«Adults laugh at children who, in their defense, whine, "But he started it first." However, adult conflicts begin in exactly the same way.» - Amélie Nothomb, Belgian writer.
No matter how unpleasant conflicts may be, they are a sign of developing relationships. The longer people work side by side, the more they learn about each other. And if both have similar professional training and skills, it does not mean that they have the same hierarchy of life values and preferences. Therefore, the more they communicate, the more they learn about each other, both the pleasant and the unpleasant. For example, it is discovered that a colleague is rude to lower-level staff. Another team member, while justifying their actions with urgent management assignments, constantly shifts part of their workload onto others. Someone is sharp-tongued and notices flaws in others, which they report in an acerbic and merciless manner.
An impending conflict manifests itself through specific symptoms. Our article discusses these signs, as well as the types of workplace conflicts and how to handle them. We will also talk about the methods used to resolve conflict situations and how to turn them to the advantage of employees.
To begin with, let's understand how conflicts arise and what characterizes them.
Types of conflicts in the workplace
Each disagreement differs from others in its characteristics and causes. Analyzing these differences helps to choose the appropriate strategy that suits each particular case. Conflicts in the workplace occur in three spheres:
Personal conflicts:
- Characterized by disagreements and misunderstandings between individual employees.
- They often involve an emotional component and arise from differences in perspectives, values, or personal preferences.
Professional conflicts:
- Associated with disagreements in professional matters, such as division of responsibilities, working methods, or approaches to problem-solving.
- They arise from a lack of alignment in understanding goals and prioritizing tasks.
Organizational conflicts:
- Relate to issues associated with company policies, resource allocation, management structure, and other organizational aspects.
- They often arise from differences in strategic vision and goal-setting.
So, each type of conflict requires specific methods and tools for resolution. It also requires a person (either an observer or a specially invited individual) to help resolve the situation peacefully.
Improving relationships between department employees or workers in a team can be done by the immediate supervisor (ideally, if they have experience in this area). Colleagues who care about the team's atmosphere also lend a helping hand. To resolve disagreements at the management level of the company, external mediators are brought in if the disputes cannot be resolved independently.
- Each conflict is different, and there are classifications to help understand how to solve them
- Personal conflicts occur when people have different values and views on things
- Professional conflicts arise if people do their job very differently
- Organizational conflicts typically stem from different opinions on goal-setting and strategies
Causes of conflicts in the workplace
Conflicts in the workplace are to be expected. Differences in perspectives, values, interests, disagreements over resource allocation and responsibilities are often common occurrences. Therefore, disputes arise, dissatisfaction is expressed, higher-level decisions are criticized, and so on. Let's examine the specific reasons for these clashes and confrontations.
Differences in perspectives and values
Each person is unique, with their own worldview, attitudes, and approaches to work. If these differences are not acknowledged by others or discussed openly, they can become a source of conflict.
Ex.g.: Two employees in a project group are arguing about the best way to accomplish a task. One suggests a conservative and proven approach, while the other advocates taking risks and seeking unconventional solutions. To avoid a fallout, use peaceful negotiations!
Misunderstanding and lack of information
Unclear wordings can be confusing. Incorrect task assignment leads to results that do not meet expectations.
Ex.g.: The manager assigns a task but does not provide a description of the expected outcome and deadlines. As a result, employees interpret the result at their own discretion based on their experience with similar tasks. Consequently, the completed project does not meet the manager's expectations.
Limited resources
Conflicts arise due to specific deadlines for project completion, budget constraints, staffing limitations, or other resource constraints, leading to rush, overload, and stress.
Ex.g.: Two teams in the company compete for access to financial resources for their projects. This causes tension, disputes, and dissatisfaction.
Incorrect distribution of responsibilities
Uncertainty in the distribution of roles and responsibilities leads to misunderstanding and discord.
Ex.g.: Two departments or two managers do not understand who is responsible for supporting clients in a specific area. This leads to a situation where both departments (or managers) are working with clients in this area, or conversely, each believes that the other is handling this work. As a result, confusion, duplicated effort, or loss of clients occurs.
Pressure and stress
Workload, deadlines, and high expectations lead to emotional tension, which provokes disagreements and conflict situations.
Ex.g.: A group of employees is working on a project with extremely tight deadlines. Prolonged concentration and a sense of responsibility for the outcome lead to exhaustion and nervous breakdowns.
Issues in the organizational structure
Inconsistencies in the company's goals, strategy, and policies lead to conflicts at the organizational level.
Ex.g.: Two departments of the company pursue different strategic objectives. For instance, the marketing department aims to increase sales, while the production department focuses on cost reduction. The disagreement in goals leads to a conflict over prioritization and resource allocation.
As we can see, there are constant reasons for disputes and disagreements in the workplace. It's not always necessary for the manager alone to intervene in disputes to "sort out" the conflict. Adults, if willing and capable, can handle it themselves.
If you are a tram driver or a bricklayer, why do you need to know the basics of conflict resolution?
For example, to maintain harmonious relationships with colleagues. The ability to recognize disagreements in a timely manner and prevent conflicts expands your skills and enhances your authority in the team. A person who observes ethical norms and shows consideration for coworkers is respected. Working with them is calm and enjoyable.
