Managing Conflicts at Workplace
As a nature of human beings, conflicts are unavoidable in day-to-day life and workplace is not an exception and it can be easily ignited by many factors including competitions, different personalities, opinions, beliefs, etc and it can be between co-workers or between employees and managers as well. The disagreements and arguments should not be curbed and it is better to come to light so that it can be managed and resolved properly (Armstrong, 2014), but unattended conflicts would lead to problems such as an unhealthy work environment, loss of interest and trust, absenteeism and ultimately impacting the overall performance of the organization (SHRM, 2021). Therefore, it is critical for employers and HR professionals to manage and resolve at early stages and put measures to minimize potential conflicts.
Conflicts Resolutions
Armstrong (2014) lists three
types of conflicts in a workplace such as Inter-group conflicts, Inter-personal
conflicts and conflicts between team members, and according to him by managing
the differences the conflicts can be resolved.
Inter-group
conflicts can be managed by
three ways: Peaceful Coexistence, Compromise and problem solving
Inter-personal
conflicts/conflict between individuals
can be managed through: withdrawal by one person, act as the conflict
does not exist and smooth out and both individuals agree on common ground or
compromise.
Conflicts
between team members can be managed through a properly structured investigative approach involving all parties, from understanding the situation by observations until an agreement are reached with all members.
SHRM (2021) highlights that a survey
by CIPD shows that 40% of UK employees have had some sort of conflicts with another
employee but mostly with line-managers, therefore HR must ensure that line
managers also should have skills and training in areas of conflict resolution,
Organization Rules and Expectations, Laws and Regulations, Professionalism, Communication
and Work assignments to prevent potential conflicts and also to manage if a
situation arises.
Managers should:
1) Understand the employees well
2) Be informed of sparkling problems
and concerns within employees
3) Recognize when an employee is
causing tensions to others
4) Keep employees clearly informed
of the expectations of positive behavior and conduct
5) Try to avoid office politics and
gossips
Conclusion
Despite the fact the conflicts are inevitable, good people management skills can help prevent and manage conflicts at a very early stage through communication, relationship and performance management. Employers and HR Professionals within the organization have a major role in developing and training line managers to handle conflicts effectively. Importantly, conflicts should not be left unattended and proper handling of conflicts will enable employees to build trust, feel safe, and create a healthy working environment with increased productivity and psychological satisfaction.
References
Armstrong, M., 2014. Armstrong’s Handbook of
Human Resource Management. 13th ed. London: Kogan Page.
CIPD, 2021. A
Guide To Dealing With Conflict At Work: Guidance for Line Managers. [Online]
Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/line-manager-guide-on-conflict_tcm18-89746.pdf
[Accessed 10 August 2021].
HR Cloud,
2021. 7 Tips on How to Manage and Resolve Conflict in the Workplace. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hrcloud.com/blog/7-tips-on-how-to-manage-and-resolve-conflict-in-the-workplace
[Accessed 11 August 2021].
KPR Schools,
2016. Resolving Conflict. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyXFirOUeUk
[Accessed 11 August 2021].
Lumen
Learning, 2021. Conflict Management Styles. [Online]
Available at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/conflict-management-styles/
[Accessed 10 August 2021].
SHRM, 2021. Managing
Workplace Conflict. [Online]
Available at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingworkplaceconflict.aspx
[Accessed 10 August 2021].
Conflict is a normal and natural part of our workplace and personal lives. Conflict can be helpful in making necessary changes within the home or work environment. However, unresolved conflict can result in feelings of dissatisfaction. In an organization this can result major damage to the effective and efficiency level of employees and skill people may resign from their jobs and even end up with violence. Therefore, it’s very important to HRM to resolve these conflict within start level by listening to all parties in affair manner.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sunith, for adding more contents
DeleteConflict Management helps in the strengthening of bond among the employees and everyone is ready to help each other. Relations improve and people feel motivated to work together and strive hard to give best possible results. No one likes to carry tensions back home and feel neglected at the workplace. The importance of conflict resolution in your workplace should never be taken lightly. Managing conflict well can help find creative solutions to internal relationship issues, and can help to prevent environments that breed negativity, stress, demotivation and general employee unrest.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comments Oshadha
DeleteA conflict arises when individuals have varied interests, opinions and thought processes and are just not willing to compromise with each other. It is always wise to adjust to some extent and try to find a solution to the problem rather than cribbing and fighting. Conflicts and disagreements only lead to negativity and things never reach a conclusion. When it comes to an organization, effective conflict management in an organization Cit reduces tensions and employees feel motivated to give their level best to the organization.
ReplyDeleteYou have smoothly described related things through this blog.nice work Fayaz.
