Managing Conflict in the Workplace

In today’s business climate, any dynamic or stressor which detracts from getting the work done just can’t be tolerated. All of us are faced with doing more with less. Downsizing or right-sizing are common business strategies. Competition is global, not national. Businesses are reconfiguring themselves to compete, or even to survive.

But it’s not all bad news! Business in America today is dynamic, responsive, and more open to new ideas than ever before. But with the kinds of change and quick response this approach generates, work-place stress and conflict are more common than ever before. Employees are finding themselves in evolving roles. They are expected to master more and different skill sets. And more than ever before, work is collaborative rather than done in a vacuum. Team work is the norm rather than the exception, even if the company does not use the words team or team work. With changing expectations, competing priorities, and growing interdependence of workers, opportunities for conflict in the work place abound.

Let’s first identify what we mean by conflict in the workplace: Conflict arises whenever your interests are threatened. Some of these events are minor. You may feel some anxiety or resentment when the new employee unknowingly takes your favorite parking place. Some conflicts may be much more significant. You find that a co-worker is taking credit for your work and blaming you for his mistakes and misjudgments. Just as there are levels of conflict, there are also different ways each of us tends to respond to conflict situations, and each of us seems to have a preferred response style. If you always respond as though the issue is very, very serious, this will cause you problems. However, if you always respond as though someone has parked in your space, this, too will not serve you well.

According to the Thomas-Killman Conflict Mode Indicator, the ways people tend to respond to conflict situations can be loosely classified into five response types: These are accommodation, competition, collaboration, compromise, and avoidance. Each style is some combination of an effort to meet the needs or interests of others and an effort to meet our own or interests. When we avoid conflict, neither party is having needs met. When we accommodate, we are meeting the needs of the other party, but not our own needs. Conversely, when we meet every conflict with a competitive style, we are determined to meet our own needs at the expense of others’ needs. Compromise is just what it sounds like. Some of each person’s needs are met, and some are not. Collaboration is a state in which both party’s needs are met. So which style do you tend to use naturally, and which style should you be using?

As with most questions like that, it depends. But there is some logic involved, so don’t get discouraged. The Thomas-Killman Conflict Style Indicator can be purchased on line, and comes with excellent explanations of the styles. It will assist anyone in determining what his or her “natural” response to conflict is. Once you know how you most naturally respond, let’s next talk about the five responses and their advantages and disadvantages.

 

 

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