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Working through conflict: strategies for groups and organizations
- 1. + Working Through Conflict Strategies for Groups and Organizations
- 2. + Conflict as a Balloon Ballooning conflict works to increase conflict and pressure Breaking point of a balloon is unpredictable When a balloon pops, the experience may be jarring Deflating conflict relieves pressure Creates a common understanding of acceptable stress points The balloon remains intact
- 3. + Attitude Our beliefs shape our interactions Beliefs about ourselves, others and society as a whole Attitudes are shaped by how and what we perceive the issues to be Issues may be created due to miscommunication Attitudes further shape interaction during conflict “In some ways, we will always be different. In other ways, we will always be the same.There is always room to disagree and blame, just as there is always room to take a new perspective and empathize. Understanding is a choice.” Vironika Tugaleva
- 4. +Interacting in Ways to Resolve Conflict Interaction during conflict plays two roles Escalation of conflict Blowing hot air into the balloon by creating issues De-escalation of conflict Deflating the balloon by resolving issues Understand personal prejudices and stereotypes held Speak from a place of understanding Think before reacting Acknowledge threats to individual positions Engage in complete disclosure (share information)
- 5. Creating a Conflict Positive Environment Immediately address conflict Work with those involved in the conflict in a collaborative manner Seek out diverse viewpoints Find ways to be inclusive
- 6. + Be authentic Be open Practice full disclosure Be empathetic Avoid lean communication Invest in rich communication
- 7. + Handling Conflict at Work Create a conflict positive environment Maintain open channels of rich communications Participate in full disclosure Ensure there really is a conflict and not a difference of opinion Understand differing viewpoints Seek out diverse opinions Work together to form a resolution
Editor's Notes
- Conflict is driven by a series of interactions made by the parties involved in the conflict. These members react to the actions of others based on an individual’s perception of the issues and others’ motivations. Conflict may thus be seen as a series of intricate reactionary moves made to further individual positions within the conflict. To add to the process of conflict, we oftentimes spend much time and many resources on superficial issues related to face-saving. Face-saving is the ongoing negotiation process we each go through in creating our individual identity and ensuring others see us the way we want them to see us. Our actions are influenced by how we think others to perceive us. Conflict interaction may serve to move groups and organizations closer to a resolution or to push individuals involved in conflict over the edge as they work to negotiate how s/he is perceived.
- Pressures can build up within groups and organizations, much like in a balloon, until it explodes. The pressure caused by conflict can create difficulties in team member’s to trust and communicate with each other. Creating an environment conductive to openly airing and working toward resolution of conflict can create a more productive team as resources are managed with greater efficiency. Conversely, waiting to resolve conflict until too much pressure has built up creates an opportunity to fractionate a team as it no longer can function efficiently. When trust within the team environment is broken, there is an opportunity for members to function independently in the pursuit of their own agenda. Repairing members’ confidence may not be possible when the fault lines run deep and the issues between disputing parties can not be resolved in a meaningful manner. A meaningful resolution is one which stresses a long-term solution rather than a short-term temporary fix. Band-aids are not meant to hold broken fragments together, they are meant to support the broken pieces once they have been mended.
- Resolving conflict requires we understand how our belief systems shape our worldview and how we understand others. Our attitudes are shaped by our families, friends, community groups, colleagues and society as a whole. Individual attitudes shape how we interact with others and why we behave in constructive or destructive patterns leading to the escalation or resolution of conflict. We must strive to come from a place of understanding, adjusting our attitudes to reflect our desire to resolve the issues plaguing groups and organizations, resulting in conflict. Moreover, we must be aware of how our attitudes contribute to the escalation or de-escalation of conflict, moving teams toward resolution and healing. Individual attitudes are thus determinant of the direction conflict may take.
