Workplace conflicts lead to a counterproductive environment that contributes to low productivity and a toxic culture. Managing a healthy conflict resolution is essential to unearthing any misunderstanding, inefficiencies, and tension between the team's dynamic.
The first important step towards resolving a conflict is acknowledging the conflict's existence in the first place. It may sound like an obvious step, but most people often overlook it. Remember, no matter how small the conflict may be to you, it can be an entirely different issue for someone else.
The next step is trying to avoid acting emotionally and to take a step back to remove yourself from the situation. Controlling your own emotion is a natural aspect of professionalism. You may feel numerous emotions in the heat of the moment; thus, giving yourself a break can help you with the next step of conflict resolution.
Communication is the key to resolving any conflict. With different personalities and communication preferences, miscommunication is bound to happen and is inevitable. After having a clear mind, the next best thing to do is to have open, transparent communication with the other party to better understand the conflict.
Lastly, investigate the root cause of the conflict to avoid future workplace conflict. The main focus of this step is to break down the problem without penalizing any individuals. Nevertheless, if the conflict's leading cause is a specific individual, an intervention will be the next step for resolving the conflict.
In conclusion, managing workplace conflict with the utmost professionalism is pivotal in any workplace environment. Healthy conflict management will increase the team's productivity, morale, and happiness in general.
Acknowledge the existence of the conflict
Do not act emotionally
Communicate effectively
Investigate the root cause of the conflict