It is important to remember that conflicts are not always negative. Open confrontations, when handled skillfully, can become a growth point for both individuals and companies or organizations as a whole.
How then to recognize an emerging conflict?
Signs of an emerging conflict
Conflict does not arise out of nowhere. Initially, it goes through a pre-conflict stage.
Tension
This is a period when tension between the future participants of the conflict grows due to unresolved contradictions. Once someone realizes what specifically they dislike and voices it aloud, the peaceful stage ends. The criterion for the start of open confrontation is the participants' awareness of differences in interests and values as incompatible.
Therefore, in the pre-conflict stage, the participants feel emotional tension but hide their feelings from others. In these conditions, people live for some time until the tension eventually erupts into an open incident.
Incident - an open display of disagreements
An incident is a specific situation that triggers the transition of a conflict into an active phase. Events unfold in such a way that participants openly discuss their interests, dissatisfaction, feelings, and rights. If the incident is resolved (one party apologizes or agrees with the arguments), the conflict ends there.
More often, however, addressing the underlying issue leads to the escalation of the conflict - accusations, high-pitched arguments, and a full display of the conflict. What has been pent up for a long time finds a way out and is expressed.
What do conflict psychologists and mediators analyze when an incident occurs?
Psychologists recommend understanding your own interests: what is more important to you - maintaining good relationships (in which case concession or compromise is necessary) or getting what you want on your terms.
Five ways to resolve conflicts
The American psychologist Kenneth Thomas conducted an analysis and neatly categorized strategies for dealing with disagreements.
- competition
- compromise
- collaboration
- avoidance
- accommodation
These strategies differ in the benefits that the parties receive after the conflict is resolved (win-win or win-lose outcomes). Let's take a closer look at the listed methods.
⚡️ Competition
This is a strategy where the winner prevails by asserting their own interests and ignoring the opponent's interests. The methods used to achieve victory often involve deceit and brute force: strict control over the opponent's behavior, moral and physical pressure, threats, provocations, and manipulations, refusal to negotiate and listen to the other side's arguments. This approach only provides temporary relief, as the interests of the defeated party remain suppressed. Additionally, such actions destroy relationships. If you want to win and maintain relationships, this method is not suitable.
🏳️ Accomodation
This is a strategy of competition "in reverse" - here, a person tries to avoid confrontation. They can’t prioritize their own needs and desires, preferring to preserve relationships. This behavior is typical of people who are not adept at defending their interests. They tend to agree with the demands of the other party, do not assert claims, and show submissiveness. For them, "a bad peace is better than a good quarrel."
The accommodation strategy is also suitable for situations where the subject of the conflict is not important to the participant. The primary goal is to maintain friendly relations: "let it be your way."
🏃♂️ Avoidance
This is another strategy in which the interests of the parties are not satisfied (a situation of "lose-lose"). In an attempt to avoid confrontation, a person fears open conflict and tries to delay resolving the relationship. They not only do not make any demands but also show indifference to the interests of the other party. When a conflict is imminent, they physically distance themselves: "I'm leaving," "I don't want to be involved in this." Avoidance is also manifested in deliberately denying the existence of disagreements and delaying the search for solutions. The avoiding party states that everything is "fine" with them. This withdrawal tactic is suitable if one wants to quietly leave the sight of the opponent, break off relations with them, or increase the distance and no longer come into contact.
🤝 Compromise
The compromise tactic involves partially satisfying the interests of both sides by seeking balanced solutions and offering alternative options. In this approach, both sides make partial concessions and, at the same time, reap benefits. To fully satisfy the interests, it may be necessary to return to negotiations after some time. Nevertheless, compromise is an excellent way to relieve tension, let off steam, and maintain peaceful relationships.
🏆 Collaboration
The strategy in which each party seeks a peaceful resolution of the situation, aiming to satisfy not only their own needs but also the needs of the opponent. This means finding a solution that will be beneficial to both participants. To discuss disagreements and develop a solution, a mediator (an independent expert) is invited. During the discussion, the opinions of the parties are carefully listened to, their interests are discussed, and their wishes are taken into account. This strategy is from the "win-win" category. It contributes to building trust and strengthening interpersonal relationships. Both sides get what they want. However, in some conflicts, it may not be possible to fully satisfy the stated needs of the participants. Sometimes, different approaches and more than one meeting are required to resolve disagreements.
The ability to live in harmony is a sign of wisdom
As we have seen, the goal of all strategies is to restore calm and peaceful attitudes among employees. Tension and negative emotions do not contribute to the fulfillment of job responsibilities.
Summing up the above, we wish you to use the knowledge you have gained and improve your skills in conflict prevention. Remember that the cause of your irritation and tension lies not in others but within yourself. Therefore:
- Learn to be aware of your own feelings, your state of being, what you like and what you don't
- Talk about your feelings without offending the feelings or the personhood of the other party
- Be attentive to the state of your colleagues who work alongside you
- Maintain good relationships with your colleagues and protect them from conflicts
- Monitor the development of relationships and clarify emerging differences in a timely manner, avoiding provoking conflicts
Then you will earn the respect of your colleagues and leadership. After all, the ability to prevent conflicts and manage them is a sign of maturity and wisdom.