Thank you for adding more value and comments Umesh
DeleteYou have written about a very important topic.. Conflict happen when there is both a perceived difference between the interests of the parties concerned and a belief, at least initially, that both sets of interest cannot be met simultaneously. In the workplace, this can happen quite regularly as many people work in teams and need to complete tasks together. When there is conflict, there are also often heightened emotions, as sometimes workers do not want to hear that their way is not the best way. They may perceive that colleagues are questioning their work abilities and even attacking them personally.
ReplyDeleteThis is how, Handle Conflict in the Workplace
ReplyDelete• Talk with the other employees
• Attention on behavior and events, not on personalities.
• Communication Skills - Listen carefully.
• Recognize points of agreement and disagreement.
• Line up the areas of conflict.
• Improve a plan to work on each conflict.
• Follow through on your plan.
• Build on your success.
Conflicts are common when dealing with people. However managing conflicts is the most imporant . There should be independent approach when managing conflicts . Strategical approach is the best way to deal with conflicts. In addition to that Communication is also very imporatnt . Nice article Fayaz
ReplyDeleteA supportive working environment and good relationships can greatly improve work experience, conflicts can be harmful and seriously undermines employee performance and productivity. Therefore Managers must intervene to handle conflicts at the earliest stage.
ReplyDeleteWork places consist of diverse employees and they are different from each other. Therefor Conflicts are common in working environments but the result of it definitely does not benefit to anyone. By building interpersonal relations and implementing a good communication system, it is important to minimize conflicts at the early stage by using Strategic management.
ReplyDeleteHow Do Managers Deal With Conflicts in the Workplace? Gather facts. Managers need to stay calm in the storm, taking an integrated approach with the goal of collecting ... Focus on the team. Sometimes the solution is as simple as re-grouping. Conflicts can arise when parties lose focus.Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhen an environment consists of employees from different backgrounds with different attitudes and beliefs the collaboration and coordination among them will be a crucial point to be considered. When a proper conflict management is in place, the indifferences and misunderstandings can be properly handled for a better interpersonal relationship. Worth to read.
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with people, conflicts are common. Conflict in the workplace can destroy good teams. Real and reasonable differences between individuals can rapidly twist out of control unless effectively managed, leading to a communication breakdown. To solve difficult situations of conflict, when managing conflicts, there should be an independent approach. The best way to deal with conflicts is through a strategic approach. You explain it very well Fayaz
ReplyDeleteConflicts are inevitable in a person’s day-to-day life. And when they happen, the idea is not to try to prevent them but rather to resolve and manage them in an effective manner. When people use the appropriate tools of resolution to address issues, they will be able to keep their differences from rising to major problems. “Establishing conflict management processes in a company is fundamental as it helps reduce conflict instances among employees,'' (Hansen, 2021). Conflict resolution is integral in the corporate world as it helps to distinguish a good business from a bad one.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteConflicts at workplace are natural and it can happen at every hierarchy. Managing conflicts is the toughest task in any organization. Conflict management is the skill of recognizing and resolving problems in a rational, equitable, and timely manner. Because business conflicts are an unavoidable aspect of doing company, it's critical to have people on staff who understand and can settle them. Being able to successfully identify a conflict in its early stages, find the cause and give solution to resolve the conflict will have direct positive impact Good workplace, Employees are more focused on the job, productivity increases and end result will be favorable to the company.
ReplyDeleteIn an organization, conflicts are unavoidable. It is solely base on the level of comprehension of every employee, from top to bottom. Worst case scenario, conflicts can have a direct impact on workplace productivity and image. As a result, grudges must come to an end at the point where they began. Conflicts can reduce by changing the workplace and understanding the mindset.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s business environment, conflict in the workplace is a significant issue; therefore, managing conflicts in organizations is basically very imperative as organizations that fail to address conflicts appropriately are likely to run into problems because conflict is essential in organizational life and has both likely rewords and costs. To address the situation of conflicts, lately since 1970s companies have turned to the use of different dispute resolution (ADR), in resolving workplace conflicts.
ReplyDeleteAs explained the employee relation and management is very important, thus HR should have ER team or personal dedicated for conflict resolution as conflict are inevitable. Healthy working environment will be defining the success of organization and its people.
ReplyDeleteConflicts management plays a very important role in organizations. Most of the time conflicts arises due to poor leaderships, reluctant to change, issues with interpersonal relationships and poor leadership. It is very important to find solutions to conflicts in order to prevent demotivation, work stress, absenteeism and also to ensure smooth functioning of the organization performance, productivity and efficiency. Thank you for sharing this valuable article Fayaz.
ReplyDelete