Workplace or office conflict is caused by many things or many events surrounding an organization, and making it a part of life for every project manager or the leader of a company. In essence, when you’re a leader or in a position to give order, have it in mind that you are bringing together people with different mindsets, specialization and personalities to work as one and under your care. It is rare for projects to go smoothly especially when you are working with different peoples with different personalities.
The most common reasons for the rift is not limited to personality clashes, misunderstandings among each other and a severe disagreements about the work. and the responsibility of any project manager here is to meditate with the parties involved. Remember, there is a point where a project manager can not handle an organizational conflict no matter how he tries.
Here is the best 6 ways to manage and resolve any tough team conflicts.
1. By active listening. People we have rift with, they would not change their minds or approach toward us unless they feel they’ve been heard and respected.
As a manager, You can choose to have a meeting of both sides at the same time or do it individually to find out the root of the matter. There will be different opinions in any conflict, but the key here is let the affected parties say the most honest story to see the panorama picture of the dispute. Remember to assess the degree of conflict to avoid turning a meeting into a war at the same time.
2. Acknowledge the problem and face it with courage. As a manager, the first thing to do is to first acknowledge the problem before you can meditate to find the lasting solution to it.
3. Identify the root causes. By listening from the two both sides, you will have the clear picture of what bring the rift and focus on the behaviors, not the personalities when meditating.
In case of group argument, the influence of negative emotions might be the real cause of the dispute. When you know the source, you can figure out the most suitable outcome for the issue.
4. Don’t deal with non-related people. Facing the problem or taking a quick action also means you do not go around complaining about the issue to everyone of your team.
5. Never point a finger to anybody. Pushing blame never solved a conflict — it only fuels the fire. Talk about the issue, and avoid character blaming or pointing a finger to anybody.
6. Remove your defensive wall and maintain respect at all times. Justifying your action instead of listening to what someone else is trying to tell you builds a wall between you and the other party, making agreements nearly impossible to achieve. Speak respectfully to all parties involved and make it clear that you also expect them to show respect.