Got Conflict, Managers? Here are the 10 most Pivotal Skills you need to know to Resolve Workplace Conflict

Effective conflict resolution skills are crucial for managers to maintain a harmonious work environment. First and foremost, active listening plays a pivotal role. Managers should dedicate time to genuinely understand each employee’s perspective, acknowledging their concerns and validating their feelings. This equates to active listening that shows empathy, concern and consideration. By demonstrating as such and implementing receptiveness, managers can create a space where employees feel heard and valued, laying the foundation for collaborative conflict resolution. Win Win, right?

Unfortunately, it is rare to come across a great manager who instills such practices to ensure the health and overall well-being of their team. The overall concept of a great manager is spread across the spectrum of competent and incompetent managers. An incompetent manager is one who does not see value in educating themselves and learning pivotal skills to cultivate the health and valuation of their team. This ultimately leads to underlying conflict, confusion, and disparity. A great manager is one who takes the time to foster such skills, learns, and does their best to get ahead of any conflict that may arise within their workplace and team.

Managers should encourage transparent dialogue and ensure that team members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions. Establishing clear and respectful communication channels helps prevent misunderstandings and allows conflicts to be addressed promptly. Furthermore, guiding the team towards constructive discussions, focusing on finding solutions rather than placing blame, enables a more positive and solution-oriented approach to conflict resolution within the workplace.

Here are 10 key points on conflict resolution skills for managers:

1. Active Listening:

Dedicate time to understand each party’s perspective. By acknowleging such concerns and demostrate empathy and receptiveness can validate each team members feelings – Thus creating a safe and trustworthy space.

2. Open Communication:

Encourage transparent dialogue among team members. This ensurs a confortable enviromnet for expressing throughts, ideas and even emotions. Establishing clear and respective communications channels opens the doors for flow and ease.

3. Solution-Oriented Approach:

Focus on finding solutions rather than placing blame. This way you are guiding the team towards constructive disccussions and fostering a positive and collaborative atmosphere for conflict resolution.

4. Emotional Intelligence:

Recognize how emotions impact behavior in a conflict situation by understanding and managing one’s emotions in a corrective and contrite manner for them and those of others.

5. Mediation Skills:

Guide discussions toward mutually agreeable solutions, but act as a nuetral third party to help facilitate communcation betweem conflicting employees.

6. Problem-Solving:

Implement strategic problem-solving techniques to address underlying issues, whcih can be done by simply taking the time to analyze the root cause of such conflicts.

7. Decision-Making:

Make informed decisions that consider the perspectives and interests of all parties involved. You can achieve this by choosing solutuiobs that align with organizationl goals, compentencies and values.

8. Adaptability:

Adapt communication styles to suit different personalities and situations. You should become flexible and open to adjusting strategies based on the evolving dynamics of such employee conflict.

9. Conflict Prevention:

Proactively identify potential sources of conflict, then plan out a strategic pathway to implement measures to prevent conflicts from escalating.

10. Team Building:

Foster a positive team culture that emphasizes collaboration and mutual respect. This can be done by finding icebreakers, team though sessions or any developmental activities and intiatirives that streghten the continuity within your team.

These skills collectively contribute to a manager’s ability to navigate and resolve conflicts within the workplace.

Author: The Impartial Lab. (M.TIL)