Guide to Managing Human Resources
Chapter 15: Managing Conflict
Contents
Summary
In
most conflicts, neither party is right or wrong; instead, different
perceptions collide to create disagreement. Conflict is natural
and it's up to you to respond to conflict situations quickly and
professionally. Conflict can be very positive; if you deal with
it openly, you can strengthen your work unit by correcting problems.
Conflicting views give you a chance to learn more about yourself,
explore views of others, and develop productive relationships. Clear
and open communication is the cornerstone of successful conflict
resolution.
Guiding
Principles
By managing conflicts skillfully, you can:
- Gain cooperation from team members
- Improve performance and productivity
- Reduce stress and preserve integrity
- Solve problems as quickly as possible
- Improve relationships and teamwork
- Enhance creativity
- Increase staff morale
Resolving
Conflict Situations
To
manage conflict effectively you must be a skilled communicator.
That includes creating an open communication environment in your
unit by encouraging employees to talk about work issues. Listening
to employee concerns will foster an open environment. Make sure
you really understand what employees are saying by asking questions
and focusing on their perception of the problem. To learn more about
communication skills, see Chapter
13, Communication.
Whether you have two employees who are fighting for the desk next to the window or one employee who wants the heat on and another who doesn't, your immediate response to conflict situations is essential. Here are some tips you can use when faced with employees who can't resolve their own conflicts.
- Acknowledge that a difficult situation exists. Honesty and clear communication play an important role in the resolution process. Acquaint yourself with what's happening and be open about the problem.
- Let individuals express their feelings. Some feelings of anger and/or hurt usually accompany conflict situations. Before any kind of problem-solving can take place, these emotions should be expressed and acknowledged.
- Define the problem. What is the stated problem? What is the negative impact on the work or relationships? Are differing personality styles part of the problem? Meet with employees separately at first and question them about the situation.
- Determine underlying need. The goal of conflict resolution is not to decide which person is right or wrong; the goal is to reach a solution that everyone can live with. Looking first for needs, rather than solutions, is a powerful tool for generating win/win options. To discover needs, you must try to find out why people want the solutions they initially proposed. Once you understand the advantages their solutions have for them, you have discovered their needs.
- Find
common areas of agreement, no matter how small:
- Agree on the problem
- Agree on the procedure to follow
- Agree on worst fears
- Agree on some small change to give an experience of success
- Find
solutions to satisfy needs:
- Problem-solve by generating multiple alternatives
- Determine which actions will be taken
- Make sure involved parties buy into actions. (Total silence may be a sign of passive resistance.) Be sure you get real agreement from everyone.
- Determine follow-up you will take to monitor actions. You may want to schedule a follow-up meeting in about two weeks to determine how the parties are doing.
- Determine what you'll do if the conflict goes unresolved. If the conflict is causing a disruption in the department and it remains unresolved, you may need to explore other avenues. An outside facilitator (such as the Staff Ombuds Office) may be able to offer other insights on solving the problem. In some cases the conflict becomes a performance issue, and may become a topic for coaching sessions, performance appraisals, or disciplinary action. (See Chapter 22, Taking Disciplinary Action.)
Dealing
With Anger
When
you meet with someone who is angry, you can use the tools of effective
listening to help defuse this anger. Nevertheless, when anger is
directed at you, it is much more difficult to respond definitively,
because your own emotions are usually involved.
To effectively defuse anger, keep in mind the needs of the angry speaker:
- To vent. An angry person needs to let off steam and release the anger that may have been brewing for a long time use your communication skills to allow the person to do this.
- To get the listener's attention. An angry person wants to know that you are paying attention use your body language to show this.
- To be heard. An angry person wants someone to listen to her point of view acknowledge the feelings you hear so that the speaker knows you appreciate how angry she is.
- To be understood. An angry person wants someone to appreciate how she feels try to empathize with her experience so that she feels you understand the situation, and acknowledge her right to feel the way she does.
When you're listening to an angry person:
- Be attentive and patient. Keep in mind that she will become less angry as you let her express herself.
- Be sincere. Empathy and validation must be both honest and genuine.
- Be calm. Try to remove your own emotions from the discussion. Remember that an angry person may say inflammatory things in the heat of the moment, but you do not have to react angrily.
Other Resources
- Your Employee Relations Specialist in Human Resources
- The Employee Development & Training Classes and Workshops
- Ombudspersons for Staff
- CARE Services for Faculty and Staff