How to deal with team conflict as a leader
How to deal with team conflict as a leader
5 minutes
Workplace conflict is inevitable, and it is up to leaders to ensure that they can handle it effectively as and when it arises.
Dealing with team conflict can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can be resolved in a way that benefits everyone involved. And whilst there might be many possible causes of conflict in the workplace, there are also various strategies that leaders can use to manage and resolve the team drama regardless of whether the instigators are a fire, earth, air or water sign (sorry I couldn’t resist)!
Conflict in any workplace can arise from a variety of sources, most commonly differences in opinion and personality clashes (as was the case with my friend’s business experiencing the mass exodus).
Having said that, some of the most common causes of conflict in the workplace include communication breakdowns where poor communication can easily lead to misunderstandings; differences in values and beliefs where team members may have different values and beliefs that can result in disagreements; and personality clashes where differences in personality and work style can quickly cause tension and power struggles.
Creating an effective team environment is vital for any organisation to succeed and more often than not there’s no opportunity for workplace conflict.
As a leader, how can you avoid conflict in the workplace? How can you ensure that you are engendering the right culture within your team or business? What can you do to guarantee that that when someone new joins the business that the team dynamic is maintained and that everyone remains focused on a common goal?
These are all important questions to consider.
Juggling diverse personalities within any business can be demanding. Whilst most teams comprise of very different personality types (all of whom require sophisticated and delicate handling to ensure you maximise their full potential), it is crucial that you balance the right mix of skills, ability and personality.
It is also important to strike the right balance in terms of roles and responsibilities and playing to each of your individual team member’s strengths.
In other words, try not to force those who are more service driven into having to generate sales; avoid getting those who may be more sales focused too bogged down in administration; and where possible keep those who actually enjoy administration in the office as opposed to encouraging them to become more client facing.
Similarly, when leading a group of diverse personalities, you need to understand what motivates each of your team members. Reward and recognition whether it be through financial incentives, training and development or potential promotion and career advancement, are all important considerations as you create (and maintain) a calm and effective team environment.
Should you find yourself in a position where you are bringing new people into your business, it is important that you take into consideration the personality and characteristic differences that may already exist within your team, as well as the existing allocation of roles and responsibilities, or else you may inadvertently create a situation ripe for conflict.
Whilst workplace conflict is inevitable, unnecessary tension inside any organisation can make life unpleasant for everyone.
A client of mine who runs a large team likes to use the phrase “on the bus” to determine whether his team are heading in the same direction. In my leadership days, I often used the phrase “all aboard the northbound train”.
The message is the same: it’s about the importance of creating an effective team environment where everyone is striving for the same goal and each individual team member feels they are being recognised for their contribution.
When tension does arise in the workplace, leaders need to act quickly to address it by putting on their conflict resolution hat.
Strategies leaders can use to manage and resolve team conflict
- Encouraging open communication and making sure that everyone has an opportunity to speak up and that everyone feels heard.
- Taking the time to understand the underlying causes of any conflict. This will help you identify the best approach to resolving it.
- Encouraging team members to brainstorm and to see certain situations from different perspectives. This can help build empathy and understanding and can lead to a more collaborative approach to resolving the conflict.
- Developing a plan of action once a solution has been identified, and making sure that everyone is clear on what needs to be done and who is responsible for each task but following up regularly. This will help prevent the conflict from recurring.
In addition to these strategies, it is important for leaders to create a workplace culture that supports open communication and collaboration and where accountability is well-defined, and expectations are clearly set. A leader should never hide from the conflict or pretend it doesn’t exist. After all, conflict is a natural part of any working team, but it can be managed and resolved in a way that benefits everyone involved.
