5 essential steps to resolve a conflict at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

5 essential steps to resolve a conflict at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Though Jane enjoyed working as the sales manager of Wilbey Sons, working with Scott, the financial manager, was a constant struggle for her. At every meeting, Scott would take great care to explain why all her ideas were unworkable. Also, Scott was constantly asking for sales projections and financial data from her and always wanted it in excruciating detail. Supplying these figures was taking up a large amount of her departments already packed schedule. Frankly she thought, he was nothing but a dry, negative perfectionist. Scott, on the other hand, thought that Jane was a maverick. She always had to interrup meetings with her harebrained schemes and whenever he asked her for the data he needed to keep the company finances in order, she would always stall and make him have to ask her again several times. Jane, he felt, was nothing but a happy-go-lucky, unrealistic show-off. It got to the point where neither of them could stand to be in the same room together. The company clearly suffered under this conflict between two of its key employees and something clearly needed to be done. Fortunately the CEO had a simple but surprising solution. I dont know about you, but I hate conflicts at work. Spending my work days mad at a co-worker, trying to avoid that person and subconsciously finding fault with everything they say or do is not exactly my idea of a good time. I used to be an expert at dodging conflicts on the job and Im here to tell you that it just doesnt work! What does work is biting the bullet and doing something about it here and now. I have seen what looked like huge, insurmountable, serious conflicts go poof and disappear into dust when handled constructively. I have also seen an itty-bitty molehill of a problem grow into a mountain that threatened to topple an entire company. You cant win a conflict at work. Winning a conflict ie. getting the outcome you want regardless of what the other person wants can be gratifying, sure, but the problem is that the underlying issue has not been solved. It will simply reappear later over some other topic. Much better than winning a conflict at work is resolving it. And the price of inaction is high, because unresolved, long-running conflicts result in antagonism, break-down in communications, inefficient teams, stress and low productivity. In short, unresolved conflicts make people terribly unhappy at work. With all of this in mind, here are five essential steps to constructively resolve conflicts at work. The steps can be applied to any kind of conflict between co-workers with maybe one exception read more at the end of the post. 1: Realize that conflicts are inevitable at work Show me a workplace without conflict and Ill show you a workplace where no one gives a damn. Whenever people are engaged, committed and fired up, conflict and disagreement is bound to happen. This doesnt mean you have to revel in conflict or create trouble just for the hell of it, but it does mean that when conflict happens its not the end of the world. Quite the contrary, it can even be the beginning of an interesting learning process. The very best and most efficient workplaces are not the ones without conflicts but those who handle conflicts constructively. Particularly when a workplace is changing and new ideas are being dreamt up and implemented, conflict is inevitable. There can be no business change without conflict. The trick is to make sure that you also have no conflict without change, because that is the truly dangerous thing: Conflicts that go on for years with all parties refusing to budge. The fact that you have a conflict at work does not reflect badly on you it mostly means that you care enough to disagree strongly. Thats a good thing provided that you do something about the conflict instead of just letting it go on forever. 2: Handle conflict sooner rather than later This is the single most important tip to successfully resolve conflicts: Do it now! Its very tempting to wait for a conflict to blow over by itself, but it rarely does in most cases it only gets worse with time. I refer you to this delightful cartoon by Claire Bretecher for an example. 90% of conflicts at work do not come from something that was said, but from something that wasnt said! Its tempting to try and smooth things over and pretend everything is normal. Dont. Thats the most common reason why conflicts at work escalate: Nobody does anything. Everyones waiting for the other guy to pull himself together and just admit hes wrong, dammit. It may be unpleasant to tackle the issue here and now but believe me, it gets even more unpleasant after the conflict has stewed for a good long while. 