Let’s be honest, conflicts in the workplace are inevitable! As a matter of fact, conflicts, in general, are inevitable – and that’s a fact of life. People are different! I mean, no two people are the same, in terms of everything that applies to daily life. And when our goals and motivations clash, conflicts always arise.
Conflicts should never scare anybody. When conflicts arise, change always follows. And, change is good – I mean, resolved conflicts can lead to better ideas, understanding, as well as better working relationships.
Workplace Conflicts and Solutions
Conflicts in the workplace are a result of poor communication. Also, something else that contributes to the conflicts, includes misunderstandings, passive-aggressive behaviours, and closed-mindedness.
Now, let’s take a look at the 4 main workplace conflicts together with their solutions:
1. Task-based conflicts
These disagreements arise when the employees are required to coordinate their individual tasks so as to complete an interdependent project. In this situation, everyone is looking to complete their part successfully, and when there are employees failing to do their part as required, it affects other employees’ ability to complete their parts successfully and in time. And when that happens, conflicts arise.
Solution:
To avoid this, you must ensure that you delegate tasks effectively, and make sure that the same is communicated to the teams efficiently. You also need to communicate the importance of accountability and responsibility.
2. Creative idea conflicts
When brainstorming for an idea, sometimes conflicts tend to arise. Now, this kind of conflict presents an excellent opportunity to make the idea even better. This disagreement tends to be very beneficial to the decision-making process, as it ensures that the decision made is the best.
Solution:
When employees disagree on a project idea, the most step would be for them to listen and understand each other, and then bring the best pieces together so as to come up with a stunning solution.
3. Personality clashes
As I said earlier in the article, people are different, and so, no employee is like the other. And as such, it will be challenging to attempt to work together with an individual who you find with a distasteful personality. However, remember that what we think about a certain individual isn’t necessarily how they actually are.
Solution:
When it comes to personality-based conflicts, empathy and understanding are key to resolving them. I mean, you don’t exactly why the other person is like he/she is – you may be surprised by what you find out. You must find the justification behind the said actions, and then you can start from there towards conflict resolution.
4. Workstyle clashes
The manner in which one approaches his/her work is always different from how a different person would approach it. There are those who would prefer to work individually while some prefer groups, and also there are those who can work well under pressure, while others prefer to complete the task way beforehand. Now, when such people are working in the same environment, conflicts are expected to arise once in a while.
Solution:
Mutual respect and understanding are key to resolving work-styles conflicts. The employees have to accommodate each other’s working style, and once in a while, or when needed, must collaborate for the best outcomes.
Final Word
When workplace conflicts are left unsolved, it could be catastrophic for the morale, company’s culture, as well as productivity in general. And trust us, nobody wants to stay in a tense and passive-aggressive environment. I mean, it is extremely uncomfortable. So, the leaders must put in place mechanisms to ensure that any conflict that arises among the employees is well-handled and resolved.