Introduction
Conflict is a deep and potent thing that a person encounters. It can define how we relate to each other and the environment. It can be handled skillfully. A conflict can give us the resources we need to build better bonds and create more productive workplaces.
The issue is that it isn’t the case for a large number of us. For instance, workers in American businesses engage in harmful conflict for about 2.8 hours every week. This translates to over 359 billion dollars of paid time spent on conflict resolution rather than productive work.
It is evident to me that conflict is not the issue. How we handle it is the issue. Conflict comes in two forms. Just one of them is detrimental.
Functional Conflict and Dysfunctional Conflict
The parties’ attempts to reach win-win solutions define functional conflict. It is usually defined by the parties cooperating to find a positive solution to the dispute. It is distinct from a dysfunctional conflict, which is defined by the parties’ attempts to settle the disagreement in a manner that damages or ruins the relationship.
Regretfully, the most common damaging conflict in our workplaces is dysfunctional conflict. In addition to being detrimental to everyone concerned, this type of disagreement is obviously bad for businesses. Parties, their coworkers, or organizations get very little, if anything, from dysfunctional conflict. Dysfunctional conflict can cost a lot of money. It negatively affects the psychological, emotional, & physical health of employees if it is not resolved. How can leaders transform harmful conflict into productive discourse?
Productive conflicts with the ultimate purpose of improving a team or organization are referred to as functional conflict. Instead of being driven by self-interest, employees engaged in functional disagreements seek to solve present business issues for the good of the company. Constructive or collaborative conflict are other names for functional conflict.
Because everyone may freely express themselves in a safe environment without fear of repercussions, there is no repression of opinions in functional conflict. Workplaces that see disagreements as a means of promoting development do well because all viewpoints are valued, encouraging members to voice their opinions and develop more creative problem-solving skills.
A robot-filled office won’t encounter conflict in the long run. It also won’t exhibit high degrees of creativity, insight, & discernment. Parties are involved in productive interaction and communication when they encounter functional conflict. They want to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion. This kind of dispute may help you advance strategy. It can create more efficient & productive teams. It is a typical aspect of a successful organization.
Finding a common purpose, a shared resolution, and a path ahead together—with communication at its core—is essential to creating a healthy workplace culture that turns disagreement from problematic to functional.
Phases of a Conflict
Lack of knowledge of conflict and aversion to it are two of the largest obstacles that organizations encounter while handling conflict. Knowing that each conflict features a distinct life cycle might help you, as a manager or leader, make it less intimidating for the parties. There is a chance for reconciliation or a chance for the conflict to worsen at each stage.
These phases consist of:
1. The phase prior to conflict. Organizations & their workers benefit from predicting conflict and having procedures in place to stop it before it starts. Conflict is usually predictable.
2. The initial phase of conflict. Aggression and antagonism, decreased communication, improper actions, and efforts to distance one another are early warning indicators. To comprehend the issues, apply your coaching abilities.
3. The middle of a conflict. This is frequently a difficult time for managers & HR, marked by a rise in complaints, accusations, absences, and tension for everyone involved.
4. The conflict in the last stages. Conflict breaks out and takes over. Conflict can gradually “bite away” to the point that a once-effective team starts to fall apart.
5. The phase following a conflict. Everyone has the opportunity to consider what they acquired and what adjustments they will be making moving forward when they take the opportunity to ponder the conflict.
Early dispute resolution can be achieved by open communication
Managers and leaders who are discovering how to change conflict from problematic to functional should begin as soon as they can in the dispute resolution procedure—preferably in stages 1-2. They foster early discourse among staff members as customary and use professional coaching, conciliation, and listening abilities to foster professional-to-professional communication. An informal earliest resolution gathering, where participants are urged to speak and attend to one another in a private setting, can accomplish this.
That isn’t to argue that phases three to four cannot be used to resolve conflict. Certainly it can, and procedures like independent mediation—which I describe below—may be very successful. But based on my experience, I think that the better the proactive conflict management is done, the less detrimental the outcome will be.
Needless to say, this is not very difficult! I’ve noticed a rise in insecurity that has prevented this kind of in-person communication.
Alternative paths to resolution
Sometimes a disagreement is too complicated for a quick resolution session, or it has already advanced to stage 3 or stage 4. What I refer to as a “resolution crisis assessment” can look at the gravity of the problems being brought up right now, the effect on the individuals involved, the intended results, and prior attempts to find a solution.
A variety of ways to handle conflicts, which I refer to as the “resolution continuum,” can be employed to help resolve disputes after an assessment. These techniques range from casual (an early settlement session) to official (litigation). A moderated roundtable discussion, mediation, an inquiry, or an official resolution meeting are examples of intermediate steps.
Each strategy performs well when used alone, but when incorporated into an enterprise-wide, holistic, and unified conflict management approach with conversation at its core, they unite to create a very successful solution to dysfunctional conflict at work.
Regardless of the path to resolution selected, conversation is the most important term for me. Conflicts deteriorate and grow dysfunctional in the absence of communication. They may be resolved through discussion. New and creative ideas can be presented when individuals are urged to express their thoughts and viewpoints in a friendly and safe setting because we are motivated to take chances. This can therefore result in novel products, innovative methods, or ideas that are advantageous to all. The secret is to avoid passing judgment. Everyone is encouraged to share their ideas by the outdated notion that “there are no awful ideas.”
Unusual and distinctive thinking fosters creativity, which usually takes you in unanticipated and bizarre directions, a number of which are just not feasible. It’s important to create an atmosphere where it’s acceptable to share seemingly silly ideas since they might lead you down a different route. After that, your team can decide what is ideal.
As executives, we ought to support a person-focused, values-based strategy for handling conflict in the workplace. I frequently work with organizations that are adopting a more adaptable, compassionate, and sensible strategy to conflict resolution in place of the litigation-driven methods of earlier times. Many are taking it a step beyond and integrating positive psychology, interest-driven problem solving, empathy, mediation, and discussion across their companies.
The toxic conflicts that are depleting our people and institutions need to be eliminated. Human connections and, most importantly, communication must be restored to the forefront of our companies.
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