Before we delve into conflict resolution techniques let’s address the elephant in the room. Conflicts in the workplace are normal and will happen when groups of people interact—what is important is how they’re resolved.

Recent research suggests that between 30 to 50% of a typical manager’s time is spent managing workplace conflict and senior human resources (HR) executives spend up to 20% of their time doing litigation activities.

Along with taking up time, reports show that workplace conflict is also expensive. Estimates put workplace conflict costing between $6-12 billion annually in Australia. Effective conflict resolution can help reduce these costs.

If you’re studying a management or business-related degree, like an MBA online, learning conflict resolution techniques is crucial. These skills will prove invaluable in your future career, helping you build strong teams, negotiate successfully and foster a positive work environment.

Defining workplace conflict

Workplace relationships and interactions play an important role in fostering a positive work environment and can be a great source of support. On the other hand, they can also be a source of stress and anxiety if conflict occurs.

Wherever groups of people work together, conflict will likely arise—it’s only natural. Whilst conflict can be distressing if left unresolved, it can also be a good opportunity for team building and strengthening bonds.

Workplace conflict can come in many forms. It is a broad concept that includes conflict that takes place within a workplace or among employees and/or managers, potentially including out-of-hours.

Examples of workplace conflict

Workplace conflict comes in many forms, it could be a one-off incident between a manager and an employee, or it could be a long-running negative relationship between two workers. It is usually defined as “actions that disrupt the workflow of employees and teams.”

Workplace conflict is usually based on people having different:

• Personalities

• Beliefs

• Backgrounds

• Skill sets

• Values

• Life experiences

Or a combination of those factors. Statistics show that 85% of employees at all levels experience some type of workplace conflict during their lives. Common examples of conflict include:

• A disagreement between management, employees and/or customers

• A differing view or idea regarding a specific situation

Whilst conflict in the workplace is inevitable, it is still important to understand how and why it happens. This can help you build better strategies for managing and resolving them.

What is conflict resolution?

Simply put, conflict resolution is the process of addressing a disagreement or issue with the parties involved and finding an acceptable solution. In most cases, the best solution would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

A productive resolution process will involve skills like active listening, open communication and negotiation. There is no “template” solution when it comes to conflict resolution. The solution will vary case-by-case, but the skills remain the same throughout.

Why is resolution important?

No matter where you’re working, what your role is or who your colleagues are—there is going to be conflict in your workplace. When a conflict goes unresolved, it can lead to bigger issues, including:

• An increased chance of more workplace conflict

• Reduced motivation for the individuals involved

• Unresolved conflict can also cause stress and have a psychological impact

• Studies have shown unresolved conflict can also lead to lower job satisfaction and burnout

So, conflict resolution is critical to the operations, efficiency and success of a workplace. Research from Gartner names conflict resolution a must-have skill for managers because of this.

Deconstructing workplace conflicts

Before we delve into the different ways to approach conflict resolution and the techniques you need to know—it’s critical that we understand the different conflict types. Generally, workplace conflict can be broken down into two types:

Constructive

This type of conflict usually stems from work-related differences. For example, these could include:

• Struggling to choose between different strategies

• Having different ideas on how to complete a task

• Determining how to allocate tasks between team members

Constructive conflict is often easier to resolve than destructive ones. This is because they don’t come from a place of personal differences. It can also be a great opportunity to encourage open communication and strengthen relationships.

Destructive

Unlike constructive conflict, destructive ones often revolve around personal differences rather than work-related issues. It can take the form of:

• Personal attacks

• Passive-aggressive behaviour

• Bullying

• Unethical or unfair behaviour

• Verbal abuse

Because of the nature of destructive conflict, it can create extremely hostile and unsafe work environments. It usually leads to negative outcomes, where the individual being ‘attacked’ feels unheard and undervalued.

Whilst the conflict resolution process typically aims to provide a mutually beneficial solution—this isn’t as common for destructive conflict. The party at fault is usually reprimanded and the destructive behaviour is addressed.

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Resolution techniques you need to know

Now that we understand the different types of conflict, we can explore the resolution techniques and strategies that you need to add to your repertoire. These six tips might end up being the difference between a positive and negative outcome.

1. Active listening

While it might be tempting to immediately dive into solving a conflict, it can be counterproductive. It’s important to deploy active listening skills and communicate with both parties involved in the conflict before taking action.

The only way you can reach an ideal solution for a conflict is by listening to all parties involved and having all the information. Without it, it may contribute to the conflict and parties may feel unheard.

2. Find common ground

Particularly with constructive-type conflicts, the employees just want to do what they believe is best for the business. So, a great strategy to implement into your conflict resolution process is to help the parties involved find common ground between their ideas.

If you’re in a management/leadership position, hosting a meeting between the individuals is a good opportunity to assist them in finding common ground. It also shows them that you’re a leader who values their ideas and wants to actively support them.

3. Don’t pick sides

This is a rule that you should stick by in almost every conflict resolution situation—don’t pick sides. It’s important that all the employees involved in a conflict feel valued, heard and respected.

Your job as a manager or HR member is to remain impartial to the situation to do this. It’s essential to have a neutral approach to the conflict to achieve the optimal solution.

4. Always follow through

Especially in situations regarding destructive conflicts, where an employee might be harassing another, it is critical to always follow through with a solution and take quick action.

While it may seem tempting to delay or put off solving a conflict, this will lead to the issue festering and growing worse. The last thing you want is for any of your employees to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at work.

5. Professional development

Having conflict management training as part of professional development programs can be a great way to learn resolution skills. It can be useful not only for you but for anyone in management positions and employees themselves.

6. Have clear protocols

Having clear rules and protocols for staff to follow regarding conflict in the workplace can also make it easier to manage. For example, instructions on who to contact or the department responsible for handling workplace conflicts.

Clear and effective policies increase an employee’s confidence in their organisation. Workers also feel safer and more comfortable in a workplace environment if they know they are supported by management.

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