Conflicts in the workplace are going to happen; it’s inevitable.  There will be some form of conflict within teams, departments, or at different levels of an organization. Conflicts in the workplace can lead to a decrease in production and can cause low morale, high employee turnover, and communication breakdowns. Conflict isn’t about avoiding conflicts but instead it’s about dealing with it in a constructive manner. Best-practice conflict management prevents the conflict from becoming a larger issue and finds solutions that satisfy the parties involved. Effective conflict management creates a positive work environment, leads to higher productivity, and improves communication. Training can be helpful for employees at all levels because it provides them with the knowledge and skills to have productive conversations and the ability to constructively resolve conflict.   

Tips for conflict management best practices:

1. Common mistakes in conflict management:
   • Avoiding the conflict
   • Focusing on the problem instead of the solution
   • Escalating the conflict by becoming defensive or attacking the other party
2.  Different types of conflict in the workplace:
   • Personality conflicts: can happen when employees have different personal beliefs, work habits or communication styles
   • Conflict over resources: this may arise due to employee’s or department competing for limited resources such as equipment, supplies, time or money
   • Communication conflicts: Comes when employees have different communication styles and preferences or when employees misunderstand each other
3.  Steps to managing conflict in the workplace:
   • Identify the conflict and understand the people involved
   • Create an environment that allow the parties involved to safely communicate openly
   • Find a solution that satisfies both people or all parties

Additional Information & Resources

Articles

• An article in the National Institutes of Health. Conflict Management: Difficult Conversations with Difficult People – Amy R. Overton; Ann Lowry
• Conflict Management: Difficult Conversations with Difficult People
• An article in the National Institutes of Health. Conflict Management – Yasmyne Ronquillo; Vickie L. Ellis; Tammy J. Toney-Butler
• Conflict Management
• Article 3

Books

• Conflict Resolution Playbook: Practical Communication Skills for Preventing, Managing, and Resolving Conflict – Jeremy Pollack
• Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader: How You and Your Organization Can Manage Conflict Effectively 2^nd Edition – Craig E. Runde; Tim A. Flanagan
• Conflict Management for Managers: Resolving Workplace, Client, and Policy Disputes 2^nd Edition – Susan Raines

Videos

• HoffsTech Video: Managing Conflict between employees / Conflict resolution in the workplace / Workplace conflict
• Hoffstech video: Recognizing unspoken conflict in the workplace / Leadership coaching
• Hoffstech video: How to resolve conflict at work / Conflict with coworkers
• Makeda Andrews video: How to deal with team conflict
• TEDx Talks video: Why there’s so much conflict at work and what you can do to fix it – Liz Kislik