Sometimes a company can smooth troubled waters
in the workplace by creating policies, programs
and systems that head off conflicts before
they begin and encourage open communication.
Here are a few ideas:
- One of the easiest is making sure performance
goals are laid out clearly for every employee.
Some companies, for example, have a written
performance, planning, coaching and evaluation
document annually prepared for each employee.
The document should set out expected achievements,
timeframes and parameters. Putting it in
black and white allows workers to understand
clearly corporate and management expectations.
It's a tool that really results in more
effective communication, said Westaff Human
Resources Representative Gail Jern, and
makes for better management of overall performance.
It helps prevent "surprises at review
time," that could otherwise lead to
conflicts.
- Another conflict management tool is a
hotline telephone number that allows employees
to raise complaints and signal conflicts
anonymously. The hotline can give employees
a place to be heard, and, by allowing human
resource experts and managers to respond
pro-actively when necessary, it can head
off or reduce conflicts and frustrations.
- A third idea is a formal mediation program
or system. The program can involve assigning
supervisors to be responsible for mediation,
having a third party available to resolve
disputes, or even having an open-door reporting
policy that allows employees to go to any
supervisor in the company.
Finally, Jern noted, some conflicts at work
cannot always be solved. If one worker is
continually difficult to manage or unable
to get along with their co-workers, or, perhaps,
"poisoning the well" by speaking
ill of the company to other employees, it
may be best to deal with them through a strict
performance management plan. If the plan is
unsuccessful, the eventual outcome may result
in termination of employment.
"Unfortunately, not all conflicts are
'fixable,' but a good manager must promptly
address a problem and develop an appropriate
plan of action," Jern said.
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It's inevitable: everyone, at some point in his
or her career, is going to have a conflict with
a co-worker. How they resolve that conflict - with
constructive compromises or with intimidation, aggression,
anger or even violence - is key not only to workplace
harmony, but to a company's ability to function
well. In other words, to a company's bottom line.
Take the case of two women who worked in adjoining
cubicles. One of the women insisted on playing music,
loudly, in her workspace. Her neighbor objected,
reporting her to a supervisor. But the supervisor
refused to intervene, suggesting they work it out
themselves. Compromise couldn't be reached. Tempers
flared. And the woman who wanted the music turned
down slapped her music-loving co-worker across the
face.
Clearly, conflict resolution skills were sorely
lacking in this workplace, commented Giovinella
Gonthier, president of Civility Associates in Chicago,
Ill., who was brought in to mediate the situation
afterward.
Gonthier, author of the book, Rude Awakenings:
Overcoming the Civility Crisis in the Workplace,
stressed that it is much better if companies help
individuals learn to resolve their conflicts effectively
ahead of time.
"We teach people how to work with machines,
but we do not give them the tools to work with other
people," she said.
Yet, helping people develop their own abilities
both to compromise and effectively and politely
mediate will (1) reduce the amount of time managers
spend trying to resolve conflicts (one study found
that managers spend 25 percent of their time on
worker conflicts), and (2) reduce the chances that
conflicts will get out of hand and that employees
will end up, sometimes literally, at each other's
throats.
Most workplaces today strive to put systems in
place to officially mediate problems among coworkers
(SEE SIDE STORY). Many seek to give employees the
tools they need to avoid conflicts, such as listening
to other points of view and accepting constructive
criticism, or, if engaged in a conflict, remaining
calm and solving problems without yelling or getting
physical.
But, unfortunately, even the most collaborative,
friendly office will still have a conflict now and
then, and almost everyone at some point in their
work life has dealt with someone who is outside
the scope of rational approach. That's where conflict
resolution consultants like Philip S. Chard come
in. Chard, the president and CEO of NEAS in Brookfield,
Wisconsin, offers training seminars called "Swimming
with Sharks: Conflict Resolution in the Workplace."
People who refuse to respond to rational discourse,
Chard said, may believe that they can get what they
want by exploding and making scenes, by being passive
aggressive, or by emotionally intimidating co-workers.
The answer, he said, is not to try to change the
person's behavior -- which is often impossible --
but to change your own. He suggested three methods:
Mirroring. This technique is often used
in psychotherapy and counseling. It uses non-verbal
mirroring techniques to approximate the tone, posture
and even gestures of the other person. Mirroring
can work subconsciously to increase rapport with
the other person and perhaps cause them to lower
their resistance to you.
Pattern Interruption. In recurring conflicts
between two people, repetitive patterns occur --
the same things get said, the same gestures are
made. Chard suggested breaking the pattern by altering
your own behavior. If you usually sit when confronted
by this person, then stand and walk around. If you
are usually quiet, become talkative. Often, the
person you are having conflict with knows how to
push your buttons. This method demonstrates that
you are unpredictable. It can often cause the other
person to treat you with newfound respect.
Mental Akido. Named for the defensive martial
art, it works when you are actually in the throes
of conflict and being verbally attacked. Instead
of taking the bait, you refuse to engage, by being
silent or even by agreeing with your attacker, i.e.,
"Yes, I guess my idea wasn't so great after
all." It completely deflates the attack, Chard
said.
Even when these methods don't manage to change
a difficult co-worker, they can still empower individuals,
making them feel better about themselves and less
like a victim. Plus, Chard added, because these
methods focus on individual responsibility, they
take into account the fact that "all conflict
occurs between two or more people." In other
words, "it takes two to tango." Putting
systems and training into place to help people resolve
conflicts can help employees "dance" a
little more gracefully.
Chard's website is: www.neas.com
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