Managing conflict as a leader can be tough but there are some simple steps you can take to improve things in organisations and teams and reduce stress.
What causes conflict?
There are many triggers which can cause conflict in the workplace. Whether these escalate may depend on an individual’s or team’s psychological state. Struggles for control, high work pressures and demands and harmful cultures can exacerbate stress and the potential for conflict. Moreover, if you ask most people, they could very accurately tell you what a toxic work environment looks and feels like.
What to do to address conflict and the stress it causes?
Firstly, try to identify the real source of the conflict, as this will lead to decisive action that will empower the parties involved to resolve difficulties constructively.
Be sure also to acknowledge and address psychological issues arising from a basic human desire for respect and recognition.
Recognise that, in the extreme, conflict in the workplace can become bullying or harassment. Or include other destructive behaviours; micromanagement, negative deficit attention (eg always seeing the bad, not the good), othering people and making them feel excluded, undermining confidence, questioning ability and not treating people equitably.
Even if none of these is present, how an organisation manages its employees’ workloads, career progression, and rewards etc. can all create conflict and resentment. Being fair and transparent is an easy way to reduce uncertainly and anxiety.
Address conflict and control before it escalates.
Speedy, easy wins to address sources of conflict and the triggers which could create incidents in the workplace.
- Leadership is clear about expectations and models the behaviours required to succeed and thrive. Put leadership training in place to give people the skills and insight. Be fair and transparent in decision-making.
- Encourage safe environments where individuals can discuss the issues, suggest fixes and be honest about mistakes and learning points. Build-in meetings away from the transactional to problem-solving, “the elephant in the room” times. Meet up individually with each person if there is a specific conflict or problem. Be able to evaluate each person’s goals, concerns, and fears related to the work issue or problem before bringing them together. (theories on psychological safety)
- Establish boundaries by clarifying what you consider appropriate language and behaviour. Hold detractors accountable by firmly confronting breaches when they occur (encourage non-violent communication and collaborative behaviour change)
- Encourage cooperative initiatives in the workplace. Move from micromanagement, coercive leadership, top-down group-think project work to more problem-solving paradigms. Give employees the freedom to offer solutions, suggest courses of action and provide constructive critique. ( prosocial theories and sociocracy)
- Empower leaders to make uncomfortable or riskier decisions and support them in taking action if infractions impede the team’s success. Allow managers to take accountability with HR support.
- Practice active listening during conflict resolution. Allow each person to speak without interruption. Restate what each person says to check general understanding. Display willingness to set aside preconceived ideas and defensiveness. (psychological flexibility)
- Provide constructive feedback. Empower people by validating what they have done well but be clear when things are not working.
- Have straightforward policies and training in place that outline expected standards of behaviour for everybody, including understanding the particular challenges faced by more disadvantaged groups. Be aware of the power imbalances and potential for bias which can impact on the wellbeing of those protected by the Equality Act.
- Include in onboarding insights into basic psychology and mental well being, to increase psychological flexibility and the skills to reduce destructive stress or threat responses.
If you want to know more about some of the theories underpinning this – read my page on psychological safety and prosocial teams and equality and inclusion or get in touch if you would like further advice or help with conflict in your teams. Otherwise there are lots of useful resources which you can access here from the HSE on violence in the workplace. Or look up conflict resolution strategies for small business.
