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Conflict is unavoidable.  Regardless of where you are, conflict is everywhere no matter who you are.  It’s not rare to hear of disputes turning into long, drawn out lawsuits.  Something as simple as a difference in personalities between team members can hinder productivity.  Here are a few ways to help you turn a conflict into a peaceful conflict resolution.

We’ve all been taking the traditional approach to conflict by always trying to avoid it.  That’s impractical because no matter how many rules and policies are created to deal with disputes in the workplace, disputes always arise.  Instead, we should concentrate on managing conflict.

Identify the Conflict

It’s better to avoid getting in disagreements for the sake of getting more work done, but many times, co-workers butt heads over ideas and how they are presented.  Instead of turning on one another and resorting to office politics, employees should work together to identify what is causing their lack of productivity.

For example, if a conflict is the result of someone who has too much power over the decision making, it is the responsibility of the other team members to effectively find out what is going on with the troublesome team member and why they are acting a certain way.

Deal with Conflict

Many people are intimidated by the idea of dealing with a disagreeable co-worker, but it doesn’t help anyone if everyone allows a co-worker to continue to cause problems.  In fact, overlooking the problem only communicates to the problematic person that what they are doing is all right, and that they could continue with their unethical behavior. 

Again, responsibility lies with the rest of the group or co-workers to deal with the person in order to achieve conflict resolution.  Workers can go to their manager, but it is better to confront the person first.  The important thing is how someone approaches the person who poses a problem to the rest of the office.  If someone is overly confrontational, then things can only escalate if the person becomes upset.

Instead, we should be kind and courteous in the way we speak to the person who has been a problem for the rest of the office.  Point out instances that were particularly upsetting, and always bring another person along for a second opinion.  It’s also a good idea to have written documentation of a co-worker’s problematic actions.

Prevent Future Conflicts

Learn from past conflicts and apply them in the future to prevent an incident from escalating later.  We should be proactive-but not paranoid-when it comes to recognizing small incidents that could possibly escalate into something much worse.

Everyone benefits from a successful conflict resolution.  Done right, no one has to be fired, and co-workers are able to foster a closer relationship with one another.  Co-workers create a stronger bond with one another and are able to deal with problems that may present themselves later on in a more efficient manner.

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