Everyone would want to work in a peaceful environment free from disagreement. Unfortunately, conflict is part of work, and we must live with it. The best we can do is see how we can solve conflicts peacefully without destroying relationships at the workplace.

In today's post, we will look at some of the conflict management and resolution skills you can implement in management. Later in this post, we look into a case study of how an organization managed to resolve a conflict. 

Let's dive in.

Conflict Management Skills

1. Open Communication 

Allowing open communication at the workplace is one of the best approaches you can take to manage conflicts. Open communications enhance long-term and healthy relationships in the workplace. It allows both parties to express themselves and ensure that every end of the agreement is upheld.

However, you need to know how best you can implement an open communication environment in your organization. Allow your employees to reach out to you whenever they have problems they want to be solved, place suggestion boxes at specific places, and encourage your employees to always feel free to discuss any matter with you. 

2. Active Listening

Active listening is a skill required in almost all walks of life - at the law courts, schools, and even at the workplace when managing and solving conflicts. Active listening involves listening to what the affected parties have to say, then respond appropriately. As an active listener, you will make notes of important phrases that you will use when responding to what someone said. If there's something not clear to you, ask questions to get clarification.

 

3. Good Decision Making

At some point, not all the decisions you take to manage and solve a conflict will please either party. If this is the case, you need to have a strong understanding of the organization's values and goals to help you come up with a substantial decision. Below are a few things you might want to keep in mind if you are in the same situation:

• Make decisions with your company values in mind
• Leverage on historical precedent when possible
• Document the problems and the effects
• Focus on the good things coming out of your decision
• Communicate the decision to the parties. 

4. Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to read other people's emotions and act appropriately. This skill is important in conflict management as it prevents the matter at hand from escalating to something worse. Emotional intelligence will help you communicate effectively to both parties involved in the conflict because you already have an idea of the problem. As a conflict resolution manager, you should always aim to eliminate both parties' anger beforehand to make it easier when you finally retire to solve the conflict.

Conflict Resolution Skills 

We have looked into some conflict management skills you need to have. Let's now look at some of the ways to resolve conflicts in management.

1. Allow Parties to Speak their Mind

Most workplace conflicts are never solved because mediation is always micro-managed. Therefore, it would help if you could encourage the affected parties to speak their mind.

Jennifer Crittenden, an author, says that one of the tactics that have worked for her over the years is to meet with each party separately, then also give them a chance to meet and talk about their issues.

Sometimes, both parties can talk their issues out and find a solution to what's leading to the conflict. Jennifer says, "they sometimes find a way to bridge the gap and leave with a better understanding of each other."

2. Clarify the Disagreement 

Clarifying issues makes it easier to get to the root of the problem. It also makes both parties agree on what the problem is, thus making it easier to settle it down. First, you should identify what needs have not been achieved on both sides to bring about a mutual understanding. At the stage of clarifying the issue, you should ensure to get adequate information to help you come up with the right decision.

3. Avoid Taking Anything Personally  

As a conflict resolution professional, strive not to take anything personally. A conflict at your workplace shouldn't mean an insult to you. Likewise, you should not cling on your viewpoint without listening to the other parties. Accept any collaborated solution for the benefit of the organization at large.

4. Focus on the Current Issue

When trying to solve a conflict, don't let your emotions take over. Even if you have solved a conflict involving a specific person, this is not the time to bring the past issues. Focus on solving the issue at hand and forget about the previous conflicts you have solved.

The 48-hour rule can help a lot. The 48-hour rule states that you should strive to reach out to the parties and solve the conflict. Once you have solved the conflict, let it go and never think of it again, unless you want to use a specific tactic to resolve another conflict. 

5. Emphasize the Value of Relationships

Conflict resolutions are meant to strengthen relationships even if you were not friends before the conflict. As a conflict resolution manager, you need to know how far the parties are willing to go on with an argument. Usually, the shorter the argument, the better chances of fostering a relationship. Relationships should be at the core of solving any conflict. Because in the long run, you are trying to foster good chemistry between the two parties.

  Case Study: "Team is a Mess"

In an organization, the senior leadership got frustrated with each other, including the Chief Executive Officer. Hearsay were already going on among the staff about the discomfort in the organization. Even worse, the majority of competent staff were considering quitting.

Issues leading to all this were lack of accountability, unmet expectations, irrational decision-making, and unequal oversight. Something had to be done, and this is what they did. 

Solution 

The organization had to start at the top. The CEO was coached on effective communication and conflict resolution. The CEO also worked on how he would communicate with his employees while taking care of the organization's mission and values.

The senior leadership also sat down to discuss their expectations and principles and articulated the organization's shared values. And because the level of trust had gone down, the leadership team had to restore trust among themselves for a cohesive working environment. 

Results 

Things got a lot better at the workplace. The leadership team showed more cohesion. People were more open as compared to before. They defined their expectations and what they expected from every individual in the team.

There were no more secret reports. All reports were availed to all members so they could look into them together. The best of all is that people realized the importance of conflict resolution and embraced it to foster relationships and enhance respect among members. 

Master of Business Administration - MBA

Besides business management, business leaders spend most of their time resolving conflicts between employees and their customers. As a business leader, you need to ensure the organization is in order.

AVU Master of Business Administration (MBA) program come in handy to make you an expert in managing such pressure. One of the focuses in the program is conflict resolution. Below are some of the MBA classes MBA students have to complete:

Leadership

Despite the heated debate as to whether leadership can be taught, many colleges have gone ahead to add it as one of the classes in their MBA program. Enrolling in an MBA program can equip you with leadership skills you can use to manage and resolve conflicts at the workplace.

Strategic Management

Strategic management skills are paramount if you are eyeing a top leadership role in your organization. A strategic management class can equip you with the necessary skills to plan business activities and excellent decision-making skills to help you manage and resolve conflicts in management.

Organizational Behavior 

An organizational behavior class will give you the necessary skills for both an organizational and individual level.

At individual level, expect to learn about problem-solving, conflicts and cooperation, motivation, and decision-making. On the other hand, you will learn social networks, leadership, social responsibility, and more at organizational level.

Managerial Communication 

Managerial communication is when the top management can share relevant information with other staff effectively. Managerial communication is essential in business management; in different levels of management, and that's why you need it for effective management and resolving conflicts in management.

Become an AVU MBA student, Apply Today: