Conflict resolution is, at present, considered to be one of the most valued professional skills by specialists in human resources. Let’s look at four techniques for solving organizational conflict.
Why is Conflict Resolution a Valuable Skill?
The reason is simple: organizational conflicts can be some of the most damaging situations to the overall objectives of a company. If a conflict begins to affect the workplace environment as a whole, the risks can be overwhelming for productivity and investment in the organization.
Occupational psychology has long studied the way we deal with organizational conflict, and it has been determined that there are numerous mechanisms used for the resolution of conflicts, all of which possess pros and cons in their use. An assertive team will determine the best way to act in the face of the various conflicts that they confront in order to preserve the integrity of their workplace climate.
As stated, there are multiple methods and strategies to deal with organizational conflict, but there are four in particular that stand out and are more frequently used in business environments. These techniques may or may not work while simultaneously attempting to balance the workplace climate, and it will be up to team members to determine its viability.
- Avoidance
- Accommodation
- Commitment
- Collaboration
Avoidance
Avoidance is usually the least recommended technique, however, in some situations, it may be the best option. As its name implies, avoidance employs the technique of withdrawing from the conflict zone. A potential con might be the risk of losing valuable time for the resolution of the conflict, but as a benefit, it may be able to reduce the seriousness of the event.
In a business scenario, this technique could be applied in cases where there are basic communication failures. It prevents the escalation of the organizational conflict and it gives space for the team members to calm themselves and may even provide them autonomy in resolving the issue on their own.
Accommodation
Through this technique, leadership seeks to provide a space of agreement and negotiation. Assertive communication is vital to deal with an organizational conflict, regardless of its magnitude and reach. This strategy, combined with other problem solving methods, can be a key step in maintaining a good workplace environment.
When a team seems to be divided by substantive problems, accommodation can be one of the most effective techniques for solving said conflicts.
Commitment
Once effective communication between the parties of the conflict has been achieved or established, it is necessary to commit to a joint solution. This technique demands that both parties agree honestly to work towards resolutions and to commit to established conditions. Maintaining commitments helps to avoid the risk of dissatisfaction in the work environment and diminishes the strength of the organizational conflict.
If there were disagreements or problems as far as workloads or strategy implementation goes, meeting half-way may be the solution. The parties involved agree they are responsible for their own areas, and trust that the others involved will as well do their parts. In short, this is an excellent strategy to create synergy between different departments in the organization.
Collaboration
Undoubtedly, collaboration is one of the more difficult conflict resolution techniques to implement. This method requires finding a solution that manages to keep all the involved parties fully satisfied. It can take a lot of time and many resources, however, it can also present as a good long-term investment that preserves the workplace climate.
Collaboration can be complex to implement in large companies. A basic example is observed in companies with operational and collection areas, where both parties need each other to function.
Thanks to Occupational Psychology, in today’s world of business there are many techniques for resolving organizational conflicts. The keys to finding resolutions are identifying the needs of the business, employee personalities, and the goals they wish to achieve.
