How Business Managers Manage Conflict Within Their Team
How Business Managers Manage Conflict Within Their Team
Getting a group to work together can be challenging, especially if the team members hold different opinions. Conflict within an organization is averted with proper management skills and strategies. Many managers try to avoid conflict within their teams. However, managing the conflict is much better than avoiding it.
Avoidance can hurt team members because they do not always get what they want. A good manager will facilitate and manage a conflict professionally rather than avoiding it or participating in it. Here are some ways business managers manage conflict within their team.
1. Help Staff Develop Positive Work Relationships
A team is only as strong as the relationships among its members. Managers should be aware of the relationships between their staff members to avoid conflict within the group. For example, if there is a conflict between two people in different departments, it will affect the interactions between them, even if they are unrelated to each other.
2. Encourage Constructive Dialogue
Managers should encourage open communication to address conflict before it escalates into an out-of-hand situation. Encouraging constructive dialog brings up the problem rather than remaining silent about it and letting things happen on their own.
According to Jordan Sudberg, “managers should actively listen and clarify the misunderstanding.” They should ensure everyone is on the same level regarding shared information. If a few people share information that others are unaware of, it can cause disagreements within the team.
3. Reduce Work Pressure
Work pressure can have a negative impact on a group. This is why managers should help their staff members to reduce work pressure and identify the conflict before it causes problems. This will help them solve the problem peacefully rather than facing it later when things get out of hand. Many companies reduce work pressure by encouraging employees to develop a balanced lifestyle that is friendly to their health.
4. Develop Strong Communication Channels
Strong communication channels and processes help to create better relationships, improve work performance and reduce conflict. They can help the staff of the organization in many ways, such as:
• Allow the team to talk openly without feeling judged.
• Build trust among team members.
• Enable people to solve their problems on their own.
• Provides a space for developing a good relationship between staff members.
5. Implement Team Building Activities
Creating a group, then training it to work together is one of the methods used by businesses to improve a team’s effectiveness. Team building activities are usually done in workshops, breakouts, or retreats. They include various team-building activities like problem-solving sessions, brainstorming, etc.
These activities make employees appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how they can work together effectively to achieve the desired goals. According to pain management specialist Jordan Sudberg, “they encourage employees to work together to resolve conflict and accomplish tasks.”
Companies that can manage conflict within the team will be able to achieve more than those that do not. Good management skills and strategies help them avoid conflicts and stop escalating conflicts. They also give people the space to resolve issues on their own positively.