You can’t escape conflict. Conflict management in organizations is an imperative skill, regardless of what you do or where your place of employment is.  It’s so useful, in fact, you can even get a dispute resolution degree. If you deal with people, you are going to need to manage conflict. In extreme cases, a conflict can turn into a spiteful and costly lawsuit or worse. Two team members who experience a conflict of personality can destroy team productivity and leave bad feelings with every team member. That is why it is so important to know the steps of organizational conflict resolution. By following these steps, you can resolve conflict before it is blown out of proportion.

Work Together to Find Out Where the Conflict Started

Often team members will expect a supervisor or some other managing authority to settle a conflict. Unfortunately, putting this responsibility in the hands of another is often disappointing. It is important for team members to learn the steps of organizational conflict resolution themselves so that they can resolve difficulties on their own as often as possible. This will lead to more satisfactory solutions. You really can’t expect a supervisor or manager who does little more than check in with the team occasionally to be able to get to the heart of the matter and find out what the true problem is. However, the person who works right next to you knows what you are doing day-in and day-out and vice-versa. Resolving differences with that person one-on-one will be much more meaningful and lasting than leaving the solution to an uninvolved third party who is highly likely to just want to get it over with.

Aside from that, when you call in an "outsider" to settle differences within the team resolution can quickly turn into a detective play that makes everyone feel as if they are being attacked. What started out as an attempt to solve a problem can end up being nothing more than a round of accusations and hurt feelings. That’s why it is so important for the good of everyone involved to try to resolve conflict within the team before calling management for assistance. The solutions you and your team members come up with are far more likely to be satisfactory to you and therefore to benefit the entire workplace. By appointing a team member to facilitate and working toward inclusion of the needs of the team members involved, any problem can be resolved in a way that enhances the workplace and honors those involved.

Team Led Conflict Resolution Teaches Applicable Lessons

If a team resolves a conflict on its own, the team will be able to apply what has been learned the next time a conflict arises.  These hard fought lessons are the next best thing to getting an actual dispute resolution degree . This is a benefit that the team will miss out on if it needs their managers to resolve conflicts.  Organizations are not concerned with honoring the needs of team members or making adjustments that consider all points of view. They just want the problem to be over and the team to be producing. For this reason, they may not realize or care about inequities such as one team member getting unfair pay increases or other perks. If they see it as furthering their ends, they will make these kinds of decisions. This is when it is important for the team to address the conflicts that arise within the context of the team. By putting a protocol in place within the team for dealing with favoritism, the team will not have to reinvent the wheel the next time the situation arises.

What to Do When Conflict Arises

Recognize your part in the conflict. It takes two to tango, as the saying goes. Although one member of the team may believe that a conflict is entirely the fault of another team member, this is seldom true. Behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If one team member did something that annoyed you, look at your own behavior to see if you might have done something that contributed to that situation. Avoid the temptation to shoot off angry emails or send heated interoffice memos. Remember that words put in writing can come back to haunt you. Keep your conflict resolution at a verbal level so that you can adjust your thoughts as new facts and viewpoints emerge.

What Not To Do When Conflict Arises

Don’t drag lots of people into your attempts at organizational conflict resolution. Remember that too many cooks can spoil the broth. When you have a lot of people involved in a situation you are bound to have gossip, and that never helps anything.

Additionally, avoid engaging in an on-the-spot shouting match. Set a specific time and place to meet regarding the conflict, and then give yourself a chance to cool down, reflect, and organize your thoughts before meeting with the team member and a facilitator to resolve your conflict in a productive and mature manner

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