Identifying Conflict and Resolution Options

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(gentle music) Once you've identified conflict, how can you work to resolve it? Let's discuss methods of diagnosing why conflict happens, how to assess issues without overreacting and mapping steps to resolution. Team conflicts are common. In fact, 85% of employees experience some form of workplace conflict, consultant, Jenny Macquarie. There are many reasons why conflict occurs including a lack of leadership, different work styles, focusing on the wrong results, unclear job roles, poor hiring practices, no community building and employee behavioral issues. When a newly assigned team meets for the first time, a critical agenda item is to select a leader. This can be a simple and straightforward activity. If several members request the position, the team can vote to decide who gets the spot but there are times when no one requests the job. This can cause frustration for team members because nobody wants the responsibility of directing and guiding them to success. Issues can also arise when one person wants the role but the other team members feel that the individual isn't suited for it for various reasons. These reasons may include prior negative experiences with that individual who may have displayed a lack of leadership, organizational or time management skills. In this case, the team would be reasonably concerned to have them lead the project. Team members may also find themselves at odds with each other's work style. As some team members may prefer working quietly and independently from others rather than as part of a group. Teams are expected to understand what's required of them. But what happens when some team members believe their skills should be focused on a particular strategy while others disagree on what the focus should be. If part of the team favors pursuing a certain approach and the other part opposes it, there will be conflict. With every team, there's a leader and team members who follow a strategy to meet a goal. The team leader is tasked with defining team members, roles and responsibilities. So everyone is clear on what they need to do. In determining those roles, the team leader assesses each team member's strengths and weaknesses to best select the right person for each task. For example, a team member with strengths in writing maybe chosen to compose the project's final report. Occasionally, a company's hiring process may hit a snag and someone may be hired who isn't a good fit. If an individual is selected for a team and doesn't have the needed skills, they may become an obstacle for the entire team. Another root cause of conflict is a lack of community building. Teams are considered a work community where a group of professionals come together to create a solution to a problem. These people show the company, the team and themselves that they need to rely on each other's skills to get the job done. But sometimes teammates pair off and work in their own cliques. When this happens, it demonstrates that there is no agreement among the team members. Pairing off shows a lack of unity. Employee behavioral issues are another common root of conflict. People may harass or bully others at work, making the environment hostile and uncomfortable. These individuals may lack an understanding of appropriate conduct or have difficulty accepting people with different views. Such behavior is detrimental to the team environment and harmful to the company overall.