3: Ask! In the early stages of a conflict the most powerful tool to resolve it is simple: Ask! If somebody has done something that made you angry, if you dont understand somebodys viewpoint, if you dont understand their actions ask! Do it nicely. Say, I was wondering why you did X yesterday or Ive noticed that you often do Y. Why is that? are good examples. Why the hell do you always have to Z! is less constructive :o) Sometimes theres a perfectly good reason why that person does what he does, and a potential conflict evaporates right there. Also: Never assume that people do what they do to annoy you or spite you. People typically have a good reason to do the things they do, even the things that really get on your nerves. Never assume bad faith on anyone elses part. Instead: Ask! 4: Giraffe language For more entrenched conflicts that have been going on for a while, use giraffe language. Its the best tool around for constructively conveying criticism and solving conflict. An example: You and a co-worker often clash at meetings. Its gotten to the point where each of you are just itching to pounce on the slightest mistake the other person makes. You can barely stand the sight of each other and have begun to avoid each other as much as you can. This has been going on for a while now. Heres how you can use giraffe language to adress the conflict. Theres an invitation and six steps to it: Invitation Invite the other person to talk about the situation. An example: Say John, Id really like to talk to you. Do you have half an hour some time today? We could meet in meeting room B. A hurried conversation at your desk between emails and phone calls wont solve anything. You need an undisturbed location and time to adress the issue. And make no mistake: Giving this invitation may be the hardest part of the whole process. It can be remarkably hard to take that first step. Do it anyway! At the meeting itself, you need a way to structure the conversation constructively. Otherwise it could easily go like this: The good thing about giraffe language is that the conversation doesnt degenerate into mutual accusations. Without a proper structure the meeting could also go like this: John, why are you always attacking me at meetings? What are you talking about I dont do that! You do. Yesterday you jumped on me for suggesting that we add en extra programmer to the team. Weve talked about that a thousand times, we dont have the budget for more people. That was no reason to stomp me and the idea at the meeting. Well thats what you did to me when I suggested that we review the project model. Etc. etc. etc. Ever had one of those discussions at work? Not much fun and not very productive either! Giraffe language keeps accusations, assumptions and mutual attacks out of the conversation and makes it much more likely to reach a solution. Heres how it goes. Its important that you prepare the meeting thoroughly and write down notes to each step so you know what youre going to say. After each of the steps (except ii and iii) ask the other person if he agrees with your thinking and if hed like to add anything. i) Observation. Identify what you see in neutral, objective terms. John, Ive noticed that in our project meetings, we get very critical of each others ideas. For instance, the other day you suggested reviewing our project model and I jumped on you for suggesting it, though its actually a necessary step. I have noticed that weve ended up doing something like this in almost every meeting in the last few months. It also seems to be getting worse. Would you agree with this description of the situation? This is where you describe the facts of the situation as objectively as possible. What is actually happening? When and how is it happening? What is the other person doing and, not least, what are you doing? Youre only allowed to cite observable facts and not allowed to assume or guess at what the other person is thinking or doing. You can say Ive noticed that youre always criticizing me at our meetings because thats a verifiable fact. You cant say Ive noticed that youve stopped respecting my ideas because that assumes something about the other person. ii) Apologize. Apologize for your part in the conflict. John, I want to apologize for attacking you at the meetings. It has a bad effect on the mood of our meetings and I can see that it makes you angry. I apologize. If youre 100%, totally and utterly without fault in the conflict you may skip this step. That doesnt happen too often, let me tell you, usually everyone involved has done something to create and sustain the conflict. Remember: Youre not accepting the entire blame, youre taking responsibility for your contribution to the situation. iii) Appreciate. Praise the other part in the conflict. Tell them why its worth it to you to solve the conflict. I know we dont always see eye to eye and that we have very different personalities but I want you to know that I really appreciate your contribution to the project. Without you we would never have gotten this far in the same time. Also the way you communicate with our clients and your ability to find out what they really want are second to none and a boost to the project. This can be difficult, few people find it easy to praise and appreciate a person they disagree strongly with, but its a great way to move forward. It also serves as a lithmus test: If you cant think of a single positive thing to say about the other person, you may not be ready to resolve the conflict yourself. In this case see tip 