Any business has many assets: real estate, product, reputation, cash, and some others. All these assets won’t bring an entrepreneur any profit if there are no humans who connect them into a working mechanism. Human capital is one of the most valuable assets of a company.
Work conflict is a major disruptor that can kill productivity, and therefore, literally, stop the operation process. It’s vital to implement conflict management at the workplace in order to promote a healthy working environment. Sometimes, a manager may need even an employment law consultation. However, that’s relevant in serious cases only.
How to Mediate Work Conflicts
Did you know that almost 60% of managers didn’t receive management training? This is proved by a CareerBuilder.com study. It means that employees were promoted because of their personal accomplishments. However, they may not know how to manage people, which makes up a big share of the manager’s responsibilities.
Management training that includes leadership and conflict resolution basics is essential. Those who want to become a great leader can practice self-learning. Here is a good opportunity if you are from this type. We have prepared tips that will be useful when handling work conflict.
Don’t Let the Problem Escalate
It’s always much better to interfere in the conflict at an early stage. An escalated conflict is much harder to resolve. Opponents have already managed to touch each other’s sensitive points. Moreover, it may disrupt the work of the whole department since it may divide into clusters.
Prevent Any Fire
Sometimes debates regarding any working issues may end up in a friendly fight. Employees who have different opinions might start to attack each other. This is an ideal environment for conflict development. Therefore, you need to prevent any friendly fire at its roots.
Deal with the Conflict Offline
We all like messengers and social media. But this isn’t the place to resolve a conflict. It’s not advisable to chat or even use video calls to solve any problems since it may trigger even misunderstandings.
The key reason for that is the lack of physical presence. It means that one individual may misunderstand or misinterpret another.
Immerse Yourself in the Problem
Employee conflict resolution highly depends on the manager’s level of involvement in the problem. In order to help and restore the balance, the leader should literally dive into the problem. It’s vital to understand all the points of view and investigate the situation from all angles.
Choose Descriptive Questions
Descriptive questions are a working strategy when it comes to conflict resolution. First of all, this helps a mediator to understand all the details of a problem. Secondly, this allows both parties to reconstruct the full context of the conflict. It’s a good tactic to reframe the focus.
Outlaw Criticism
A famous therapist who specializes in workplace relationships, Larry Shushansky believes that criticism is natural. It’s not easy to abandon such a mindset, yet it’s vital for establishing a pleasant working atmosphere in the office. Thus, a leader should promote a non-criticism policy.
Work out Preventive Measures
Great leaders learn from mistakes. That’s why good team leader conflict resolution strategies involve working out preventive measures. They ensure that the problem doesn’t arise ever again. This should be the final stage of a conflict resolution. Otherwise, the lesson is not learned, and the chance to face the same situation is high.Entrepreneurs should remember: the sooner they solve the conflict, the sooner the productivity increases. Do you agree with the statement? How do you manage problems in the workplace?
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- How Leader Can Mediate Work Conflicts And Set Up Productive Atmosphere - September 30, 2020
