Working together is not always easy!

Con ict at workplace
By: Dossantos Yvonne
Naemi Ndaningina
Am I the A**hole?

Somebody kept stealing my lunch from the break
room fridge, so I slathered my sandwich in extra
hot habanero sauce yesterday. When my
coworker, Jimmee John, bit into it, he sta ed
screaming and running around, and crashed into
the door. Now, he has a baseball-sized lump on
his noggin. AITA?
What is con ict
Con ict may be de ned as a disagreement,
struggle or contest
which occurs between individuals, groups/teams,
facilities/organisation
with di erent values, goals,
needs, priorities, ideas,
preferences
Understand con ict
Con ict is inevitable,

At workplace con icts happen eve day. In fact, it’s
not only common but also normal


Not all con icts are “bad”, con ict can help the team
to focus.


 However if con ict managed poorly it can be harmful.

 Con ict has two dimensions:
The emotions: (the how you feelings about the issue)
e.g. anger, c ing, sadness, worries
The issue: (the what of the con ict) the source of the
con ict.
Focus on emotions rst before addressing the issues.
Sources of con ict at workplace
………
1. Generation gap: older vs new employees
2. High-stress workplace (pressure to produce
more with less resources) / limited resources
3. Unclear lines of responsibilities (disagreement
over who should be do doing what).
.........
3. Lack of communication (we didn’t get the
message on time)
4. Burnout (over working)
5. Competition e.g. Sala increment according to
your work pe ormance,
6. Frustration
 Con ict management style
Avoiding: People who avoid con ict are generally
unasse ive and uncooperative.
• Avoid the con ict entirely or delay their response
instead of voicing concerns
• Not a good long-term strategy
Accommodating: People who accommodate are
unasse ive and ve cooperative.
• Give in during a con ict and acknowledge they
made a mistake/decide it was no big deal
• E ective when the other person or pa y has a
better plan or solution
 Continue...
Compromising: Compromisers are moderately asse ive and
moderately cooperative
• Eve one is expected to give & take something
• you nd a solution that to some extent satisfy eve one.
Collaborating: they are both asse ive and cooperative.
• Asse own views while also listening to other views and
welcoming di erences
• Identify underlying concerns of a con ict
• Create room for multiple ideas
• Requires time and e o from both pa ies
 Which one is best?
There is no BEST way to handle con ict. Each con ict is
di erent and requires a di erent response.
Just know that:
“Two heads are better than one.” (Collaborating)
“Kill your enemies with kindness.” (Accommodating)
“Split the di erence.” (Compromising)
“Leave well enough alone.” (Avoiding)
Results for con ict management
Lose – lose con ict
Management by avoidance or accommodation
Win – lose con ict
◦ Management by compromise
Win – Win con ict
◦ Management by collaboration
Tips for managing workplace con ict
Have a positive attitude toward con ict
Not letting small problems escalate, deal with them as they
arise
Respect individual, group di erences
Use active listening skills
Encourage other pa y to view their concern
Be aware of your body language – what are you signaling
Acknowledge feelings before focusing on facts
Focus on solving problems, not changing people
If you can’t resolve the problem, turn to someone who can
help ( nd a mediator)
Adapt your style according to situation & people involved
Give constructive criticism/feedback
Basic 4 steps to dealing with con icts
1. Diagnose 2. Identify the issue
• Identify the con ict • Clarify the issues
• What is the con ict all about • What caused the con ict
• Help both pa ies to be on the between the two pa ies
same page • Assess sources of con ict

4. Agreement 3. Identify solution

• Think of this step as recap
• Agree on who will do what,
when, how (car out action
step)
• Thank each other for
pa icipating
• Apologize if need too.
• ask each other what need to
be done to change the
situation
• Brainstorms of ideas and
generate solutions
• Combine ideas and evaluate
them
• Find commonalities
• Create the action plan
Proper approach to con ict
Focus on issues, not personalities.
problem solving, not personal put-downs.Let’s aim for
Focus on the future, not the past.
not back, keeps the tone positive. Looking ahead,
Focus
peopleon
apasolutions,
, but not blame.
nding Blame
solutions only
brings drives
people
together
Word of thoughts: an
ancient wisdom tell us
“eve one should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and
slow to become ang ”
Lets recap
Con ict is a struggle between two pa ies
who............................
List four of the styles of con ict management
Complete these statements:
Focus on _____________, not personalities.
Focus on the ___________, not the past.
Focus on _______________, not blame.
NB:
Avoiding con ict is often the easiest way to deal
with it. However It does not make it go away but
rather pushes it underground, only to have it
resu ace in a new form. By actively resolving
con ict when it occurs, we can create a more
positive work environment for eve one.
Thank you!
References


- www.accord.org.za

- module 4 from Leadership Management in
health course.