Dealing with Conflict in the Workplace

Within any social group, interpersonal conflict is likely to arise at some point. The workplace isn’t any different. Interpersonal conflict is a serious, often protracted, disagreement or incompatibility, between at least two parties concerning their opinions, principles, interests or goals.

Conflict can occur in the workplace due to a range of factors. It can include the following:

• Competition/Personal Agendas – conflicts often arise over competition for resources – in a workplace setting this could mean competing for promotion, pay rises or positions of power and influence.
• Organisational change – people’s positions may be at risk and this puts them into opposition with others.
• Personality clash – people’s personality style, cultural background, approach and behaviour may differ considerably, making conflict more likely between some people.
• Interpersonal relationships – if someone feels that they have been treated badly – e.g. subjected to disloyalty or if they believe they have been disrespected in some way, conflict may emerge.
• Stress and anxiety – people experiencing these emotions may be more likely to get into conflict with others.
• Pressure – if a task is pressing or a deadline looming, pressure may lead to conflict – especially if people have different ways of approaching a problem.

Conflict can take place between colleagues at the same level or between managers and their subordinates.  It can be a very damaging, as the parties will often develop hostilities towards each other and may become preoccupied with their disagreement. Other people may become embroiled with the feud and sides may develop. This can be very harmful to working relationships and it is important that leaders work to resolve conflicts before significant damage is done.

Wherever possible, conflict should be dealt with early on. The longer conflict carries on, the more it festers. Other people may get involved and things may escalate and the situation may be harder to repair.

So, what are the options for dealing with conflict?

In some circumstances, it may be best to let things take their natural course. This will likely mean that the stronger or more dominant party will have their way and that there will be a winner and a loser. This may be more effective when dealing short-term conflicts or disagreements but, even then, it may cause long-term resentment for the losing party. If the conflict is something which is unlikely to subside, with both parties still fighting, there will likely be no winner. In fact, everyone will suffer because of an ongoing feud. In such cases, leaving things be is not the best option.

Alternatively, one of the parties may be willing to back down on an issue in the hope of saving the personal relationship or preserving the peace. The usefulness of this approach depends on the seriousness of the conflict and the issues at stake. If the issue is relatively unimportant, it may be wise to encourage one side to back down. However, it could mean that someone with a passive personality, but with valid concerns regarding a situation, will back down to appease someone with a more dominant personality – even if they profoundly disagree with their position. This may not effectively address the underlying problem and the conflict (or similar conflicts) may arise in the future.

Getting the conflicting parties to work together is the desired goal. This might not always be possible but if the parties can sit down, discuss the issues, collaborate and find a shared solution, this will be beneficial to both parties. This may take time and is unlikely to be easy.

Negotiation and compromise are often needed to help resolve a conflict. The goal of such discussions should be a mutually beneficial outcome, although this may not always be achievable. Ideally, the conflicting parties should be able to negotiate between themselves but mediation with a third-party may be helpful in some situations.

In certain circumstances, a manager may need to resolve the situation by making a decision. This may essentially involve in siding with one person over another but this may be a necessary way to deal with the issue quickly and effectively. Managers need to be cautious, as the losing party may harbour resentment. Therefore, the decision should not be based on personalities or ‘favouritism’.

Leaders have a responsibility to their team and their organisation, which may mean making unpopular decisions from time to time.

Avoiding difficult decisions is poor leadership. If conflict has arisen that can damage the team, a leader needs to intervene. Avoiding confronting the situation, simply to maintain a pretence of harmony, is unwise. For example, if team members are concerned with the behaviour of one of their colleagues and come to a manager with their concerns and the manager chooses to do nothing, it may prove damaging to the team and the authority of the manager.

Managers should foster a positive organisational culture in which conflicts are dealt with appropriately and proportionately, and lessons learned. Unfortunately, conflict is likely to occur in every workplace at some point – but how a manager deals with it is crucial ensuring that conflicts do not become commonplace and negatively impact on the morale of the workforce.