THE PROCEDURES AN ORGANIZATION SHOULD FOLLOW WHEN

DEALING WITH DIFFERENT CONFLICT SITUATIONS ARE.

Conflict is a regular part of life. How you handle conflict affects the outcome of your
negotiations, your business relationships and your organization's reputation. Dealing
with conflict in constructive ways will help you maintain and enhance business
productivity and achieve professional results in a fair, open and transparent manner.

1. Be aware
Conflict can arise at any time. Knowing this enables you to take steps to effective
conflict management. Approaching conflict as a normal occurrence helps you to turn
potential disagreements into clear communication and improved processes.

2. Be proactive
Prevention and early resolution are the most effective. When issues arise, listen and
reflect on what is happening. Consider how you can address difficult issues before
they escalate to conflict.

3. Seek to understand all sides of the issue

There is always more than one way to interpret a situation. Reflect on what this issue
means to you, to the others involved, and what is at stake for everyone.

4. Initiate dialogue
Initiate dialogue by listening and asking questions. This will help you gain a greater
understanding of what is hindering progress and will help you better address the
central issue.

5. Know when to ask for help

Enlisting the help of a neutral third party can assist you to clarify communication and
prevent conflict escalation. When early awareness and response measures uncover
issues that need greater attention, consult others, including a conflict management
practitioner for assistance.
6. Assess your options
There are a variety of ways to handle conflict, such as negotiation, conflict coaching,
facilitated discussions, mediation, arbitration and litigation. A conflict management
practitioner can help you assess your options so you can decide the best possible way
to manage the situation.

7. Take action
Use your knowledge and resources to take action. This could mean developing or fine
tuning your conflict management skills through conflict coaching, taking time to
prepare for a difficult meeting, or preparing for a facilitated discussion.

8. Reflect on the situation

Reflecting on the situation is a key element in maintaining and enhancing
productivity. What have you learned? What has this situation shown you about
yourself, others, and/or procedures? What can you change in the future to prevent
similar situations?

9. Identify a Solution
Hopefully, by the time you have reached this step, you will have
arrived at a solution acceptable to everyone involved. Emphasize the
importance of a win-win scenario, where everyone keeps their job,
and tension at work is reduced. Offer compromises or trade-offs that
employees can use to make each other happy while maintaining
their own sense of peace. Let participants know that finding a
workable solution is the only acceptable outcome.

10. Monitor and Follow Up

Follow-up is vital to good conflict resolution, so you must check back

in to view the results of your negotiations. Is everyone abiding by the
agreement? Are both parties satisfied with the outcome? Are
boundaries being observed? If not, you may invite everyone to your
office for a second conversation to de-escalate the situation before it
repeats. In extreme cases, you may have to call upon your strong
leadership skills and good judgment to make a difficult decision,
such as demotion or termination.