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"Conflict is a natural consequence of human interaction. Put two or more individuals together for a significant period of time, and a difference of opinion is likely to arise," said Edward T. Reilly, president and CEO of American Management Association. “When individuals clash, they can become so concerned with defending their viewpoints that they stop communicating. This isn't to say that disagreements can't be productive. They can generate constructive dialogues, from which new ideas are developed and implemented. However, when conflicts impede change and destroy the sense of teamwork within your group, you need to know how to manage them," Reilly said. He offers the following advice:
Find common goals. Remind the parties of their common mission. Stay away from personality issues. Rather, ask the individuals to review their goals and focus solely on common or compatible ones. Once the goals have been identified, the group can move on to discuss how these goals can be shared.
Identify the source of the conflict between team members. The more information you have about the disagreement, the more you can help resolve it.
Gain commitment. Goals may be shared, but the preferred means of reaching them may vary. You want to reach a consensus on the best way to move toward achieving the shared objectives.
Exercise professional courtesy. Brusque demands can only be alienating. Worse, hostility can become infectious, affecting all the members of the team.
Look beyond the incident. It isn't always the situation but the parties' perspective of the situation that causes the anger to fester and may ultimately lead to a shouting match or other visible-and disruptive-evidence of a conflict.
Find a basis for agreement. Team members may not agree with each other's viewpoint, but they need some starting point for discussion. Have them acknowledge a difference in opinion and seek ways to close the gap in thinking or otherwise eliminate the differences between them.
Confront the issue privately. If you must confront a team member, customer or vendor, do so in private. Raised voices have no place in a work setting. But this does not mean that you let poor performance or lack of cooperation from another continue.
Avoid hostility by reframing the conversation. Communicate with care. This is especially important when dealing with people who have had past disagreements. Advise them not to open the door to further disagreements by being either invasive or unnaturally friendly.
Accentuate the positive. When you see evidence of positive performance from an employee who can be difficult to work with, acknowledge it as such. Let your team member know that such collaborative performance is appreciated.
Clear the air. Talk in a frank but non-threatening manner. Talking with team members with whom there have been personality conflicts may enable them to put an end to further conflicts. Even if they just agree to disagree on a matter, it may be enough to end a disruptive conflict. |
