Text: Kay Vittee. This article appeared in the April/May issue of Your Business Magazine.
To successfully manage and resolve conflict requires strong leadership.
Widely regarded as one of the most challenging and difficult functions of people management, conflict management or dispute resolution demands specific skills and if not done properly, it can have the opposite effect.
Kay Vittee, CEO of Quest Staffing Solutions, suggests the following tactics for successful resolution:
● Remain completely objective, do not mediate if you are directly involved in the issue, either personally or professionally, rather refer the matter to another manager or outsourced professional.
● Ensure that you identify a common goal upfront and continually focus the discussion and interaction on that goal.
● Set a deadline for the desired resolution.
● Ask that all parties involved present their arguments in a professional and respectful manner.
● Request that they present research and facts to back up their suggestions and opinions.
● Encourage the opposing sides to acknowledge and compliment proposals and ideas that warrant it.
● Brainstorm all suggestions, ideas, opinions, and arguments in the hope that the process will either reveal a compromise or spark innovation.
● Utilise your human resource department or professional partners to guide, assist and oversee the process.
● Document and record the process and all outcomes as the solutions may only present themselves on review of the content.
If the opposing parties have greatly different skill levels, maturity, confidence, and or communication skills, the situation may require that you investigate and research various conflict resolution strategies and tools, of which there are many.
“The ideal situation is to create a workplace culture that invites and welcomes individual thinking, diverse opinions, and conflict conversations underpinned by the values of respect, open-mindedness, and humility. This culture will foster a team environment that sees and realises the value of conflict as a constructive rather than destructive natural process,” concludes Vittee.
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