Why does conflict occur in teams?

Some of the main reasons conflict occurs in teams include a lack of effective communication, competition, personality differences and underperformance.

What should managers do when conflict does arise?

The best thing for managers to do when conflict arises is to address it head on. If conflict goes unresolved in a team environment it can fester and cause big and costly problems for companies. At the very least it can cause a communication breakdown in your team and at worst it can negatively impact on company results and increase staff turnover.

When conflict arises, managers and leaders have an opportunity to strengthen communication and trust within the team. To be effective, leaders must calmly and objectively address the issue with a direct conversation. Coming to a resolution will involve setting clear intentions, being considerate of both sides and encouraging input.

In some cases conflict can’t (and shouldn’t) be avoided in the workplace, but there are many ways to reduce the likelihood of it occurring. Here’s what you can do.

Hire the right people

Choosing the right people for your team can help to minimise conflict. By hiring people based on not only their experience and qualifications, but their personality type and working style, you can ensure they’ll fit in with your workplace culture and work effectively with other employees. JobFit is a great tool for selecting the right candidates. JobFit uses objective data to identify the attributes that will make a candidate most successful in the role, like personality, behavioural traits and occupational interests. By selecting candidates based on these attributes, you can handpick personality types that are likely to meld with your existing team members and workplace culture.

Seek out tension

One big mistake that poor managers make when conflict arises is to ignore it. Conflict can be uncomfortable to address, so many managers put blinders up when there is tension in their team. While it might seem easier to just ignore it, conflict that goes unresolved will not disappear. Unresolved conflict can reduce productivity, damage morale and cause disengagement within your team. To minimise the likelihood of conflict occurring, managers can look for tension points and address them before they become a problem.

Have regular one-on-ones

Having regular one-on-one meetings with each member of your team provides a forum for giving and receiving feedback, building trust within your team and making sure communication lines are strong and effective. One-on-ones also give you an opportunity to identify tension and problem areas.

Foster communication

One of the main causes of conflict in the workplace is ineffective communication. When team members don’t feel comfortable communicating with every member of the team, tension is given an opportunity to brew and cause problems. To foster communication, managers can regularly discuss individual and team wellbeing, have an open door policy, and most importantly they can adopt a coaching mindset. A coaching mindset is all about facilitating an environment in which individuals can grow, develop and solve their own workplace problems independently.

Undergo team coaching

A team coach works with teams to strengthen lines of communication and streamline collaboration so that individuals can work more effectively together. A coach provides non-judgemental support, ensuring the welfare of the team and can give teams the tools needed to address tension when it occurs. Team coaching can also help individuals gain a coaching mindset so that they can communicate more effectively and support their teammates to do the same.
To find out how your team could benefit from team coaching, contact us today for an obligation free discussion.

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Everyone has their reasons for avoiding difficult conversations. Perhaps you’re worried about losing the friendships you have with your team members, or maybe you don’t want to be seen as the ‘bad guy.’ Perhaps you’re concerned about other people’s feelings getting hurt, or you simply get tongue tied and are not sure what to say, or even where to begin.

Whatever the case, when you’re in charge, you’re the one that needs to resolve issues. These conversations can’t be avoided without consequences. To truly succeed as a leader or manager, it’s important to take ownership of your role as an arbiter and facilitator, and handle difficult conversations with respect and maturity.

Planned and unplanned conversations

Difficult conversations will fall into the categories of planned and unplanned conversations. While some forward planning is ideal when heading into unknown territory, you may often find yourself having to deal with some conflict that was sprung on you and that you are completely unprepared for. Either way, as much as you may want to avoid conflict or upsetting someone, having difficult conversations is an inevitable part of leadership and management.

Often, especially in the case of unplanned conversations, our initial tendency may be to become defensive and overuse the word ‘no’. It’s very easy to want to stick to your opinion and try to ‘win’ the argument, but if that’s how you always do it, are you really winning in the long term? What might that way of behaving be doing to your employee, client, or colleague and the relationship you have with them? Over time, you will end up being seen as the difficult one, as unreasonable and unapproachable, and people will lose respect for you. Not the best outcome!

