CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THE WORKPLACE

Conflict is an inherent part of life, and in workplaces, conflict can easily pop up when different people are spending a lot of time together and often being put under various types of pressure. Although it can be uncomfortable, conflict isn’t always a bad thing, but how we manage and resolve conflict in the workplace can make a significant impact on our relationships with our work colleagues and customers.

When attempting to resolve conflict, it’s important to keep in mind what someone’s interests are and what their stated position is. It’s easy to fall into the trap of just focussing on one person’s stated position, but when you address the person’s interests, this can often lead to more effective resolutions.

Perceived scarcity is the perception that resources, opportunities, or benefits are limited, and that parties must compete for them. The reason it’s called “perceived scarcity” is because these scarcities may be real or imagined, which can often lead to uncertainty and insecurity – powerful drivers of conflict.

Understanding the underlying causes of conflict is a great place to start with conflict resolution, however, it’s also important to understand that conflicts can be triggered by a number of common events or circumstances.

Conflicts don’t remain static. Instead, they evolve through different phases of escalation, so let’s discuss the five phases of conflict escalation, and how complex they can get.