5 (mediation) below. iv) Consequences. What has the conflict led to for you and for the company? Why is it a problem? I dont like this situation we have now. Its making me anxious before meetings and its making the meetings less productive. I also think some of the other project members are starting to wonder what its all about. Jane asked me the other day why the two of us can never agree on anything. I think this is actually harming the project. Would you agree? Outlining the consequences of the conflict shows why its necessary to resolve the conflict. It also helps participants to look beyond themselves and see the conflict from the outside. v) Objective. What would be a good outcome. I would like for us to listen more an appreciate each others ideas more. You have some great ideas and even if I dont agree with an idea, I can still listen and make constructive suggestions. Does that sound like a good goal? Its essential to set a goal so both parties know the outcome theyre aiming for. That makes reaching the outcome a lot more likely :o) vi) Request. Ask for specific actions that can be implemented right away. I suggest that we introduce a new rule: At meetings when one of us suggest something and the other person disagrees, we start by saying whats good about the idea and then say how it could be better. Also if we start to attack each other as we have before, I suggest we both excuse ourselves from the meeting and talk about it in private instead of in front of the entire team. Also, what do you say we have a short talk after our next project meeting to evaluate how it went. How does that sound? The standard version of giraffe language has four steps and is formulated slightly differently. What you see here is an adaptation of traditional giraffe language to the business world that is more suited to conflicts at work. Why is it called giraffe language? Because the giraffe has the biggest heart of any animal on dry land (it needs to, to pump blood all the way up to its brain). The great thing about giraffe language is that: It gives structure to a difficult conversation It minimizes assumptions and accusations It focuses on the real problems not just the symptoms It results in a plan of action not just vague assuarances to do better 5: Get mediation George, the CEO of Wilbey Sons, wanted Jane and Scott, his sales and financial managers, to work well together, but he also knew that something new was need to break the ice between them. He invited them to a meeting in his office and as they sat there, next to each other across his desk, the resentment between them was apparent you could sense how they were each ready to spring into action and defend themselves. His opening took them both by surprise, though. Jane, would you please tell me what you admire about Scott. This was not what they had expected, and Jane needed a moment to get her mind around that particular question. Well he its I have to say that his reports are always excellent and that his department runs like clockwork. Also he handled that situation with the bank last month quickly and without a hitch. The CEOs next question was And Scott, what do you appreciate about Jane? Having heard the first question, Scott was caught less by surprise and smoothly replied Sales are up 17% this quarter because of her last campaign and it looks like the trend will continue.And I must say that the customers I talk to all like the new pricing structure she introduced. From that moment on the mood in the room had shifted, and the three of them could have a real conversation about Scott and Janes differences and how to resolve them. Though they never became friends, they were able to work effectively together and appreciate each others strengths. Some conflicts are so entrenched that they can not be solved by the participants alone; outside help is needed in the form of conflict mediation. Mediation involves finding a third party trusted by the people involved in the conflict, and then trusting that person to help find a solution. The mediator can be a manager, HR employee, a business coach, a co-worker, etc. You can still speed up the mediation process by preparing for it by using the giraffe language steps above. What if all of this doesnt work? There is no guarantee that the method described here will resolve your conflict at work. It may or it may not. But even if it doesnt work you have the satisfaction of knowing that youve tried. You have risen above the conflict for a while and tried to address it positively and constructively. No one can ask more of you. One kind of conflict at work is particularly tricky, namely a conflict with your manager. With a good manager who responds constructively to criticism, this is rarely a problem, but a conflict with a bad or insecure manager can seriously impact your working situation and needs special handling. Theres a post coming next week about working with bad managers. If you like this post theres a good chance youll also enjoy these: Top 10 bad excuses for staying in a crappy job. How do you know its time to quit? Find your quitting point.. The cult of overwork. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related