Instead, try framing your conversations around more of a mutual acceptance of each other’s view or opinion, whereby you let the other person know that they have been heard, and you can also add your perspective into the mix. For example, instead of saying ‘no, this is actually what happened’, you could say ‘yes, I see how you’ve come to that conclusion, let me share with you my experience with that situation.’ The latter option has a much better chance of letting the other person know their words were taken on board and their feelings heard, and they should be much more likely to listen to what you have to add.

What happens when we avoid difficult conversations?

When we avoid having difficult conversations it can drastically affect the entire workplace – in a negative way. Most issues within the workplace don’t just resolve themselves. Left unmanaged, they can lead to underperformance, loss of morale, resentment, more conflict, lack of focus and productivity, and an increase in staff turnover. A study by AHRI found that 47% of people believed that effective management and leadership is the best way to retain them, closely followed by a positive workplace culture. You owe it to your team to appropriately handle difficult conversations and conflict, or you risk losing them altogether. For a deeper look into retaining your best people, check out this blog post.

How to handle difficult conversations with ease

What is your current go-to reaction when an issue arises in your workplace? Is it dread? Panic? Worry? All of the above? Well fear not! There are some simple steps you can take to help you handle both planned and unplanned difficult conversations and resolve conflicts.

Be calm and collected

It is important to lead the conversation calmly and steadily. The way in which you hold yourself, the tone of voice you use, and your mannerisms will all contribute greatly to the outcome of your difficult conversation. Being as centred and calm as possible will help keep you on track to a positive result.

Choose the right environment to talk in

Having difficult conversations in your office while you sit at your desk can be quite overbearing. A better choice would be to meet in an office meeting room, at the cafeteria or even go outside and make it a walking meeting – the fresh air and change of scenery can help to open people up to new ideas.

Make your intentions clear

Let your employee know ahead of time that you’d like to have a talk about x, y, or z and ask them what time suits them. This will mean you’ve given some ownership to the employee and it won’t feel as intimidating going in. By locking in a time and place to chat, it also gives you time to prepare and organise. When the meeting begins, don’t take time for small talk as it can steer away from the topic at hand, just try to get straight into it.

Figure out your objective

Long before the conversation is to take place, you need to know what you want to accomplish, and your desired outcome. You’ll also need to consider that there will be new facts presented during the conversation, but knowing where you stand as much as possible beforehand will help guide you through.

Be curious and show acknowledgement

Start the conversation with a mindset of inquiry. Don’t lay blame, judgement or point the finger, as this will undo any of the positive groundwork and your meeting will likely turn sour. Be open to hearing what the employee has to say, and try to listen to their point of view and story before jumping in with solutions. In doing so, ensure that you are acknowledging the feelings of your employee, warranted or not. It doesn’t mean you agree with everything that they are saying, but if they are being open with you it’s important to encourage that through active listening and by respecting their views.

Be consistent

As hard as it may be, you need to do your best to remain objective, fair and consistent when it comes to your management and leadership approach, and especially when it comes to your responses and solutions to problems in the workplace. You don’t want to seem as though you’re favouring one employee over another, or giving any special treatment based on outside relationships.

Encourage input

Make sure the employee is part of the analysis of the situation and in providing solutions. Again, you want to give them some ownership of this and let them feel part of the process. Often you’ll find that your employees can come up with a wider array of solutions than you can, simply because they are in a different position with different perspectives.

Ideally, you want to reach a level of understanding and agreement between you and the employee. You might like to write up a plan of action and book in a time to meet again to follow up and discuss any progress. Ensure that the employee is comfortable enough with the outcome and that they know to approach you with any questions or concerns.

Remember, when difficult conversations are handled promptly, and desired outcomes are achieved, it can mean a huge improvement in your employee happiness and engagement levels, leading to an efficient and productive workplace.

Need more guidance?

Many people find that they need a little help developing these much needed skills. Executive coaching can help you evolve your ability to handle difficult conversations and conflict resolution more effectively. Check out our recent blog post to see how else coaching can benefit you.

If you would like an obligation free discussion on how executive coaching can prepare you to effectively handle difficult conversations, contact us today.

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