13 Tips For Managing Conflict at Your Workplace

By Lester Rennard

Wherever individuals co-exist and seek to share a common purpose and pursue a common goal, there's bound to be conflict. Such conflict is natural since we all are different, think differently and have different perceptions while facing similar challenges. The goal is not to waste valuable energy in trying to avoid such inevitable conflict but to be proactive in finding ways to manage conflicts.

If you own or manage a business with employees and do not have a system for conflict management, you may be in for a troubled ride when it comes to dealing with conflict in your workplace. Here are some tips for addressing the issue of conflict management:

1. Anticipate conflict before it happens
2. Take a proactive approach in developing a system for conflict management
3. Get all stakeholders involved at the initial planning and design phase of the proposal
4. Provide for conflicts to be resolved beginning at the lowest level of the workplace
5. Provide training resources and opportunities for supervisors and managers at all levels in conflict resolution skills
6. Encourage employees to use the system in place to resolve conflicts they are unable to resolve on a one to one basis
7. Provide incentives for early resolution of conflicts before they turn into disputes
8. Make provisions in the conflict management system for incorporating not only internal conflicts relating to employees and management but also those conflicts involving customers and suppliers
9. Promote the availability of the conflict management system throughout the workplace
10. Introduce the system to every new employee and make it a requirement as the official system for resolving workplace conflicts
11. Make provisions within the system for conflicts that can not be resolved internally to be referred to external conflict resolution professionals such as mediators
12. Design your conflict management system to be dynamic and always evolving rather than remaining static
13. Keep track of its usage and effectiveness in accomplishing its intended purpose and solicit evaluation from all those who use the system for consideration in making improvements.

I trust this might inspire you to consider or suggest the creation of a conflict management system if one does not currently exist at your workplace.