Workplace conflict is inevitable. Whether it’s a clash of personalities, a disagreement over the direction of change, or tensions around management styles, conflict can occur in any workplace, and is often extremely hard to predict.
However, when it does occur, if managed effectively, conflict can build stronger teams, help develop improved communication, and shape innovative solutions to numerous problems. After all, conflict isn’t entirely negative. It has been said “without pressure, no diamonds.”
Through management training, employees and leaders can transform disputes into opportunities for growth (rather than stressful interpersonal angst).
This article explores several contrasting strategies to turn workplace conflict into positive outcomes. In it, we’ll provide actionable steps to manage disagreements constructively.
Conflicts in the workplace derive from a variety of sources, from personal differences to miscommunication or competing interests, where a compromise is hard to reach.
Left unchecked, workplace conflict can reduce morale, lower productivity, and even lead to turnover. However, with the right approach, these tensions can be diverted towards collaboration and innovation.
As American theologian William Ellery Channing wrote “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.”
The five most common triggers to conflict in the workplace are:
Differing work styles or expectations
“I’m not a micromanager, why are you trying to make me into one?”
Personality clashes
“I’m always here early, and I’m the last to leave; they come and go as they please.”
Competing for resources or recognition
“Our department’s budget has been cut three years running. How am I supposed to hit these targets?”
Lack of clear communication
“You didn’t tell me you needed it for the conference. It’s not going to be ready.”
Power dynamics
“You’re not my line manager, so stop acting like you are!”
There can be external pressures that cause conflict too, such as rapid change, the threat of redundancies, or increasing marketplace competition.
However, such external pressures can only cause conflict if there are already the seeds of dissatisfaction within your team, department, or company.
Addressing conflicts promptly helps prevent escalation. When conflicts linger, they can create a toxic work environment, build resentment, and lead to misunderstandings that are harder to resolve.
Early intervention encourages a positive resolution and maintains team cohesion.
Conflict is also a symptom of an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. It could be a procedural problem, a lack of resources, a staffing issue, or the imposition of unrealistic targets. Conflict can enable a manager to spot a problem before it becomes a crisis.
Conflict, in other words, may be the “canary in the coal mine.” Or as author G.K. Chesterton put it “It isn’t that they can’t see the solution. It is that they can’t see the problem.”
Identify the problems that lie at the root of conflict, and you’re able to begin to resolve it.
In workplace conflict resolution, a win-win approach seeks to find solutions that satisfy all parties involved. Or at the very least, minimise dissatisfaction equally.
This strategy ensures long-term success, as both sides feel their needs have been acknowledged and addressed.
A win-win outcome creates mutual respect, enhances relationships, and encourages continued collaboration, ultimately creating a more cohesive and productive work environment.
Here’s an example of the win-win approach in action:
1. Conflict: Sara, the head of marketing, and Tom, the sales manager, clash over the product launch strategy. Sara wants a digital ad campaign for brand awareness, while Tom pushes for in-person demos. Tension rises as they cannot agree on the best approach.
2. Resolution: Their manager arranges a meeting where both listen to each other’s views. They agree on a hybrid approach: Sara leads the digital campaign, and Tom focuses on demos for key clients. Both commit to supporting each other’s efforts.
3. Long-Term Outcome: The combined strategy is a success, improving both brand engagement and sales. Sara and Tom develop a stronger working relationship, creating better collaboration on future projects.
The key in this example is that the conflict was identified early before Tom and Sara’s tension became interpersonal resentment or anger. The conflict never became personal, allowing collaboration to flourish and a win-win solution to be implemented successfully.
“The better able team members are to engage, speak, listen, hear, interpret, and respond constructively, the more likely their teams are to leverage conflict rather than be levelled by it.” – Runde and Flanagan, Leadership Experts.
This quote, from Runde and Flanagan’s book “Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader,” shows how a range of communication strategies including active listening, empathy, and constructive criticism, can lead to the diminishment of conflict.
Successful conflict resolution requires specific strategies that focus on communication, understanding, and action.
Here we offer fourteen approaches to transform conflict into an opportunity for growth:
Writing in Harvard Business Review, Amy Gallo recently defined this helpful concept as an activity in which “you not only hear what someone is saying, but also attune to their thoughts and feelings. It turns a conversation into an active, non-competitive, two-way interaction.”
Active listening is one of the most important strategies for resolving workplace conflict. When employees listen to each other without interruption or judgement, they can better understand the perspectives of others.
This builds empathy, reduces misunderstandings, and makes it easier to find common ground. It helps to have an empathetic mediator on hand to ensure people listen carefully to one another, rather than jumping in with justifications or objections.
Instead of viewing conflict as a competition, encourage collaboration. As we saw in our earlier example, it helps if you’ve identified conflict early on.
First establish what each party wants to achieve and identify common ground: this will be the end-product of your win-win approach.
When both parties work together to find a mutually beneficial solution, compromise naturally emerges. A collaborative mindset can lead to creative solutions that wouldn’t have been possible through unilateral decision-making.
Remember, as drag racer Greg Anderson points out: “The Law of Win/Win says, ‘Let’s not do it your way or my way; let’s do it the best way.”
And given that not finding the “right way” to race a car at 330 mph can result in the driver’s fiery demise, it’s worth listening to Anderson’s wisdom!
Often, the surface-level disagreement is only a symptom of a deeper issue.
Identifying the root cause—whether it’s a lack of resources, unclear roles, or underlying tension—is essential for a lasting resolution. By addressing the real problem, teams can avoid repetitive conflicts over superficial issues.
Root Cause Analysis is a useful managerial skill to develop, and whole books have been written on the topic of problem solving. One of the best is Patrik Ian Meyer’s “The 4 Pillars of Problem Solving”, which provides a host of hacks and tips for strategic solution finding.
Alternatively, consider a management course that focuses on problem identification and solution finding.
Empathy allows individuals to see the situation from the other person’s perspective.
When team members practise empathy, they become more understanding of each other’s needs and concerns, which helps de-escalate tension and leads to more compassionate resolutions.
Workplace shadowing, allowing employees to experience one another’s roles, and their attendance challenges, can help increase empathy and understanding.
When conflicts become too difficult to resolve internally, bringing in a neutral third party, such as a mediator, can help facilitate productive conversations.
Mediators can objectively guide discussions, ensuring both sides are heard and creating a fair resolution.
These professionals are especially helpful when conflicts spill over into personal animosity. They can also help with tricky situations such as redundancies and other large scale traumatic changes.
Establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and boundaries from the beginning helps prevent workplace conflicts from arising. When everyone knows what’s expected, there’s less room for misunderstanding or stepping on each other’s toes.
It’s vital to keep job specifications up to date, and to have regular one-to-ones with line managers to ensure each employee’s role hasn’t crept away from what they were employed to do without bilateral agreement.
HR departments can play a key role, alongside management, in designing job descriptions to be realistic, fair, and sufficiently challenging.
In workplace conflict management, it’s essential to separate the problem from the person.
Criticising the behaviour or issue rather than the individual prevents the situation from becoming personal, keeping the conversation constructive and solution oriented.
It has been said that “10% of conflicts are due to differences of opinion. 90% are due to the wrong tone of voice.” Sometimes the underlying problem is something that would upset a reasonable person, but they are expressing their distress in an unreasonable manner.
Always address such conflicts in private, away from other employees, because they can cause embarrassment and further grievance if aired publicly.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a crucial role in conflict resolution strategies.
Employees with high EQ are better equipped to manage their own emotions, understand the emotions of others, and navigate tense situations calmly and effectively.
Try to make sure each team has a supervisor, or team leader with a high level of EQ to help identify conflicts early on and help resolve them. You can work on increasing your own level of leadership EQ as well, of course, and all good management training should include material related to broadening this skill.
Sometimes, conflict arises from a lack of trust or camaraderie among team members.
Regular team-building exercises can help strengthen interpersonal relationships, making it easier to resolve conflicts and encouraging collaboration.
Here are six ways to use team building exercises to increase group coherence and reduce conflict:
Rewarding employees who manage conflicts constructively encourages others to do the same.
Of course, you can also reward a team that has weathered the course of conflict, especially in times of change. Team outings and social celebrations can help remind your team of how much you value their perseverance in challenging times.
Public recognition or even small incentives can reinforce positive conflict management behaviours, making them part of the organisational culture.
Creating a feedback loop where employees can regularly voice concerns and offer suggestions for improvement creates a culture of continuous growth.
Feedback loops help address smaller conflicts before they become bigger issues and ensure that conflict resolution processes evolve over time.
Of course, it is vital to ensure there is a “no blame” culture and that management listen sincerely to employee concerns, without defensively snapping back. Employees must feel free to voice their concerns without fear of retribution.
Sometimes feedback is better delivered anonymously with a suggestion box, or a focus group conducted by a neutral third party without management present.
Once the core issue is identified, it’s essential to create a concrete plan for resolution. Don’t leave too large a gap between identifying the problem and implementing a plan for change.
This plan should outline specific actions, deadlines, and responsibilities to ensure accountability.
A clear plan also minimises future misunderstandings and sets expectations for behaviour moving forward. It is also open to revision or abandonment if it proves not to work. Sometimes you don’t find the perfect solution the first time round.
Workplace communication strategies play a significant role in conflict prevention.
By promoting transparency, encouraging feedback, and setting up regular check-ins, teams can proactively address issues before they escalate. Open communication builds trust and helps team members feel comfortable bringing up concerns early.
This is a holistic strategy since it involves creating a workplace culture that values honesty, openness, and regular feedback across the organisation. It can take some time to implement and for employees to buy-in to this new culture.
Investing in ongoing conflict resolution training can equip employees with the skills needed to manage disputes professionally.
Training helps normalise conflict as a part of workplace dynamics, teaching employees how to approach it constructively rather than avoiding or escalating it.
Such conflict resolution skills are valuable, not just for managers and leaders, but for frontline employees. They could be just as helpful in responding to a complaint or managing an angry customer.
From human resources and IT to customer service and sales managers, everyone benefits from brushing up on conflict resolution skills.
Turning workplace conflict into a positive outcome requires an initiative-taking approach, emphasising active listening, collaboration, and clear communication.
By adopting some of the above strategies and creating a win-win mindset, organisations can transform disputes into opportunities for growth, innovation, and better team dynamics.
Let’s leave the final word of wisdom to author and theologian David Augsberger:
“the more we run from conflict, the more it masters us; the more we try to avoid it, the more it controls us; the less we fear conflict, the less it confuses us; the less we deny our differences, the less they divide us.”
For more resources on how to improve conflict resolution skills, check out our Management Skills Training, explore our In-House Training For Managers, or take our Conflict Management Styles Quiz.
Thanks again,
Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
Updated on: 12 November, 2024
Originally posted: 30 March, 2012
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