If your office environment is toxic, your employees can’t stand each other, and you can’t inspire a positive future for your company, it’s time to add conflict management to Leadership’s list of priorities!

CAUSES OF WORKPLACE CONFLICTS

Workplace conflicts aren’t anything new, but it seems we’re seeing them more often today. These workplace conflicts rarely appear out of nowhere and are usually linked to underlying, long-standing issues.

Understanding how to effectively manage workplace conflicts won’t be found in an Excel formula, and there’s rarely a cookie-cutter approach that’ll work. But that doesn’t mean CAPTAIN HR doesn’t have a few tips and some basic leadership principles to help you understand workplace conflicts and how to resolve them.

Let’s start with the research that tends to suggest workplace conflicts are increasing due to opportunities for miscommunication in our hybrid- and remote-work environments. The triggering cause of a conflict varies widely, based on the organization, but Human Resources professionals have recognized some common conflict causes, including:

• Ambiguous accountability

• Employee stress

• Personality and workstyles, with no way to bridge differences

• Poor communication, leading to unclear role responsibilities

• Poor leadership

RESOLVING WORKPLACE CONFLICTS

There are plenty of reasons for workplace conflicts, but the Best Leaders have learned to manage them all, and using these suggestions below will help you get there too!

1. BE CLEAR

Leaders must define responsibilities and set clear metrics to ensure progress, so the entire department has a well-defined understanding of expectations. That precise approach doesn’t leave room for the ‘blame game.’

2. BE PROACTIVE

It’s common for leaders to avoid conflict at first and then try to fix things after the damage has been done. Delaying decision-making sends a message of weak leadership to employees. The Best Leaders recognize and defuse situations before the conflicts get out of control.

3. BE A TEAM PLAYER

Conflicts are connected to an employee’s attitude, mindset, and motivations. That means the Best Leaders have established one-on-one connections with every team member, understanding their personalities and behavioral patterns, to catch issues before they get too big.

4. BE A RESPECTFUL LEADER

Effectively managing workplace conflicts isn’t a skill we’re born with. The Best Leaders have learned to create an environment where employees are comfortable openly sharing their views. And when an employee is unable or unwilling to do so themselves, the Best Leaders take responsibility for clarifying the issues to others on the team.

5. DON’T TAKE SIDES

The Best Leaders keep the organization and the employees on the same track while avoiding favoritism. Harnessing diverse personalities while maintaining a productive approach to meeting business expectations improves opportunities to manage conflict proactively and effectively.

WRAPPING UP

Fully understanding these leadership principles is the first step toward building a workplace where people can disagree productively, resolve differences respectfully, and keep moving forward together. Implementing the practices will help you understand workplace conflicts and how to resolve them.