Leaders will explore the common pitfalls of managing staff conflict. Then, analyze the five steps to resolving conflict and how to mitigate discord within your program. Finally, compile collaborative solutions that create value, encourage teamwork, and ensure everyone is on the page.

1. Managing Staff Conflict

2. Managing Staff Conflict
Behavior tolerated is behavior approved.

3. Why We Avoid Conflict
• We don’t want to be the bad guy
• We aren’t sure what to say
• Bad experiences in the past
• It’s uncomfortable
• It can cause strained relationships
• It can affect our energy, attitude and spirit
• Other reasons?

4. Definitions of Conflict
1. A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.
2. A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or
interests; a clash.
3. Psychology A struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition or
simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or
tendencies.
4. Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially
opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.

5. Definitions of Workplace Conflict
• An employee or employer has different views and opinions which can affect
morale, productivity and in worse cases, lead to violent crimes (University of Fla.
IFAS Extension).
• A specific type of disagreement that occurs in a work area, such as an office, and
is uniquely influenced by the work environment
• A difference of views or opinions of those in the workplace.

6. The ratio of negatives to positives in most everyday conversations
is 7:1
Business Management Daily
According to Gallup, negativity costs U.S. businesses $250-300
billion in lost productivity every year and negatively impacts
workplace relationships.
http://stopworkplacedrama.com/

7. Symptoms & Outcomes of Workplace
Drama
Symptoms -
• Gossip
• Power struggles
• Poor team coordination
Outcomes –
• Drains the company’s best talent
• Hampers productivity and profit
• Damages relationships
• Eats away at the effectiveness of the company

8. Types of Conflict in the Workplace
A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.
• The employee who is consistently late – to work, returning from lunch, turning in
required items, etc.
• The employee who is always caught using their cell phone, not supervising
children properly, talking about personal things while caring for children, etc..
• The employee who forgot to wash their uniform, cover their tattoo, take out a
piercing, etc.
• Other examples?

9. Types of Conflict in the Workplace
A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons,
ideas, or interests; a clash.
Can be individual or team
• An uneven distribution of workload
• Unequal treatment
• Personality differences
• A lack of recognition
• Other examples?

10. Types of Conflict in the Workplace
Psychology A psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition
or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or
tendencies.
• Employees who tell you more than they need to
• Employees who complain about everything and expect you to fix everything
• Employees who contradict/back stab others
• Employees who say too much to parents
• Other examples?

11. Types of Conflict in the Workplace
Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially
opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.
• The way employees speak to each other or you
• Employees who gossip
• Employees who blame/have an excuse for everything
• Employees who create drama
• Other examples?

12. Conflict is not always bad……
• As long as it is resolved effectively, it can lead to personal and
professional growth.
• It can increase understanding, group cohesion and improve self-
knowledge.

13. FACTS
1. Research shows that 60-80% of all difficulties in organizations
stem from strained relationships between employees, not
from deficits in individual employee’s skill or motivation.
(Daniel Dana, Managing Differences: How to Build Better Relationships at
Work and Home (2005, 4th ed.); Barbara J. Kreisman, Insights into
Employee Motivation, Commitment and Retention (2002)).
2. The typical manager spends 25-40% of his or her time dealing
with workplace conflicts. That’s one to two days of every
work week.
(Washington Business Journal, May 2005).

14. Common Pitfalls of Leaders
• Listening too much – playing favorites (listening to your star employee who
tells you the inside scoop), allowing employees to go on and on without
purpose or failing to act on what you’ve been told.
• Internalizing too much – covering for their poor performance, making
exceptions and allowing excuses, getting too personal, feeling sorry for
employees, showing sympathy vs. empathy.
• Telling too much – assisting them over and over without proper training,
breaking another employee’s confidence, avoiding the issue/getting off the
subject, placating employees.

15. Resolving Conflict
Conflict resolution is the process of ending a disagreement between two or more people in a
constructive fashion for all parties involved.
5 Steps
1. Anticipate conflict
2. Seek clarity
3. Pick and choose battles
4. Maintain respect at all times
5. Keep people and problems separate

16. Resolving Conflict
Anticipate Conflict
• Be aware of triggers –
1. Changes in the work environment: leadership, policies & procedures, staffing, new or
difficult child/parent.
2. Changes in an employee’s home life: relationship change, issues with children and other
personal issues.
3. Changes in the world: politics, gas prices, etc.
• Be prepared –
1. Have ready resolutions – what has worked well previously.
2. Have a folder of favorite tips, websites, etc. for various situations.

17. Resolving Conflict
Seek Clarity
• Don’t jump to conclusions – “here she comes again; what now”.
• Attempt to understand others perspectives – see each issue as a new one until
you hear the entire story; assess the situation first, then apply it to the employee.
• Listen without talking – allow the person to express their feelings, present the
issue before responding.
• Repeat what is said to convey understanding – summarize what you were told.

18. Resolving Conflict
Pick and Choose Battles
• One-time incident vs. patterns – one time incidents would require a review of policies/procedures
or redirection; repeated incidents would most likely require disciplinary action. In both cases ask
the employee(s) what they would do only if they are seeking help with conflict not if they are the
offender.
• Communicate how to avoid repeated issues – review policies/procedures, give specific examples
and role model, provide handouts and other resources.
• Base on facts not perceptions – do your research, don’t assume.
• Never place blame – this can lead to defensive and destructive behaviors; remain rational and ask
questions before coming up with a solution.

19. Resolving Conflict
Maintain Respect At All Times
• Present yourself respectfully – make eye contact and be at the same level as the employee(s).
• Communicate respectively – speak in a calm tone, address situations in private (group settings as
applicable) and avoid being condescending.
• Address the issue and restore peace – immediately address the issue, develop an action plan if
needed and share with those involved and follow up.
• Do not judge or personally attack – again, assess the situation before applying it to the employee
and collaborate as much as possible.

20. Resolving Conflict
Keep People and Problems Separate
1. It creates a more rational perspective.
2. Allows you to understand the problem better.
3. Allows all needs to be met.
4. Separating the people from the problems means separating the relationship issues (e.g.
perceptions, emotions, communication, reliability and so on ) from the substantive issues
(e.g. terms, dates, figures and so on ) and dealing with each set of issues on its own merits
Collaborate on solutions
1. It creates value.
2. It encourages teamwork.
3. Everyone is on the same page.

21. Resources
• http://www.thefreedictionary.com/conflict
• http://www.ehow.com/about_6780543_definition-conflict-workplace.html
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/211674-how-to-solve-conflict-in-the-
workplace/#ixzz1uwWQhY3q
• http://stopworkplacedrama.com/the-book/
• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm
• http://stopworkplacedrama.com/general/managing-and-leading-are-you-doing-too-
much/#more-4318
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/210848-how-to-resolve-conflict-and-overcome-destructive-
behaviorsin-the-workplace/
• http://www.toolingu.com/definition-950130-54672-conflict-resolution.html