25 Jul Conflict Resolution in The Workplace
Any place where you spend a vast amount of time with the same people is susceptible to conflict. As workplaces are made up of people from different ethnicities, cultures, age groups, classes, personalities, political outlooks, and daily lives, conflict is bound to occur. To navigate it, it’s integral that we understand why conflict happens, its consequences, and the models we can use to alleviate it.
Some common reasons for conflict include:
- Poor communication or miscommunications
- Differing opinions or viewpoints
- Clashing personalities
- Biases or stereotypes
- Variations in learning and processing styles
Around 53% of employees handle “toxic” situations by avoiding them, which could cost companies up to 7 full working days, costing UK companies almost £300 billion in 2023.
It’s important to resolve disputes as they arise to benefit your colleagues and workers’ mental health. Read on for some pointers on how to do this.
Conflict Resolution Model
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model—developed by Dr. Kenneth W. Thomas and Dr. Ralph H. Kilmann— is used by human resources and organisational development consultants globally. The model outlines five strategies for conflict resolution, namely:
- Avoiding
- Competing
- Accommodating
- Compromising
- Collaborating
Doctors Thomas and Kilmann developed a visual aid to illustrate the context these strategies fall into. Think of a graph with an x-axis (vertical line) and a y-axis (horizontal line). Place cooperativeness on the x-axis and assertiveness on the y-axis.
In the model, assertiveness refers to how hard you push to reach your goal, and cooperativeness describes how willing you are to meet another party’s goal. You might also think about the axis labels as “importance of my goal” and “importance of relationship”.
Let’s discuss the model’s 5 strategies and when to use them.
Avoiding
Some situations, like someone doing a TikTok dance on the tube, require conflict avoidance– it’s easier to just ignore them than start a fight over something so trivial. On the other hand, avoiding conflict at work can be detrimental. If a colleague keeps leaving a mess in the kitchenette and it’s bothering others, too, you should address the situation promptly.
Accommodating
Use the accommodation strategy when the relationship matters more than your goal. This is where you would go along with someone else’s strategy, even if you don’t particularly agree. It’s useful in de-escalating situations, like when someone is angry or you’re not overly passionate about the issue.
For example, if your boss asks you to complete a task using methods you don’t agree with but are not especially interested in that project, you might agree and do as they ask. This way, both parties are happy.
Competing
Competing is another strategy often not suited to the workplace. It’s often high in assertiveness and low in competition.
For instance, if a coworker is discussing sales results in a meeting and you wholeheartedly disagree with their interpretation of the data, it wouldn’t be a good idea to take up the matter then and there. Rather, you would send an email or discuss it privately.
Compromising
Also known as the lose-lose strategy (since no one fully achieves their goal), this method of conflict resolution prioritises both your goal and the relationship. It’s split in the middle of accommodation and competition. You and the other party will have to make sacrifices to reach a mutually beneficial outcome.
For instance, let’s say Isabella and Jessica need to have a meeting. Isabella wants to meet at 9 am because that’s when she’s most awake. Jessica wants to meet at 4 pm for the same reason. They decide to meet at noon. It splits the difference, but neither party is satisfied.
Collaborating
Collaborating is our favourite strategy: the win-win strategy. This is where your goal and the relationship are equally important. It’s ideal for most workplace conflicts, as both parties win.
Let’s return to Isabella and Jessica. Isabella tells Jessica that it’s important to discuss their increasing staff turnover rate, something she’s avoided for some time, and that they should meet at her house for Italian food in the late afternoon. Jessica loves Italian food and would love to discuss the matter away from the stresses of their workplace, so she agrees to meet at 4 pm. They’ve used synergy– the process of coming up with a creative solution to meet everyone’s needs– to create a 100/100 resolution instead of a 50/50 split.
You can use any mode to resolve conflict, but you must do it with sensitivity and empathy. For instance, you can use the avoidance mode at work, but not by saying “This is nonsense! I’m leaving, see you tomorrow.” Rather, you should say, “I’m having trouble processing this and need to discuss it with my colleague. Can we reconvene at a later date?”
Conflict is bound to come up. What’s important is how you choose to address and resolve it– prioritising sensitivity and empathy, whatever conflict mode you choose. If your healthcare facility needs advice on resolving conflicts, contact Proximity Healthcare. We’re experts in increasing employee retention rates.