Conflicts can arise in any workplace, and they can have a negative impact on both employee wellbeing and business performance. That's why it's important to have effective workplace conflict management tools that both managers and employees can use.
In this article, we will explore the concept of conflict management, its definition and meaning, as well as concrete advice and tools on how to work with conflict management in the workplace.
Do you experience problems with internal conflicts in your organization, either between employees or between management and employees?
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What is a conflict?
While conflict can arise in many different situations, it's important to understand what conflict actually is in order to effectively manage it in your organization.
Conflict can be described as a situation where two or more people have a disagreement, such as incompatible interests, goals or values, and where this leads to a negative emotional state. Conflict can take many different forms, from disagreements over work tasks and roles to more personal conflicts and relationship issues.
It's important to understand that conflict doesn't always have to be negative. Constructive conflict can actually be beneficial to the organization as it can lead to increased creativity and innovation. However, it is important to distinguish between constructive and destructive conflicts and learn how to deal with them appropriately.
Conflicts evolve either negatively or positively: they escalate and become major disagreements, or they evolve in a positive direction, with parties coming together more in agreement and/or understanding of each other.
Staircases of conflict
Austrian economist and conflict researcher Friedrich Glasl developed the "conflict staircase" model as an illustration of how a conflict can escalate and get worse. Glasl's original conflict staircase goes downwards, as Glasl wants to emphasize that conflicts go deeper and deeper towards polarization. However, since in Danish we speak of conflict escalation and conflict de-escalation when differences develop negatively and positively, the conflict ladder below goes upwards, like many other renditions of Glasl's model.
The above model is an adapted and updated version of Austrian economist and conflict researcher Friedrich Glasl's well-known model of conflict escalation - the conflict staircase. Source: Glasl, F. (1999). Confronting Conflict. A First-Aid Kit for Handling Conflicts.
The Conflict Ladder can help identify where each conflict is on the ladder and what it takes to resolve it effectively. By understanding how conflicts can escalate, you as a manager or organization can learn how to proactively manage them and prevent them from reaching crisis point.
In addition, as a manager, you can help prevent and resolve conflicts in the organization by having - and passing on - a good understanding of what a conflict is, as well as tools on how to best identify and then manage each conflict. You can read more about this further down in this article.
The 3 basic reactions to conflict
Aggression, submission and assertion describe the 3 basic ways of acting in a conflict.
Aggression
Aggression is a reaction where you are challenging and attacking others. It can lead to conflict-escalating behavior, where you emphasize your own opinions and rights and disregard those of others. When aggressive in a conflict, you can offend others by becoming personal, demeaning or even physical.
Submission
Submission, also known as passivity, is a reaction where you suppress yourself and your own desires to avoid conflict. This can lead to a postponement and escalation of the conflict at a later date. You may appear dependent, inhibited, helpless or self-denying in a submissive response.
Assertion
The third response to conflict is assertion. This is where you take up the issue and try to manage the conflict through equal dialog. This requires empathy, the ability to understand the other person's perception of the situation, and taking into account your own and others' needs, opinions and rights. Assertion has a conflict de-escalating effect, as expressing yourself clearly and concisely sets the stage for an equal conversation about how the conflict can be handled.
It is important to note that these reactions are not fixed and can change depending on the specific situation and the parties involved. They are concepts that describe behaviors - not types of people. No one person is exclusively aggressive, submissive or assertive. In addition, it is also important to choose a conflict resolution strategy that best suits the specific situation and respects both your own and others' needs and interests.
What is good conflict management?
Good conflict management is about being able to identify, manage and resolve conflicts in an appropriate way. It involves being able to communicate clearly, listen actively to each other and be open to other people's perspectives and points of view.
An important part of good conflict management is also understanding that conflicts can be a natural part of collaboration in the workplace. Therefore, it is important to be able to distinguish between constructive and destructive conflicts as an organization: constructive conflicts should be handled in a way that creates a positive development in the organization, and in destructive conflicts, the parties involved should feel supported and met in the conflict so that it does not intensify.
By having a good understanding of conflict management and equipping both managers and employees with the right techniques and skills for good conflict management, you as an organization can create a more harmonious workplace where employees thrive and work together effectively.
8 concrete techniques for constructive conflict management
So how do you work with conflict management and resolve conflicts in the best possible way? Below are 8 concrete techniques for constructive conflict management.
- Listen actively: Listen to the other person's views and opinions and show interest in their perspective. Repeat their views to show that you understand their point of view correctly.
- Be assertive: Be open and honest about your own views and opinions. Use assertive behavior when communicating so that you are clear but not overbearing.
- Take responsibility: Take responsibility for your actions and avoid blaming others. Use "I" statements instead of "You" statements when talking about your experience of the situation.
- Find a mutual solution: Focus on finding a solution that both you and the other person can accept. Let go of winning or losing and focus on finding a solution that benefits all parties.
- Stay focused on the problem: Avoid personal attacks and stay focused on solving the problem. Try to avoid letting emotions get the better of you and disrupt the dialog.
- Avoid delaying: Address the conflict as early as possible before it becomes larger and more unmanageable. Delaying the confrontation can lead to greater frustration and potentially more serious consequences.
- Use humor: Use humor in a respectful way to ease tension and create a more relaxed atmosphere.
- Make agreements: Once you have found a solution to the conflict, make sure you make a clear and specific agreement with the other person. The agreement should include a plan on how you will implement the solution and avoid similar conflicts in the future.
Remember, effective conflict management takes practice and patience. By using these techniques, organizations and individuals can build more constructive relationships and avoid unnecessary conflict.
