Conflict Management Training: 5 Steps for Effective Problem-Solving

Conflict happens in all workplaces.

But, left unchecked, it can negatively impact the business in many ways, including lower efficiency, unhappy employees, and bad company culture and image.

This is why MANCOSA skillME offers a short Conflict Management course that equips professionals with the essential skills to resolve and prevent workplace conflicts.

Not only will this help the company, but the professionals will also become more desirable employees with unique and valuable skill sets.

This article will discuss workplace conflict, how conflict can be managed, the importance of effective communication, and what you can expect from conflict management training.

Understanding workplace conflict: why it happens?

Workplace conflict happens when there are disagreements between colleagues in the workplace. It often occurs when individuals or groups have different opinions, interests, ideas, or beliefs.

Conflict in the workplace is normal, and it’s bound to happen eventually. But, left unmanaged, this conflict can severely impact the organisation. It could lead to lower productivity, toxic work environments, increased stress, and higher employee turnover rates.

More South Africans are quitting their jobs in search of roles that offer a better and healthier company culture.

Thus, companies require professionals who understand workplace conflict resolution to help build stronger teams, retain employees, and create a healthy work environment.

A problem-solving roadmap with conflict management training

Conflict management training will provide the roadmap to manage and resolve workplace conflict.

Some steps for effective workplace conflict management and resolution include the following:

Identify the source of conflict: Before you can solve the issue, you first need to define the source. Understanding the main source of the problem will help you determine how it came to life and make it easier to solve.

Find a safe place to discuss the matter: To solve the issue peacefully, it’s best to find an environment where both parties feel safe discussing the conflict. The goal is ultimately to eliminate tension and resolve hard feelings. You may leave the office for this or use a conference room.

Listen actively while all parties are speaking: Once you’re in a private place, give all parties a chance to air their feelings and frustrations (while remaining respectful). If necessary, set ground rules to maintain a positive approach. All parties must have equal time to express their concerns, and you shouldn’t favour one over the other.

Evaluate the situation and determine a solution: After you’ve heard both sides of the story, you can take a couple of hours or days to think about the situation, talk to other employees, or meet with the involved parties individually. This way, you can get the entire picture and develop a solution that suits everyone. Determine their responsibilities to resolve the conflict so they have an actionable plan.

Evaluate how things are going: After determining an action plan, you must ensure the problem is handled. Ensure you evaluate every few days or weeks to ensure the issue is in the process of being or has been resolved. Do this through communication. To stop this issue from happening again, you can implement preventative strategies.

Conflict management communication

Effective communication plays a vital role in conflict management. Poor communication results in misunderstandings and, eventually, disagreements and conflicts. Workers’ communication needs to be clear, concise, and respectful.

Different communication strategies, including active listening, empathy, and defusing methods, will help workers resolve issues. Employees must be clear and straightforward when communicating what they expect from their co-workers.

They should also be good at verbal and non-verbal communication since they’ll often be expected to write to clients and colleagues via email, messages, etc.

For this to happen, conflict management professionals should deal with everyday communication blockers such as defensiveness, contempt, and criticism before the situation can escalate.

Learn more about communication in the workplace with a short course.

Prevention and mitigation of workplace conflict

Here are some tips organisations can follow to prevent conflict in the workplace.

Be respectful: People who work together typically spend a lot of time together. Thus, organisations need to encourage healthy and respectful workplace cultures. Employees must talk to each other respectfully, and any actions of disrespect or hostility must be dealt with immediately.

Set clear expectations: Companies need to manage their workers’ expectations. Everyone should know what’s expected of them and how long it’ll take to finalise tasks. This way, colleagues will know what they need from each other so misunderstandings can be avoided.

Implement team-building activities: Companies can implement team-building activities throughout the year to promote better relationships, teamwork, innovation, and higher levels of creativity. When employees can have fun together, they will typically work better together too.

Build employee skills: Employees who are good at communication and listening will do far better in team settings. Organisations can implement communication training so employees can sharpen their communication and active listening abilities.

Encourage using neutral terms: Companies should encourage employees to use neutral words and natural language. This is especially true for businesses with staff from different cultures or remote workers since they’ll often use other terms to communicate the same thing.

Conflict management training: what to expect?

Conflict management training provides individuals with various abilities and tools to address and resolve conflict in various work environments.

It teaches students the theory behind personalities and causes of conflict. It also gives them the skills and techniques they need to resolve disputes in the best possible way.

These learning programs benefit professionals in the human resource department or management positions.

The skills they learn will make them desirable employees and help them stand out as ideal job candidates when they apply for work.

Register for conflict management courses with MANCOSA

Now that you know the importance of conflict management in any organisation and how having this skill can make you a highly sought-after employee, you can consider enrolling in conflict management training.

Have a look at MANCOSA’s Conflict Management short course that’ll equip you with relationship and conflict management skills. Also, look at our other short business courses to help you become highly skilled in project management, communication, emotional intelligence, and more.