Conflict at work is to be expected and one of the most common mistakes companies make is to try to avoid or solve it. Conflict is a natural byproduct of bringing different people with different personalities into a pressurised environment, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be solved.
It needs to be managed.
This is because conflict can sometimes be a productive force. The very same differences that can drive division can also be used to create innovation and fresh thinking.
It’s all about how you handle it, and in this post, we’re going to look at some of the ways to nurture conflict and shape it into something more productive.
What drives conflict at work?
We’re not talking about specific instances here. Details will change from case-to-case and it’s important when considering conflict resolution to not get too bogged down in specifics. That’ll only solve that particular instance; it won’t get to the root causes.
The roots of conflict often come down to three factors:
- People’s personalities
- Their communication style
- Their approach to conflict
Let’s take these in turn.
Personality
Everyone is different and no matter how much we try to put on a professional face and bring a neutral personality into the workplace, we all have our own specific approaches.
Some are very talkative, others more ruminative. The talkative person may be a classic extrovert who verbalises problems to work them out. This may frustrate the ruminative person who’s a typical introvert and prefers to quietly think a problem through. They’re going to struggle to do that, of course, if the talkative person chatting away.
Neither approach is right or wrong; they just work for that particular person. Problem is, they don’t work for their colleague. In many cases, solving conflict isn’t about judgement or criticism, right or wrong; it’s about finding ways to bring equilibrium and discover the common ground that can build bridges over differences.
Communication
The first step towards balance is communication, but sitting down and talking isn’t always as easy as it seems.
Again, different personality types impact the ways people put themselves across. Some will try to whip people into shape to get to the root of the issue, others will try to find a more harmonious approach. Neither’s right, neither’s wrong. They’re just byproducts of personality.
Communication alone isn’t enough; good, productive communication is what matters and the way to do that is to understand personality types and harness those effectively.
Conflict Style
Our personality and communication types directly inform our approach to conflict. Some avoid it, some try to accommodate, and some run headlong into it and see it as a game they want to win.
Too many of one group can lead to problems. Imagine if you were to bring a group of avoiders together. They’d tip-toe around the problem and never get close to solving it. Do the same for the competitive types and they’ll end up trying to get the best of one other… and again the problem won’t get solved.
Balance matters, but achieving balance is a process – one that can’t begin until people develop greater self-awareness and understand their own personal styles.
How to solve conflict at work
Self-awareness isn’t a nice-to-have ‘soft’ skill; it’s absolutely integral to solving conflict at work and helping your company thrive, even when times get tough and frustrations flare up.
Though the path to self-awareness can be long and difficult, tools are available to help. Key among these are three psychometric assessments that, when completed, provide people with reports detailing their primary strengths, responses to personal and professional situations, and areas for development.
Based on the work of psychologist Dr Carl Jeung, Insights Discovery outlines four key personality types: Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, Earth Green and Cool Blue. We all have these types within us, and the job of Insights Discovery isn’t to assign people to just one colour. Instead, the colours are ranked in order of importance and a detailed report provides an in-depth look at how people react in personal and professional situations.
For example, Peter might have blue as the primary colour, but green may not be far behind. This would suggest that Peter is methodical, introverted and compassionate towards those around him. These attributes may make him detail-oriented and process-driven, but slow to take action if he doesn’t feel all the right pieces are in place.
By undertaking the Insights Discovery process, Peter could play to these strengths whilst at the same time learn to become more decisive.
Similar to Insights Discovery, Belbin Team Roles also identifies key personalities, but here there are nine types in total and they’re focused on the roles people play at work.
For example, as someone who’s primarily a Cool Blue, Peter may be identified as an Implementer by Belbin, meaning he’s good at turning ideas into action and shaping the tasks that need to take place for that to happen.
On the other hand, Mike is a Plant: a free-thinker who’s good at coming up with ideas. Mike may feel stifled by Peter’s rigid approach while Peter may feel frustrated by Mike’s undisciplined creativity.
They can work in perfect harmony together, or be each other’s worst enemy. By taking Belbin’s teaching on board, they can find the common ground that can make them a perfect team.
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Instrument
Developed by Kenneth W Thomas and Ralph H Kilmann, the TKI Conflict Model is based on assertiveness and cooperativeness during times of conflict.
Within those overarching approaches are five types ranging from Competing (high assertiveness and low cooperativeness) to Avoiding (low assertiveness and low cooperativeness). Collaborators are high in assertiveness and cooperativeness, Accodomators are high in cooperativeness and low in assertiveness, and Compromisers sit in the middle.
Again, it’s all about finding balance by developing awareness of your own style and those of other people. Peter might be an Accommodator who’s generally happy to help the group achieve consensus, while Mike’s a Competitive type who wants to get his way.
The right approach will depend on the specifics of the situation, and if conflict around – for example – processes were to arise, it’d be beneficial for Peter to be aware of (and perhaps in this scenario, discard) his tendency to accommodate.
How do they help?
These tools are great starting points. They hold up a mirror, ask people to consider how they’re perceived by others, and in doing so, help them modify their behaviour during times of conflict. They won’t stop conflict at work, but they will help turn it into the kind of productive friction that leads to innovation and success.
Find out how Creating Dynamic can help you resolve conflict in the workplace by dropping us a line.
