Handling Conflict On Your Team
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Stepping in to tackle and resolve conflict on your team ranks pretty low on most managers’ list of enjoyable activities. So when disharmony is affecting your group, you may be tempted to take cover and hope your people figure it out on their own. But left unaddressed, conflict tends to worsen and erodes morale. And as the leader, it is your responsibility to address the problem.
Rather than hiding or throwing your hands up in the air, here are some ideas for managing the issue head-on.
BRING THE PARTIES TOGETHER
Start with a meeting involving all parties. By bringing the individuals together, you eliminate back-channel communication and can resolve the problem in real time. And here’s a pro tip — before you dive into the meeting, set some ground rules that the participants must agree to, such as:
Listen fully to each other.
Keep tone and vocabulary professional. Emotions get checked at the door.
Focus on concerns and solutions. Venting and finger-pointing are not on the agenda.
Remember that we are all on the same team.
CLARIFY THE ISSUES
The first item for discussion is clarifying the issues. Let each person state what their experience is and how it’s affecting them. As facilitator, you should ask questions to draw out details, reinforce turn taking, and read the room to make sure people are listening and understanding each other’s concerns. Recommend that participants use “I” statements rather than “You” statements. Note down the issues but put aside problem-solving for the moment.
IDENTIFY COMMON GOALS
The next step is to identify common goals. People who are mired in conflict can lose sight of what they are trying to accomplish. Have the parties discuss and recognize what their shared objectives are on the team. By focusing on common ground rather than adversity, people can more easily work together to reach a resolution.
FIND SOLUTIONS
Now it’s time for brainstorming and offering solutions. Go around and ask each person what they themselves will do to improve things. Not what they want someone else to do, but what they will do. And if you recognize areas where you can do a better job supporting them with resources or information, offer your own commitments as well.
When you feel like you have covered all the bases, conclude by reiterating what you have decided on and what each of you has committed to moving forward. Get everyone’s explicit agreement and thank them for their participation.
HOLD ACCOUNTABLE
Finally, after the meeting, communicate in writing what was agreed upon. Then hold people accountable. If problems resurface, repeat the above process as needed.
TO SUM IT UP
When faced with conflict on your team, you don’t need to hide or succumb to frustration. Instead:
Get the team together to discuss the issues, align on shared goals and commit to solutions
Hold the team (and yourself) accountable
Keep an eye on the situation and intervene early and often to keep things running smoothly
© Jennine Heller and J Heller Coaching. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennine Heller and J Heller Coaching with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Photo: "a good scrum..." by la_obscura_camera is licensed under CC by 2.0 / color filtered from original
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