How Managers Encourage Conflict by Stirring the Pot
Stirring the pot means that you may (perhaps unknowingly) be causing existing problems to escalate rather than to settle down. Every person on a team isn’t going to get along 100 percent of the time with [more…]
Ways Managers Are Inattentive to Employee Conflict
Not slowing down long enough to understand the broader picture or focus your attention in the other direction shortchanges your staff and weakens your reputation. When you have your head down in front [more…]
How Unclear Employee Expectations Create Conflict
If you communicate in unclear ways to employees, then conflict will occur. Employee expectations and goals must be clearly understood to prevent inefficiency. The directives you give on a daily basis that [more…]
Handling Resistance When Working through Employee Conflicts
When resolving employee conflict, you might encounter resistance to your mediation skills and strategies, regardless of how hard you work to keep an open, safe, and respectful environment. No magic formula [more…]
Conflict Resolution: Identifying Your Own Weaknesses as a Manager
To successfully resolve conflict among employees, a manager must first have the confidence and skill in being a good manager. Owning up to the possibility that you may not have every skill or quality it [more…]
Costs Associated with Conflict in the Workplace
Conflict in the workplace decreases efficiency and productivity, and that means lost profit. Taking a broad view of a conflict and considering both hard costs [more…]
How to Gather Information Concerning Employee Conflicts
One of the keys to successful conflict resolution in the workplace is having all of the information you need. You may already know most of the details about how a workplace conflict escalated, or you may [more…]
How to Encourage Employees to Handle Workplace Conflicts
It’s common for employees to want to save face and try to resolve a conflict without their manager’s involvement. So, if those involved all feel confident they can handle the situation on their own, let [more…]
How to Invite Employees to Discuss a Conflict
Every employee meeting starts with an invitation, and conflict mediation is no different. You have some decisions to make regarding the way in which you’ll notify your employees about the meeting — and [more…]
Conflict Resolution: Preparing for a Meeting with Employees
Before your conflicting employees are ready to sit down with you and discuss their dispute, you have some work to do. By preparing the space for your meeting, you maximize your potential for a successful [more…]
Conflict Resolution: Allowing Employees to Present Their Perspectives
Allowing employees to present their perspectives is an important part of conflict resolution at work. From the moment the first person speaks during a conflict mediation meeting, your job is to move her [more…]
Conflict Resolution: Summarizing and Rephrasing Complaints between Coworkers
Summarizing and rephrasing complaints during conflict mediation not only allows the speaker to know that you’ve heard and understood what he had to say, but it also gives the other employee the opportunity [more…]
Conflict Resolution: How to Avoid Unproductive Questions
When working through employee conflict, some questions can bring the meeting to a screeching halt, or make it difficult for your employees to work constructively. Good questions expand, explore, and create [more…]
Concluding a Conflict Resolution Meeting between Coworkers
How you conclude a conflict-resolution meeting depends on the outcome: the conflict is settled, temporarily settled, or not settled. Whatever the outcome, be sure to offer feedback and clear direction [more…]
Meeting Privately with Employees in Conflict
Mediating a conflict at work sometimes calls for a private meeting, or caucus, with each individual involved. A private meeting is an excellent opportunity for you to provide a different venue for participants [more…]
Watching for Progress after Coworker Conflict-Resolution Meetings
So you've concluded a conflict-resolution situation between two of your employees. You’re hopeful that the conflict is behind them and that they’re both moving on. So how will you know if things are on [more…]
The Elements of a Satisfactory Agreement between Coworkers
Settling a workplace conflict means developing good, solid agreements that satisfy everyone’s needs. These agreements hold up over time and have specific qualities that are important for you to look for [more…]
Troubleshooting Tips for Resolving a Conflict at Work
A number of factors can contribute to workplace-conflict problems when you’re facilitating the solution/agreement portion of your mediation. Be aware of these factors and pay attention to how they can [more…]
Working with Human Resources to Handle Intra-Office Conflict
In times of conflict, think of your Human Resources (HR) department as a partner that can help you create an action plan. HR professionals know what employee conflicts can cost a company. Most employees [more…]
Reasons Managers Don’t Request a Conflict-Resolution Consultant
Organizations often delay in requesting outside help for a workplace conflict because they’re hesitant to allocate the money. Conflict-resolution trainers, mediators, coaches, and consultants usually don’t [more…]
Why Managers Call Conflict-Resolution Experts
Each workplace conflict has a number of unique variables that move even the most adept managers to call experts for help. Some conflicts are easily handled, and others, well, are not so easy. You may want [more…]
How to Plan an Employee-Conflict Meeting for a Large Group
When you need to manage a group conflict at work, you can toss everyone into a room and wing it, or you can put some thought into planning a meeting. The more upfront planning you do, the better your odds [more…]
How to Determine the Goal of a Conflict-Resolution Meeting
A clear goal statement gives purpose and focus to a conflict-resolution meeting. More important, it serves as the criterion by which to consider all ideas and solutions to the workplace conflict. Be a [more…]
Conducting an Employee Conflict Meeting for a Large Group
In your role as facilitator for a large conflict-resolution discussion at work, be prepared, be present, and be ready to listen. Introduce yourself and describe your role as a facilitator. Explain how [more…]
