This document discusses strategies for resolving workplace conflicts. It identifies common types of professional disagreements such as different approaches, unmet expectations, and changing priorities. It then outlines a 7-step process for resolving conflicts which includes diffusing the situation, defining the conflict and its root cause, finding a common goal, creating a shared vision, defining options, and creating a path forward.
This document discusses strategies for resolving workplace conflicts. It identifies common types of professional disagreements such as different approaches, unmet expectations, and changing priorities. It then outlines a 7-step process for resolving conflicts which includes diffusing the situation, defining the conflict and its root cause, finding a common goal, creating a shared vision, defining options, and creating a path forward.
This document discusses strategies for resolving workplace conflicts. It identifies common types of professional disagreements such as different approaches, unmet expectations, and changing priorities. It then outlines a 7-step process for resolving conflicts which includes diffusing the situation, defining the conflict and its root cause, finding a common goal, creating a shared vision, defining options, and creating a path forward.
Team Conflict: Strategies for resolving Workplace Conflict.
Types of Professional Disagreements
Different Approaches: When people have different perspectives or different backgrounds, they can often irritate one another. Unmet Expectations: If you expect something and don’t get it, you’re going to likely be upset. Changing Priorities: When priorities change midstream in a project or on assigned tasks, the potential to ruffle some feathers can increase. Another Time Zone: If people are not on the same schedule, but working on the same project, even if on different tasks, that can cause trouble. Egos, Egos, Egos: Sometimes it can be as simple as a personality that expects more from you or creates unrealistic demands. 7 Basic Strategies to Resolve Conflict 1. Diffuse the Situation: This could be considered triage. You want to stop the bleeding, so to speak, and in so doing acknowledge each person involved in the conflict. Don’t pick sides, just listen, and bring the temperature down to a level that you can work with. 2. Define the Conflict: You’re not going to solve something until you know what it is. Hear from all sides and determine what it is that is causing the problem. 3. Identify the Root of the Conflict: This is like putting the problem in a crucible and bearing down on it until you’ve reached its elemental base. By peeling away what isn’t needed, you can now see the problem in historic context and note how it had been dealt with in the past. 4. Find the Common Goal: If there is something to which all parties can carry upon, then you’re halfway there to resolving the problem. Use that common ground on which to build an equitable solution for all. 5. Create a Common Vision: Once you have people agreeing on a goal, it’s your job to help them envision how they can all work together to achieve that goal. 6. Define Options: How can they work through conflict? By offering them a set of options. When they have choice, they feel more in control of the situation, and that ownership is going to give them the strength to unite and succeed. 7. Create a Path: Now that you’ve got the warring parties to make peace and get on board a common solution, you must plan out the way they’ll get there. Whether that’s just reverting to the old plan, now clear to everyone, or devising an alternative route, the path to peace requires clear goal-setting.