Chapter 9 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS Conflict arises even in the most successful and employee- centered businesses. Learning how to handle these conflicts is important not only for those in leadership roles, but also for all employees. Provide relevant information from your company’s policies, and offer scenarios with solutions to illustrate how different types of conflicts can be handled. Objectives: At the end of the chapter, the student should be able to: ¢ Know the difference between conflict, and conflict management skills; * Core skills and characteristics that need to adopt to effectively manage workplace conflicts; * Define conflict resolution skills; and © Enumerate skills to resolve debates. Activate Prior Knowledge/Critical Thinking Question(s) AA Put yourself in the shoes of the manager, how do you resolve conflict in the workplace? 125Chapter 9 Content CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS Conflict Sas: GEtrateg es Conflict 1. Aserious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one. 2. A fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle, strife, controversy; quarrel; conflicts between parties. Conflict Management Skills It is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict. Below are some of the core skills and characteristics that you'll need to adopt if you want to effectively manage workplace conflicts. 1. Emotional Intelligence a. Emotional intelligence has been defined, by Peter Salovey and John Mayer (1990), as "the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior." b. Emotional intelligence is the capability of an individual to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviors and manage or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goals. 126» Patience Giving, yourself (and others) a little time during, the process can greatly enhance the possibility of a successful resolution. Understand all the issues. Impartiality Impartiality means equal treatment of all rivals or disputants; fairness. Impartiality is characterized by the fact that the mediator has no power to settle the dispute or to make a decision with respect to the parties - these decisions are dependent on the party only and are not taken away at any stage of the mediation. Active Listening Active listening techniques can help you truly understand what people are saying in conversations or any meetings. In order to understand what people are saying, always build trust and establish good rapport, ask specific questions, demonstrate concerns and last, use brief verbal affirmations like: “I see.” Positivity Being positive with your conflict management actions is a great way to keep the conversation moving forward. Conflicts are full of roadblocks and you'll need to be willing to overcome them if you want to come to a resolution, Open Communication Communication has a big role to play in conflict management. Open communication allows the employees to be more engaged and understand that what they do matters in the success of the business and effective communication will lead everyone to be on the same page; moving in the same direction toward the same goal. Make sure that the employees understand the big picture and the part they play in the success of the organization. It will help them to understand why decisions are made and how those decisions impact them specifically and the company as a whole. 127What are Conflict Resolution Skills? * Conflict resolution is the process in which two or more parties work towards a solution to a problem or dispute. * The issue negatively affects one party or multiple and has escalated to the point where it needs to be addressed. * Participants - are then required to work together to produce a common agreement that resolves the issue. Conflict Resolution 1 Don't jump to the defense. a. In conflict resolution, it is important to know the other’s point of view in order to hear the both sides of two parties involved in arguments or conflicts and to connect the issues and situation that happens in the workplace. In that way you can determine the possible root cause of the problem or issues. b. Let the persons explain themselves, and actively listen, respond and reflect on what's being said, and retain the information. c. See things from someone else’s point of view. 128| 2. Don't point fingers. a. Every time you point a finger in scorn—there are three remaining fingers pointing right back at you.” “If you feel the need to make someone, feel less assured of themselves or have to call another person out, you may gain a false sense of superiority.” b. Don’t put blame on others or create a space in which someone feels unsafe to voice their opinion. c. Ina way, blaming is form of social comparison that is status-seeking. If you blame someone, it puts you in the superior seat, making you feel more important and the ‘good’ person as opposed to their ‘bad’. Of course, some people use blaming to make themselves a victim. 15 Maintain a calm tone. a. Maintaining a calm tone shows willingness _ to compromise or collaborate. b. Don’t talk behind people’s backs. c. Don’t take — anything personally.: OONT TAKE IT 74. Show willingness to compromise or collaborate. Collaboration and compromise can be used to resolve conflicts by working toward mutual understanding and brainstorming. Don't take personally. “Don't take things personally” means you should not let other people's comments, actions, attitudes, opinions or choices affect how you feel about yourself or your life, even if they are a direct and personal attack. anything Don't talk behind people's backs. According to Richard Carlson (2017) highlighted in his Positive Living Relationship at Work, “When you talk behind someone’s back, it says far less about the person you are discussing than it does about our own character, about your need to be critical and your need to talk behind other people’s back.”7. Pay close attention to nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication and body language express a great deal, Good nonverbal skills show you are listening, while poor nonverbal skills can damage the rapport and negate what you say. To improve your listening with nonverbal skills, here are some tips: 1. Pay close attention to what the person says. 2. Maintain comfort ‘able e contact. ey 3. Maintain an o 7 Pen Position. Don’t Cros, body arms over your bag’ Your may appear defengiy,° this 4. Its best to sit along. angled toward 4 Heide and rather than directly , Petson him or her. PPosite Prioritize resolving the conn 5 A mélict over being right. a According to Jeanne Sega, py, D. Lawrence Robinson, and Melinda Smith, M.A. (2021), “We Need to make conflict resolution Priority” rather than the winning or “being, right” and always maintain the strengthening relationship, rather than “winning” the argument. Be respectful of the other person and their viewpoint.9, Use humor when appropriate, Humor builds a learning relationship through the joyful confluence of head and heart. ). Focus on the conflict at hand and not past ones. Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., Lawrence Robinson, and Melinda Smith, M.A. (2021), mentioned in their study “Always focus on the present, If you're holding on to grudges based on past conflicts, your ability to see the reality of the current situation will be impaired.” Rather than looking to the past and assigning blame, focus on what you can do in the here-and-now to solve the problem. a . Know when to apologize and forgive. a. Forgiveness is the best form of love. It takes a strong person to say sorry and even a stronger person to forgive. b. Forgive anyone who has caused you pain or harm; keep in mind that forgiving is not forgetting. It is remembering without anger. It frees up your spirit. Forgiveness opens up a pathway to a new place of peace where you 132 can persist despite what has happened to you.12. Remember the importance of the relationship. a. Foster effective communi- cation. b. Develop trust with your colleagues. c. Show appreciation and respect for others. d. Speak well of your team members. e. Take responsibility.