As a person at senior level you need to sense if something is brewing. If you notice anything which might turn into an official hurricane, resolve that problem or rather the conflict there and then. This will save a lot of problems in the future and is a basic thing while handling conflict in the workplace.

View the Point
Try and understand the perspectives of both the sides and what they want the other person to do, which will take you a step closer to sort out the conflict. A single suggestion might not be plausible so there has to be more than 1 option. You being on a higher rung at the same time should also shoulder some responsibility and think whether the work environment is conducive for the other employees. Read more on conflict management.

Avoid Taking Sides
Be clear to yourself and let others know about the fact that you are not going to support a single side. Let them understand the fact that as a neutral person you can just give suggestions and not know the intertwining of the conflict. You expect them to sort out the matter proactively. But simultaneously you would need to be firm on the fact that you may have to take the necessary action for conflict resolution in the workplace.

Four Approaches
One of the best conflict resolution techniques in the workplace is to have a collaborative style. It is good as it combines cooperation as well as assertion. It is best when you have diverse viewpoints and you have to get a solution combining them. There are other approaches to resolving conflict at the workplace or even anywhere else. These are competitive, compromising, accommodating and avoiding. Depending on the person and nature, these styles are adopted by people. All these are, however, sort of extremes of the grid.

End Result
Try and work out the end result which will be the golden mean. Of course that has to be keeping in mind both the perspectives. All you need is to have faith in both the parties and in yourself to solve the issue and carry on with the work of contributing to the organization.

Ultimately it is best to keep in mind even if there are 2 sides who are actively involved in the conflict, the whole organization is going to feel the jitters of a conflict and will be impacted by that. So the root cause behind the conflict, something like dissatisfaction about something related to the organization has to be worked upon.

That's it! Conflict resolution in the workplace is all about keeping cool and being rational! I am sure there is no conflict there!