We all have to deal with conflict in all aspects of our lives. For most of us, conflict can be unpleasant and something we try to avoid. As a manager, however, it’s your responsibility to tackle any conflict within your team and make sure it doesn’t escalate.

Managing conflict requires maturity, patience and empathy. You need to be aware of your own emotional responses, and the way these might be interpreted by your staff. This can be tough, and there are plenty of training resources and consultants who can help you to do this.

There are also some things you can work on yourself in order to help you manage conflict successfully.

Awareness
It’s important to not only be aware of the relationships amongst your team members, but also the impression you give to them. As a leader, do you encourage openness from your staff? Do they feel able to come and talk to you on a regular basis, or do you brush aside ad hoc conversations because you are too busy? Making time for people is essential if you want to have a happy team. How do managers deal with conflict amongst themselves? People take their cues for behaviour from those at the top—if people see disagreements being dealt with openly and maturely from their leaders, it’s more likely that they will be inclined to approach conflict in this way themselves. Encouraging an environment of openness and trust can go a long way to preventing conflict from arising in the first place.

Early Response
It’s imperative to ensure that any conflict is dealt with quickly in order to prevent it from becoming a bigger problem. If your staff feel able to talk to you regularly, it’s more likely that you will become quickly aware of any issues. As a manager, you no doubt have other responsibilities apart from people management, so it’s very easy for this to be the first thing to slip if you are busy. Don’t let it. Keeping a constant dialogue will allow you to spot potential issues, and nip them in the bud.

Listening
Listening is a key aspect of managing conflict successfully. Sometimes it can be enough just for people to feel that they have had the opportunity to air their views, and that those views have been taken seriously. Listening takes time and patience—make sure you draw out the specific problems. Be aware of your non-verbal communication, and of your own emotional responses. It is understandable to become irritated now and then, but don’t let this show, as it will make your staff feel like you are not empathizing or, worse yet, not taking them seriously.

Collaborative Solutions
Involving people in developing a solution to the problem can really ensure a long-lasting resolution. Try to bring the relevant parties together to work on a solution. It will take some time to get to this point, but after everyone has had a chance to say their piece independently, handing over responsibility for the resolution can make people feel like they are trusted and being given autonomy.

Some conflicts will be difficult to resolve, even if you become an expert at all of the above. In some cases, bringing in an independent conflict management mediator can be an excellent idea. The very fact of having someone independent from the organization can help to encourage a sense of openness and fairness when dealing with conflict. To learn more about our Conflict Resolution Workshop visit adr.ca.

To learn conflict resolution skills that you can use at work and in your personal life, please visit our Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To improve your negotiation skills and get the results you want while negotiating, please visit our Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.

To gain skills to handle difficult conversations and difficult people with confidence, please visit our Dealing With Difficult People Workshop page to learn more about upcoming in-person and instructor-led online sessions.