Teach conflict resolution skills to your team
No matter their role, every one of your employees will need to negotiate conflict from time to time during the workday.
Whether it’s a warehouse worker telling another they aren’t following safety best practices or a sales rep challenging another’s territory, conflict resolution skills are essential for every team member.
The Harvard Business Review found four triggers cause the majority of team conflicts:
- Communication differences
- Opaque performance standards
- Unreasonable time constraints
- Unclear expectations
You can’t remove all conflict in your organization — nor would you want to, because when people are comfortable disagreeing, it can drive innovative thinking. You can remove unnecessary conflict by addressing these triggers, saving time and improving job satisfaction.
And because some conflict will inevitably continue, you can teach a simple framework to resolve conflict, the 3 Cs of conflict resolution:
Communication: To resolve conflict, each party needs to express their thoughts clearly and respectfully while actively listening when the other is sharing their thoughts.
Collaboration: This is the step to brainstorm mutually acceptable solutions. The goal is to find common ground to resolve issues.
Compromise: After collaboration, a decision needs to be made to discover an amiable middle ground to each party in the conflict. It’s a given that there will be give and take on each side to find a path forward.
Managing conflict is a skill that many have never been taught. When you take the time to teach conflict resolution skills in the workplace, your team can reap the benefits, including improved communication, relationships, productivity, problem-solving, and a more respectful work environment.
Industry Perspectives
“Find ways to celebrate the positives and the wins of the team," said ?Shane Woerner, senior training program manager, Border States. "A lot of times, teams just get hit with the negative. Some of the account managers I’ve come to respect over the years are the ones who say, ‘Hey, we had a big sales win, I appreciate you.’ Everyone is trying to support the same thing, so when you celebrate the wins together, it makes handling the negatives easier when they occur.”
In the Field: Stories & Examples from Distributors
Gain foundational knowledge about conflict at work in this research report from The Myers-Briggs Company. They surveyed professionals to investigate how people in the workplace see conflict. Download Now
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The September/October issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about American Producers Supply. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
