6 Questions to Ask for Effective Conflict Resolution
Photo by Vadim Bogulov on Unsplash
As a leader, you never want to see your team fighting or arguing. Not only is it detrimental to productivity and collaboration, but it also hurts morale. Studies have shown that conflict also affects turnover, as working in a tense environment increases stress and makes employees more likely to leave.
There are many reasons conflict can occur at work: people can have differing (and very strong) opinions, values, or beliefs, clashing personalities, bad communication, ego, or even something like harassment. So what’s the best way to solve these conflicts? We have 6 questions surrounding conflict resolution for you so that you can effectively resolve conflict within your team.
6 Questions to Ask for Effective Conflict Resolution
1. What is the source of conflict?
Before looking to start solving the conflict, first you need to understand why it’s there in the first place and the severity of it. There is a big difference between a conflict over opinions vs a conflict brought on by something like workplace harassment. You should also consider if this is the first time conflict has occurred between the parties. Finding these things out may be as easy as asking the two or more parties, otherwise, you may need to put aside time in your meeting to explore the source of the conflict.
2. How much time is needed?
Time is important - nobody likes to waste time in unnecessarily long meetings. However, giving the right amount of time and space to the conflict in question gives it more of a chance to be properly and amicably resolved. Is this a once-off sit-down conversation, or do you need a meeting on its own just to get to the source of the conflict before moving forward? You also need to consider giving the conflicting parties time in advance to prepare any discussion points or even evidence.
3. Do you need a professional?
We all like to say that we’re problem solvers and can solve any challenge, but when it comes to managing humans, we have to be careful of the effect we can have on their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Ask yourself: if I resolve this poorly, what are the likely outcomes? In the cases of more serious conflict that could really affect the individual or the team, you may need to consider bringing in a professional. This can be anyone from a leadership coach to a counselor or therapist depending on the situation at hand. Alternatively, a professional may be part of the long-term solution.
4. Are people really listening and understanding each other?
We said in our blog about conflict resolution skills that active listening is important and it is. Both parties need to be willing to practice active listening - specifically taking turns talking and reflecting on what the other person said. This reduces reactivity and aims to introduce some empathy for the other party. You also need to guide the conversation to stay away from accusatory or blaming language such as “You did” or “You said”. Ensure both parties are willing to own their languages by using “I” statements such as “I thought”, “I felt”, and “I did” as this will reduce reactivity as well.
5. What are possible solutions?
The point of conflict resolution is to understand and then resolve the conflict. The solution can vary depending on the nature of the conflict: it could be as simple as shaking hands because the meeting did the trick, or it could mean sending someone to a coach or therapist for a couple of sessions. In the case of reoccurring conflict over values or personalities, it could be time to shuffle team members around. And of course, the very last resort that nobody wants to use when resolving conflict would be termination, but we would hope this is rare and only in the case of someone who doesn’t want to change and causes reoccurring conflict that is disrupting the team.
6. Did the solution work?
After giving the solution some time to simmer, it’s important to check in with the involved parties - as a group and individually. This is to ensure that it worked effectively and that they are back to being productive and happy humans that are getting along and collaborating effectively. It also allows you to ask for feedback: did they feel like you were empathetic during the resolution? Do they feel their emotions and well-being were considered throughout the meeting and solution implementation? How do they feel now? Is there any residual dislike for either party? Has the conflict in any way affected their relationships with the rest of the team who were not involved?
By adding these 6 questions to your conflict resolution process, you can ensure you're much more effective at solving conflict within your team or organization. Managing conflict is crucial for your organization and all its humans to thrive. While it would be unrealistic to aim for a culture without conflict, with these tools you can effectively resolve any conflict that arises.
