Conflict resolution strategies in the workplace

Conflict in the workplace is something that occurs naturally, but that doesn't mean it needs to be ignored. If your workplace has too much conflict, it can cause numerous problems over time. In fact, conflicts in the workplace are directly related to bad attitudes and poor performance. No matter what type of conflict there is in the workplace the worst thing that you can do is ignore the conflict and hope it goes away on its own. If you choose to ignore the conflict most likely, what will happen is that the problem is going to get worse.

Here are some conflict resolution strategies that you can use in the workplace to help deal with the conflict rather than ignore it.

Number one: Understanding
One thing that you will need to do to help resolve the conflict is to understand the current situation. Even if the problem seems like something else that, you have dealt with before chances are it will be slightly different because no two problems are ever the same. Not to mention that all parties involved might have a different opinion about what the underlying problem is, so make sure you talk to everybody involved in the conflict.

Number two: Acknowledgment
To help resolve the conflict you will also need to acknowledge the fact that there is a problem. Many people fail to acknowledge that there is a problem because it isn't something that bothers them. Even if the main source of the conflict is not a problem for you personally, you need to realize that other people are affected differently, and acknowledge their frustration.

Number three: Patience
Never try to solve the problem too quickly it can cause other problems. Before trying to solve the conflict make sure you have taken the time to fully understand what is going on, this will allow you to make the best decision for the conflict as a whole. If you jump to conclusions and try to solve the conflict too quickly you can make wrong decisions, which serves to make one of the parties involved feel picked on.

Number four: Issue guidelines
When having two or more parties meet together in a formal setting to talk about the conflict it is a great idea to establish guidelines before the meeting. By establishing the guidelines ahead of time, you can help keep the emotions under control, which will be running high because of the pain of talking about the conflict. The guidelines that you set forth need to be followed, so explain to the parties involved why you pit the guidelines in place and what will happen if the guidelines are not followed.

Number five: Communication
The only way to effectively solve any type of conflict is through communication. You want to encourage the parties involved to communicate openly with each other, but you want to have them do it in a respectful manner. You want them to be able to share their viewpoints on the conflict, but you also need to share your opinion about the conflict. If you don't talk openly about the conflict, there is no hope for it to ever be resolved.

Number six: Focus
You want to make sure that you are not focusing on the people involved in the conflict, but rather you want to focus on the problem itself. All too often, it is easier to focus on the person involved, especially if they are considered problematic. If you focus on the person rather than the problem, you run the risk of blowing the person off when they have legitimate problem. You want to first focus on identifying and resolving the conflict, but sometimes you find that the conflict is the person, which is when you would need to switch focus.