6 goals for resolving workplace conflict when anger is simmering with staffers

Conflict can happen in all corners of the workplace – even in Finance. Tension can occur between co-workers for a variety of reasons, such as clashing work styles.

Then, there are disagreements that can arise between workers and supervisors because they have different perspectives on policies or how a job should be performed.

While it’s unrealistic to expect people to see eye-to-eye all the time, if these issues don’t get resolved ASAP, productivity and overall team morale can be impacted. Even worse: Some of your best people could resign over it, increasing turnover costs.

To resolve conflict among your staffers, it’s key to have a strategy ready that focuses on being neutral.

Talking out conflict

Here are some helpful tactics you can use, from “Improvisational Negotiation” by Jeffrey Krivis:

1. Let people tell their story. The source of the conflict may be that someone feels like they’re not being heard. When that employee gets a chance to tell their story, new information may come to light that allows a solution to emerge on its own.
2. Pay close attention to the parties involved. Observe their body language and listen closely to the emotional tone behind their words to get a sense of how they perceive the problem.
3. Identify the underlying issue. What’s the major motivating factor keeping a person from agreeing to a solution? Answer that question, and you may be able to predict how they’ll respond to certain ideas, and you can shape negotiations accordingly.
4. Be prepared to bring a reality check. Upset co-workers can become so focused on small details that they lose sight of the big picture and its implications. What’s the mutual goal the parties should be working toward?
5. Take the spotlight off someone that refuses to compromise. Isolation tends to create movement. If there’s a hardline holdout, begin going around that person to get things done. When his or her power is minimized, they’ll become more interested in negotiation.
6. Avoid trying to reach a solution too quickly. You don’t want the parties involved left feeling that if things had moved more slowly, they might have “won the argument.”

Keep in mind that workplace conflict can actually be a positive thing. Progress and innovation often start with passionate individuals expressing opinions and ideas. If that’s the case, that energy may need some guidance from you to redirect it into something beneficial with constructive brainstorming, then evaluation of ideas.