Understanding workplace conflict management can help you become a better manager and build a stronger team.
While healthy workplace conflict can harness different perspectives, individual strengths, and creativity, negative workplace conflict can undo a team's efforts.
But before we go ahead and embrace the conflict and all its creative strength, business owners need first to learn how to manage it.
Here are five key strategies to help you manage workplace conflict.
Seek to Understand What's Causing the Conflict
The first step when learning how to manage workplace conflict is to understand the cause, which will enable you to know how it came about in the first place.
By hearing the source of the conflict from both sides, you can better understand the disagreement and develop solutions to fit each person's needs.
Actively Listen and Let Everyone Have Their Say
To come up with a solution, you need to listen to everyone's story whos involved actively.
By actively listening, you'll have all parts of the story to make an informed decision on how the conflict will be dealt with.
Give everyone an equal amount of time to explain their side of the story and ensure that you encourage them to be open and honest.
Brainstorm Ways to Meet the Common Goal
Once you've investigated the situation and thoroughly understood the issue, it's time to brainstorm ways to meet the common goal.
Sit down with both parties and brainstorm until all options are exact. From there, you can make an informed decision as to what solution will work best.
Determine the Responsibilities of Each Person Involved in the Resolution
Once you've determined the best solution for the problem, you can decide on each person's responsibility in resolving the conflict.
You can also determine that the same conflict won't happen again by developing a sound solution with clear goals.
Build Preventative Strategies for the Future
When managing conflict in the workplace, you must review your solution and strategy to see how it works.
Workplace conflict strategies should be developed so that you can prevent the conflict from happening again in the future.
Learning to Embrace the Conflict
By understanding the conflict, the source and the parties involved, you can encourage positive competition that stimulates ideas and creativity.
