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Conflict resolution techniques in a virtual environment
- 1. Conflict Resolution Techniques In A Virtual Environment - Rosemary Hans
- 2. Introductions What is Conflict Challenges in Virtual Environment A look at the conflict process Types of Conflict in Virtual Environment Conflict Resolution Styles Common causes of Conflict in Virtual Environment and their resolution How can we be successful Best Practices to Avoid Conflicts Questions & Feedback Agenda 2Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 3. Introductions Please tell us about yourself Your name and role Where are you located? Rosemary 3Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 4. What is conflict Conflict comes from the Latin word "Conflictus" which means "a contest". Conflict happens when there is a disagreement with the concerns, ideas and goals between two or more individuals. Conflict is inevitable Effective Conflict management - Key to success of virtual projects and virtual team management. 4Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 5. Common challenges in Virtual Environment Limited communication Misunderstanding due to poor or ambiguous communication Lack of ownership and commitment Lack of personal connection and team spirit Cultural challenges Can get escalated quickly. 5Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 6. The Conflict Process 6Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 7. Types of Conflict in Virtual Environments Intragroup Intergroup Interpersonal Intrapersonal 7Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 8. Five Conflict Resolution Styles COMPETING COLLABORATING AVOIDING ACCOMODATING COMPROMISING COOPERATIVENESSUncooperative Cooperative UnassertiveAssertiveASSERTIVENESS 8 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 9. Conflicts in a Virtual Environment Miscommunication , Poor communication , No communication Different Personalities & Different Styles Technical Problems Different Time zones & Different Sunsets Frustration & Stress 9Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 10. Communication Issues 10 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 11. Avoiding Communication Conflicts Clear , accurate and timely information Plan your conversations ahead of time Reach out to people Avoid half-sentences & bad grammar in emails Use exclamation mark prudently “I didn’t know that!” - is the person surprised or excited or angry ? Add context if its missing 11Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 12. Personality Clashes 12 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 13. Avoiding Personality Clashes Brainstorm Solutions in a Positive Manner Identify and share alternative solutions that might work Be kind and sympathetic to one another Avoid words that limit exploring solutions ( like have to, should ) Ask Open-Ended Questions "How can we resolve this?" "How do you think we are doing?“ Make sure everyone has a clear understanding of the mission, vision and core values of the organization. 13Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 14. Technical Problems 14 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 15. Avoiding Technical Problems Test System functions before meetings Check you have reliable Internet connectivity Check you have a working microphone & speakers Anticipate Issues and diffuse them before the meeting Apply computer system updates before the meeting 15Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 16. Time Zone Differences 16 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 17. Overcoming Time zone differences Set up a good communication Strategy where everybody is involved Make sure the team is aware of the decision making structure Use a good mobile collaboration tool that works for you 17Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 18. Frustration , Stress and all it brings 18 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 19. Avoiding Frustration & Stress Remain calm and alert Communicate your needs in a non-threatening way Be respectful of differences. Walk away from emotionally overcharged situations Make time for yourself. Do something that you like. 19 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 20. How can we be successful Use Best Practices and Guidelines Clear and open Communication Set aside egos Build Mutual trust Share Expertise willingly 20Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 21. Best Practices to avoid conflicts Assertive Communication Active Listener When in doubt, Ask Involve the Team Clarity in purpose Identify and share alternative solutions Ask open-ended questions "how can we resolve this ?” Seek a common goal 21Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 22. 22 Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
- 23. THANK YOU 23Conflict Resolution Techniques in a Virtual Environment - © Rosemary Hans
Editor's Notes
- Today our agenda will address the following topics.
- First, lets start with a brief introduction to one another. I will start first.
- Conflict comes from the Latin word "Conflictus" which means "a contest" and it isn't always violent. Conflict is a disagreement between two or more individuals and may not necessarily involve fighting. It happens when two or more individuals (or groups ) have opposing ideas about the concerns, preferences and goals of the organization. Conflict is a natural part of human behavior and relationship and is inevitable in any work environment. As such, effective Conflict management is the key to success of all virtual projects and virtual team management. Conflict is often misunderstood because of its negative implications. However, Conflict in itself is not a negative thing. When handled correctly, Conflicts can be used to solve a problem, to listen and be heard, clarify purpose and encourage people to work together for achieving mutually satisfactory goals.