- Interaction during conflict results in two outcomes: escalation of conflict, often seen as an unproductive increase in tensions and issues; and, a de-escalation of conflict, best understood as relieving and resolving conflict. This may be seen to be similar to inflating and deflating of a balloon. Although escalation may benefit the resolution process throughout different points in the conflict’s lifecycle, escalation can also create an environment in which individuals feel defeated and unmotivated to resolve the conflict. Furthermore, interaction is shaped by our attitudes. Acknowledging how face-saving impacts the conflict, by acknowledging the issues can help move the conflict toward resolution. This may also help groups and organizations better differentiate substantive issues from superficial issues created during conflict interaction.
- Creating a conflict positive environment allows groups and organizations to find better ways to resolve conflict in the long-run. Enhancing individuals’ abilities to openly discuss conflict without fear of retribution can allow groups and organizations to preemptively address any problematic issues that may impact organizational goals. While many of us understand teams and workgroups are the heart of any organization, allowing it to connect with those it serves, we must also care for our members’ wellbeing. Not only does the creation of a conflict positive environment allow organizations to understand the challenges facing members, it allows organizations to better plan how to act in a preventative fashion by creating an effective strategy for dealing with conflict as it arises.
- So often we focus on speed without taking stock of how speed impacts the message we’re trying to convey. When we communicate with others from a place of authenticity and express a genuine viewpoint regarding conflict, our opinions are given greater validity. Moreover, we avoid the pitfalls of face-saving and escalating conflict to new heights by adding superficial issues taking time and resources away from resolving substantive issues. By engaging members involved in conflict in an authentic manner we communicate more than our desired outcome for the conflict. We convey the importance of our wishes and create constructive talking points. In turn, it is just as important how we listen to others. Showing empathy and understanding one’s viewpoint is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength as we acknowledge why alternative viewpoints may be important. This is vital to collaborative conflict resolution as research shows groups and organizations are more inclined to work toward a resolution together versus be handed one by an outsider. There are important ways we impact how others perceive what we say. Learning when to use lean communication and rich communication methods are amongst the first steps to confronting the how messages may be misinterpreted by members. In a more technologically advanced world, we sometimes forget we still crave face-to-face interactions with colleagues. In the absence of this form of rich communication, other cues may not be conveyed with the same efficacy as seeing how individuals might respond to communication. We have embraced lean communication in almost all realms of our life and it is evident in the number of daily text messages or emails we send. Our body language, eye movement, hand gestures, etc. all hold nonverbal cues that help contextualize information passed along through rich communication, something lost through lean communication. It is important to remember communication impacts how we react to information provided and how that information is digested once it is shared. Sharing information is also imperative to effectively communicating within groups and organizations. The practice of full disclosure also implies a commitment to building trust, oftentimes very difficult to establish and maintain once conflict has arisen. Sharing information, however, ensures all members have access to the same information and are able to reach well-reasoned conclusions based on the same information across the board. The most important aspect of communication is that it impacts how we react to conflict and the issues brought up in conflict. Communication impacts the reactionary nature of conflict by guiding how others might interpret information or misinformation. Communication’s purpose is to manage knowledge and can only be done effectively one way when tensions are high.
- As we come to an end, I implore everyone to consider how conflict is truly managed within groups in your organization. Is it acceptable for team members to address conflict, or does it continue to build up? Maintaining open channels of communication by ensuring adequate amounts of face-to-face communications can go a long way to avoid creating conflict. Sharing knowledge with all team members is a good way to ensure everyone involved is on the same page. Understanding that your opinion is your own is also important as we work toward creating an environment that embraces collaborative conflict resolution. Understanding differing viewpoints is thus not an omission of wrong doing on one’s part, it is a mere acknowledgment that we all have different world views. Seeking out diverse opinions regarding how to resolve conflict can help create new ways of thinking about the conflict and allow groups and organizations form increasingly mutually beneficial resolutions. Lastly, please remember your attitude is everything and impacts all aspects of how far conflicts may escalate to how quickly they may de-escalate to be resolved.