With diverse personalities, objectives and working styles, workplace conflicts are unavoidable. When managed in the right way, however, they can lead to pioneering solutions and more connecting relationships.

Learning how to manage disagreement in the workplace can help business owners construct better teams and a healthier workplace culture.

Conflict management refers to the hands-on practice of conflict resolution so that it does not intensify into deteriorating relationships. The objective is for the parties to team up and conquer the challenge in a manner that each feels heard and understood. Intelligent managers can learn to hone their conflict resolution skills to minimize negative conflict in the workplace.

What are some of the most essential conflict resolution skills?

• Communication: Clear and concise communication is vital to understanding. and helps the parties know what is anticipated moving forward. Listening actively ensures understanding.
• Emotional intelligence: Comprehending one’s feelings and the feelings of others is critical in lessening and resolving workplace conflicts.
• Understanding: Seeing another person’s point of view can decrease anger and frustration. Empathy can overcome many situations. 
• Problem-solving: Great problem solvers listen and collaborate with others to develop solutions that bring people together and are more productive.

How can you improve your conflict management skills?

• Practice active listening: Listen without interruption and inquire attentive, open-ended questions to better comprehend the other person’s perspective.
• Make eye contact when speaking: Be clear & concise when speaking or writing. Pay attention to your body language & be aware of the body language of others. You may even wish to ask a faithful colleague for frank feedback to discover if there are any areas you could enhance your communication habits.
• Sustain a constructive attitude: Controlling your emotional reaction and sustaining a constructive approach can help you remain calm even in difficult situations.
• Work towards the result: Workplace conflict can be sorted out when parties emerge with an agreed-upon plan and set of actions. Keep discussions inclined toward accomplishing this objective and write down action steps. Make sure all parties agree and comprehend how to move forward in a collaborative mode.

Conclusion:

Workers spend almost 3 hours a week tackling conflict, and close to half of all workers have either seen or encountered workplace conflict. Conflict resolution at work should be done as soon as possible to reduce stress and keep other personnel out of disagreement. Several miscommunications can be sorted out with simple, clear discussion.

While there are many small steps you can take instantly, a successful long-term procedure of managing handling workplace conflict is an approach coordinated with a conflict resolution expert or mediator. Consider making use of such resources to better manage conflicts in the workplace.