- Telecommuting or remote working is fairly common these days. Business leaders and managers are no longer averse to this work arrangement as they once were. Advances in technology has enabled entire projects to be managed virtually by digital nomads that produce high quality of work from different locations. While working remotely enables creativity and productivity, this kind of work arrangement brings with it, its own complications with communication playing a key role. There are many challenges of working in virtual environments many of which can erupt into conflicts. Communication in virtual environments is limited to the resources available with each individual. Virtual teams lack the informal chats, face-to-face meetings, non-verbal cues that can help bridge poor communication issues. Virtual teams can have incompatible communication preferences, differences in work ethic and commitment. These add to the communication complexities and its easier to misinterpret messages and emails in such environments. There's a lack of personal connection and its harder to build a good team spirit based on disjointed emails and impersonal team meetings. Virtual environments brings with it cultural diversity , values and ideas. People can be spread out all across the globe and may have a different view of things. All of these challenges can fester disputes and conflicts which can trigger the conflict process. As virtual teams are mostly task based and impersonal, people have limited view on context or details . When things go wrong, colleagues can be more aggressive and emotional in their response to any conflicting ideas or goals.
- Conflict is unavoidable in any work or personal environment. As humans we often have conflicting wants, needs, goals, and values. We have differences in our access to resources. Based on the level of visibility and clarity of purpose, we can have contrasting opinions about the rules and goals of a project or the organization. Conflicts can happen anytime, but we don't experience them as troublesome until they ripen into a dispute which kicks off the conflict process. Once conflict happens , it leads to a reaction. The reaction leads to a choice which can either lead to an escalation or to a resolution. Effective Conflict management deals with managing the reaction so that it can lead to mutually favorable choices.
- Intragroup conflicts are conflicts that happen within different people in the team. It can arise due to different personalities , different choices or goals within the team members. Intergroup conflict happen between different teams within an organization. For example, the HR department may have a conflict with the operations team with regards to hiring. This could be due to different demands or limitation or goals of the different departments. Interpersonal conflict refers to a conflict between two individuals. It is a natural part of human behavior. Intrapersonal conflict occurs within a person’s mind. Its a conflict that is psychological and involves a persons thoughts, values and emotions. It can start with something very simple like missing out on an email but can grow to cause a lot of restlessness and stress
- There has been numerous studies on conflict resolution and the most famous is the Thomas-Kilmann conflict model which identifies 5 main resolution styles. Thomas and Kilmann in their research found that people in conflicts are either trying to be Assertive , that is , trying to satisfy their own concerns Or Cooperative, that is , trying to satisfy the other person’s concerns Or Both assertive and cooperative With their findings, they created a model which identifies 5 main resolution styles based on the different levels of behavior , assertiveness and cooperation. The five styles are : Competing: When there is High assertiveness but low cooperation Competing may mean standing up to what you believe is right and defending your position on something or trying to do better than the other person. This is very useful when quick decision is required especially when you are correct.. Accommodating: When there is Low assertiveness and high cooperation Accommodating is about being selfless and obedient to satisfy the other person’s concern rather than your own. This is very helpful when you realize a better solution is in place or when the issue is more important than the person in front of you. Avoiding: when there is low assertiveness and low cooperation. Avoiding may be when you sidestep an issue to tackle it at a later date. This is useful when the issue at hand is not important or when you want things to cool down or let people take a step back to regain their composure or perspective. Compromising: When there is Medium assertiveness and medium cooperation Compromising tackles the problem much more directly than Avoiding but takes the middle ground on the issue. This is particularly useful when you want a temporary solution to a complex issue. Collaborating: when there is High assertiveness and high cooperation Collaborating involves working together deep into the issue and trying to find out a solution that fully satisfies the concerns of both parties. This is particularly helpful when you need an integrated solution from both the parties whose concerns are too important to ignore.
- So, let’s talk about conflicts in a virtual environment. A study conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review found out that of the 80 global virtual team that were assessed, only 18 percent were found to be highly successful. In other words, 82 percent of those virtual team did not achieve their goals. Effective conflict management is a key to success in virtual team. Some of the most common causes of conflicts in a virtual environment are due to Communication issues Personality clashes Constant Technical problems Different time zone challenges Frustration and stress In the next few slides , We will look at each of these in detail and see how best to overcome them.
- Poor Communication , miscommunication and non-communication can play a major contributing role in stirring up conflicts. In a virtual environment , there is no personal connection and there are no verbal cues to the conversations . Poor communication in such environments makes it easier for things to be misinterpreted and gives rise to assumptions. A lack of communication can lead to misunderstanding, mistakes, missed deadlines and altered project directions. Misunderstanding occur when instructions and guidelines are not clear or when status reports and updates are not shared right away or when there is no responsible person leading the project or task. The lack of ownership and commitment in virtual environments can also increase ambiguity in communication. If things are not properly communicated, it can become very easy for team members to blame one another for not passing proper information in a timely manner. This can cause frustration and make them feel that their work or time has been wasted on the project.
