From The Times November 25, 2009

From The Times November 25, 2009

How to . . . resolve conflict in the workplace Emily Ford talks to the experts about ways of preventing disputes bubbling over

Prevent conflict from happening 1 “You can predict straight away what conflict areas are going to be,” Peter Samuel, an industrial relations specialist at Nottingham University Business School, says. Budget squeezes and redundancies are a dangerous breeding ground for employee discontent. Office gossip, perceived favouritism, being rejected for promotion, reacting badly to criticism or feeling sidelined or undermined are all common causes of disputes, while research shows that managers are the most likely category of employee to be identified as bullies. Communicating clearly, setting an open door policy, being consistent and developing teams’ interpersonal skills can help to prevent conflict from arising.

Acknowledge it 2 Ben Willmott, a senior public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says that most managers are not prepared for conflict: “There are usually clear signs from individuals’ behaviour. Managers need to be ready to intervene.” Dr Samuel says that passive forms of conflict such as absenteeism or lateness often point to deeper, hidden problems. “Even joking can be a form of conflict.”

Tackle issues early on 3 “It’s important to address issues as early as possible, whether you are the employer or employee,” Jane Bird, of Acas, the conciliation service, says. “Internal workplace conflict is kept very much underground — everyone knows it is going on, but organisationally it is not talked about.” Acas has introduced a pre-claim conciliation service to prevent disputes going to tribunals: of 4,000 referrals, 70 per cent have been resolved. “Once people’s opinions have hardened, it becomes a much more serious matter,” Mr Willmott says. CIPD research found that resolving a grievance case takes an average of nine days, a disciplinary case 13 and preparing for an employment tribunal 15 days.

Take the emotion out 4 As a traffic warden for Vinci Park, a car park design and management company, Craig Adamson is used to dealing with irate customers who sometimes can become violent when presented with fines. In his experience, the worst thing to do when a blow-up occurs is to ask someone to calm down: “They find it patronising.” Using open body language, not talking with hands and speaking in a gentle, tone send out calming signals. “If people are frustrated or angry, then don’t try to resolve it while they are still emotional,” Bill Fox, the chairman of Maybo, a conflict specialist, says. Rushing in with well-meaning advice can make people angrier.

Talk through the situation informally first 5 “People instinctively avoid uncomfortable conversations,” Ms Bird says. “Talking can be cathartic — when people feel that someone is listening to them, they calm down.” Grievance or formal disciplinary procedures are an important stage, but are often overused by managers, who shy away from dealing with conflict, Mr Willmott says. “Speak to people individually to find the root of the issue, then bring people together. Retain your integrity — don’t take sides.”

Look for the root causes 6 Conflict is the symptom, not the problem — the real cause is not always obvious. Mr Fox was called in to deal with excessive violence by patients in a hospital. “It turned out nurses were in conflict with security guards, who they felt were not supporting them when they were abused by patients. But the security guards had been told not to get involved in restraining patients. This had not been explained to the nursing staff, so their expectations were not being met.” Conflict is often caused by a breakdown in communication. Mr Fox suggests asking “why” five times — the number of questions usually needed before people can pinpoint the reason for something happening.

Move away from ‘win-lose’ 7 “People think of conflict as ‘win lose’, but there are many different outcomes — a compromise or a solution that meets everyone’s needs,” Gareth English, of OPP, a business psychology firm, says. Avoid referring to entrenched positions. “When you start sharing information, you often find that they are closer than they think.”

Involve people in the solution 8 “Managers do not have a monopoly on good ideas. People can often be encouraged to be quite creative in coming up with a solution and are more likely to ‘own’ it,” Ms Bird says. Mr Willmott advises managers to take mediation training to develop their skills at brokering a deal.

Make physical changes 9 To break a deadlock, physically move people or change their working patterns to help to re-start a situation. “We saw a team in a legal firm that would only communicate via e-mail, ” Mr English says. “We made them work face-to-face and across different sites to get them to talk to each other again.”

Conflict is not always negative 10 Some of the greatest victories in employment history would not have been won without bitter conflict — equal pay legislation or maternity rights for example, Dr Samuel says. “Just because conflict is uncomfortable doesn’t mean that it’s bad,” Mr English says. “If people agree all the time, then you get ‘group think’, which leads to risky behaviour.” http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/support_services/article6930303.ece