MANAGING CONFLICT
Employees in the same working environment, are always bound to experience conflicts at any point in time, as conflict is a normal part of doing business. However, if you know how to properly manage conflict and interact with difficult people, you can turn this potentially destructive force into an opportunity for creativity and greater productivity.
There are certain situations that can cause conflicts in a workplace, some examples are:
- Misunderstandings or lack of information
- Absenteeism
- During evaluation of work performances
In order to enhance work rate and performance, its important to know how to properly manage these conflicts to be able to fully maximize work effectively
- Talk with the other person
- Focus on behavior and events, not on personalities
- Listen carefully to what the other person is saying instead of getting ready to react
- Identify points of agreement and disagreement
- Prioritize the areas of conflicts
- Develop a plan to work on each conflict
- Follow through on your plan
- Build on your success
Look for opportunities to point out progress, Compliment the other person’s insights and achievements. Congratulate each other when you make progress, even if it’s just a small step. Your hard work will pay off. Scheduled discussions eventually give way to ongoing friendly communication, this would help in managing work conflicts and effectively improving work efforts
Written by: Francesco Ojoko