- A large number of conflicts stem from lack of information, poor information, no information, or misinformation. Even when you have received good information but didn't know what to do with it, It can still lead to conflict. Clear , accurate and timely information will help reduce the number and severity of conflicts. Communication is part of human nature and is crucial to any successful project. Making time to reach out to people , planning your conversations ahead of time and regularly , goes a long way in building trust and help avoid conflicts. Avoid writing sloppy emails with half-sentences and bad grammar. It sends the message that the person was too busy with other important things. Not only do such emails cause frustration while deciphering the content and intent, it also can lead to misunderstanding and wrongful assumptions. Use exclamation mark prudently. Virtual environments do not have the luxury of informal chats and visual cues which can reveal the actual context and intent of people's messages. A simple sentence like “I didn't know that!” with an exclamation mark could mean that either the person is surprised or excited or angry Add a context to your communication if you think its missing or would help the other person understand the issue better.
- Its very common for conflicts to arise due to difference in personalities. People have different perceptions, different opinions , different backgrounds , different communication styles, different working styles etc. As such, there is bound to be disagreements over the differences. These differences if unchecked can give rise to conflicts based on bias and prejudice. People start making judgements based on assumptions. Sometimes people concentrate too much on personalities rather than the issue at hand, which causes friction. It’s very difficult to work with people you perceive as petty or condescending or forceful. The constant negativity and the game of one-upmanship can be extremely stressful and stir up serious conflicts.
- While disagreements are unavoidable, conflicts are fortunately avoidable. Brainstorm solutions and discuss all options in a positive manner. Identify and share alternative solutions that you think might work. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of kindness and attention to diffuse an issue. Recognizing the fairness in the other person's needs and willingness to examine them in sincerity, goes a long way to build up mutual trust. It also helps to look at conflicts from a different and compassionate perspective. Avoid words that limit exploring solutions ( like have to, should ) Ask open ended questions to encourage participation and meaningful answers , like, "How can we resolve this?" or "How do you think we are doing?" Having a clear understanding of the core mission, values and vision of the organization can help people put aside their differences and align their personal goals and motivation.
- Constant Technical problems can lead to frustration and conflicts can arise when things do not get done on a timely manner. With so much technology around us in todays world, human expectation has also grown with it. Emails can bounce or get routed to spam, so unless you follow up with a personal conversation or a phone call for important issues, things may get missed and people may fall out of the loop. So although technology complements human behavior , it doesn't compensate for one.
- Make sure to test system functions before meetings. Anticipate issues and work to diffuse them before the meeting. Check that you have a reliable internet connection. If you are using your laptop for conversation, make sure you have a working microphone and speakers. Things like computer System updates at the start of a scheduled meeting can delay things for unseen amounts of time. Make sure that the computer used in presentation are fully updated and equipped with necessary software . Updating your system ahead of time saves everyone's time and avoids frustration.
- With team members being on different locations and time zones, it becomes very difficult to communicate in real time. As such it presents one of the biggest physical, psychological and emotional challenges to communication. If its not managed correctly, it can alienate team members and make them feel unwanted which can cause conflicts.
- To overcome time zone challenges, you need to have a good communication strategy in place where everybody is involved. To help reach consensus in a systematic way, every member in the team must be aware of the structure that is used in making decisions. It may involve organizing a system where everyone is available at the time of communication. With so many technology around, look for good collaboration tools that works for you. Having a mobile collaboration tool with every member of the team makes it easier to collaborate, to listen and be heard.
- Stress is a common side-effect in the workplace which can lead to anxiety , depression and anger. It is a shared trait throughout the world in every environment and can lead to conflicts. If stress is not managed properly , it can negatively affect a person's performance and productivity. It can cause irritability, inflexibility, disorganization and poor team work - all factors that greatly contributes to conflicts.
- Managing stress by remaining calm and alert is vital to avoid conflicts. In a tense situation , control your emotions and communicate your needs in a non-threatening way. Be aware and respectful of differences. Walk away from the situation if you are unable to control your emotions. Do something that would bring you a smile. Go for a walk outside. Make some time for fun and relaxation. Do something that you enjoy.
- When managed properly, Virtual projects can be successful, highly productive and efficient . However to be successful, it is critical that best practices and guidelines such as this exist. The right technology for the team needs to be identified and used. There needs to be clear and open communication and it should be inclusive. Every member of the team should feel wanted in the project and their voices heard. People need to set aside their egos, trust one another, and share their expertise willingly.
- Some of the best practices to avoid conflicts is to have Assertive Communication. Being assertive means you communicate yourself clearly while also respecting the needs of others. It goes without saying that Active listening goes hand in hand with assertive communication. When the other person is talking, you should be listening to him and not thinking about the next thing you are going to say!. When in doubt, Ask. Whenever you can , Involve the Team so that everybody is in the loop and can jump in for help Make sure everybody is aware of the purpose and there is no ambiguity. Identify and share alternative solutions Ask open-ended questions "how can we resolve this ?” Try to seek a common goal
- Do you have any questions or do you want to share anything ?
- Thank you for attending this presentation. Have a good day.