Blog 136. Business, Money And Your Career: Conflict Resolution.

Blog 136. Business, Money And Your Career: Conflict Resolution.

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It is unrealistic in any relationship to expect that there will never be conflict – and the same applies to any work environment. Indeed, trying to avoid conflict – never really works. It can sour things very quickly and it can create a horrible atmosphere to work in – which is never ever healthy.

Calling out conflict before it festers is therefore very important, especially when working with teams, as it can get worse if it’s left to simmer. Hoping it’ll just sort itself out can be disastrous, and it could lead to poor morale or low team spirit – and even a few resignations.

But facing conflict can be scary at first. Once you do it a few times you’ll begin to realise how important it is.

When people are employed they are employed for the skills they bring, and with that – may come a few different viewpoints. But differing viewpoints – can add to the creative pot and this is how ideas develop or indeed arise. Acknowledging the value of this process is important for any business to grow.

But when conflict arises, it needs to be addressed. Failing to do so, may make you uncomfortable, but if you miss the opportunity, you may miss where it can take you. Pushing the boundaries, getting out of your comfort zone is often necessary for growth. It allows for learning to take place if it is constructive – and if everyone is given enough space to air their views.

Couples often argue but mostly they don’t get divorced immediately afterwards. Rather, they try to find ways of compromising, re-negotiating goals and so on. And doing so is just as important at the office too, but perhaps done politely and with more courtesy – as a business relationship is after all very different to a personal relationship.

Either way, feelings may still get hurt as people may interpret conflict in different ways. They may even fear conflict – if what they witnessed at home was destructive and unproductive. And how people deal with conflict needs to be taken into account if and where possible. Everyone is different, everyone will have come from different families, different backgrounds, different cultures – and conflict will have been addressed accordingly. Understanding this can sometimes be crucial to any resolution.

As I wrote in Blog 122, you bring who you are into the office. Understanding this becomes crucial during conflict resolution – understanding your weaknesses or your strengths, and what makes you tick becomes important when asked to negotiate or compromise.

This is important because for any business or company to work, it usually relies heavily on its staff. This is why resolving conflict is so important. On the other hand, sometimes when resolution can’t be found – it may be necessary to say goodbye. But it is always better to resolve things before people become unhappy.

And a good tip is often to use this approach: “I understand your point of view, but this is why I don’t have the same perspective”, allows people to understand why there might be different opinions and this is crucial in business.

And this provides people will mutual respect and a space for creative inventiveness and innovation.

So what is conflict resolution?

It is a process by which two or more parties reach a peaceful resolution to a dispute:

In the workplace, there can be a variety of types of conflict.

Here a few examples:

• Conflict may occur between people with different ideas.
• Conflict may occur between co-workers, or between supervisors and subordinates, or between service providers and their clients or customers.
• Conflict can also occur between groups, such as management and the labour force, or between whole departments.
• There may be conflict with regards missing deadlines.
• There may be conflict with regards unreasonable requests.
• There may be conflict with regards someone’s offensive behaviour.
• There may be conflict with regards someone’s bullying.
• There may be conflict with regards someone breaking safety rules.
• There may be conflict with regards missing deadlines.
• There may be conflict with regards unreasonable requests.
• There may be conflict with regards giving someone feedback.
• There may be conflict with regards sexual discrimination, racism and so on.

And sometimes, third parties need to be called in to help with the process – especially if someone feels that they have been unfairly dismissed or indeed, when bullying or sexual discrimination, racism and so on is involved.

The company may be able to provide mentors, or a third party, or maybe an outside organisation will have to be called upon to help.

In cases such as these, every detail will have to be recorded so that each side can provide proper evidence of misconduct, and so on.

It is always very sad for things to get to this level. But sometimes it happens. People get divorced and lawyers are called in. And sometimes this happens in the workplace too – and outside parties are called in to help.

But because these things do happen, people should never put their heads in the sand. Always be prepared, as conflict can happen to anyone. When it does, make sure that you follow the right procedure and always start, by trying to resolve matters as soon as possible. Because when things get out of hand – they can turn nasty and this can be very stressful for all involved.

It may also be important to seek a support group, especially in the case of bullying or sexual discrimination, racism and so on. Or indeed, you may need to seek help from a lawyer and even a therapist or life coach. Either way, do reach out and do ask for help. You will not be the first person this has happened to, and there ARE people out there who are experienced in these matters who will know how to help you.

However, I am sure that many of you will have your own stories. I hope that you’ve successfully managed to find resolution, before too much emotional pain was experienced. Fingers crossed that is.

© 2020 Deidré Wallace All rights reserved.

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