6 WAYS TO RESOLVE CONFLICT
Czas czytania: 4min.
When a team works together day after day, conflict is often simply inevitable. It can arise between two employees, managers, or the entire team. However, there are ways to effectively deal with it. Patriot Software has proposed as many as 6!
1. Don't delay! Start resolving the conflict immediately.
When a conflict arises in the company, do not avoid it or pretend it doesn’t exist. Over time, the tension will only increase, and the conflict will deepen even further. The first step towards a positive resolution is to have a conversation with the person you are in conflict with (or invite the people to a conversation if you are their manager) and determine specifically where we differ. Bringing the conflict situation to light initiates the process of resolving the dispute.
Conversation outcome: ‘So I understand that in this project your idea is to implement it using new, interesting technology, but I want to complete this project using the older, yet well-known technology. This is where we differ.’
2. Understand the goals and interests of each party.
Propose a meeting at a specific time and place so that the contentious issue can be discussed. Remember to ensure that during the meeting, each person has enough time to say everything they want the other party to hear. Do not let just one person dominate the conversation. The second step in the conflict resolution process should be to understand the goals and interests of each party in the situation. First and foremost, you want to know and understand the interests of the person you are in conflict with. You can quickly diagnose the interest by asking yourself the question: ‘Why do you want to carry out this project in this way?’ If you know why, you can think about how to find a middle ground – fulfilling both your interests and those of the other party.
Example:
Goal: we want to implement a new IT project using new, interesting technology. Interest (why using new and interesting technology?): we will complete this project faster because the new technology will be more engaging for our employees (programmers).
Alternative solution: maybe we can complete this project faster in another way, not just by using this technology?
3. Listen carefully to what everyone involved in the conflict has to say.
Remember to focus your attention entirely on the person speaking at the moment. Do not interrupt the speaker, wait until they finish their statement. Additionally, check if you understand the other person’s statement correctly. You can do this by using phrases like: ‘Let me make sure I understand your message.’ You are dissatisfied with…, because…’. The third step is to gather ideas for resolving the situation from each party. If we are just exchanging arguments, wrestling, or at best negotiating. If we try to come up with a NEW SOLUTION together, there is a greater chance of cooperation.
4. Find points that everyone agrees on.
Initially, the discussion will likely be based on differences of opinion, but without finding points that everyone agrees on, it will be difficult to resolve the misunderstanding. So try to draw the attention of those involved in the conflict to the aspects on which they agree. Of course, you can impose your solution on someone, but remember the consequences: the other party will likely look for situations to show you how wrong you are with your solution. The fourth step is to choose an idea that is at least a compromise for both parties and then establish an action plan – what, who, and by when?
5. Provide assistance in solving the problem.
If you work in a high-level position requiring leadership skills, you will probably have to manage conflicts in the team more than once. Never take sides in a disagreement. Remember that you are participating in the meeting to support employees in effectively resolving the disagreement. Keep in mind that conversations in a conflict are difficult for all parties involved, and we do not always feel like adhering to such agreements to the letter. Therefore, the fifth step in the process is to establish a timeline and method for verifying results: when and how will we check if our compromise is actually working? If we do not plan for verification, we create room for complacency.
6. If you caused the conflict, after clarifying the situation, remember to apologize to the other person.
Every conflict requires a specific resolution and an apology for hurting the other person’s feelings (if that happened). Remember, if you caused the conflict, apologize to the other person. Regardless of who is right in the end, we are usually unpleasant to others in conflict situations. Therefore, it is worth apologizing for any unpleasant experiences in a conflict situation (even if ‘the truth is on our side of the fence’ ;-))
Additionally, we recommend reading our previous article on communication in conflict.