Unresolved conflict can result in feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, hopelessness, and other sentiments. It can result in emotional withdrawal, resignation from the job, tense personal relations, and even violence.

Communication can both cause and remedy conflict. As with other management skills conflict resolution skills must be learned. Conflict, just like any other key business process has to be managed.

Many people fear conflict and withdraw into themselves whenever it shows up. The organisation can suffer when this occurs because it is through conflict that an awareness of the need for essential changes can be made.

Where does conflict arise?

Conflict arises from a clash of goals or values involving a concern where people care about the outcome. It can start with confusion or disagreement with the common objective and how to achieve it. This is particularly true when different groups are bent on achieving individual goals within the organisation. The competition for limited resources will also generate conflict.

Increased interaction as organisations get larger can also be an instigator of conflict. As people interact more frequently they increase the probability for conflict.

Types of conflict

Conflict occurs as a result of two or more people interacting and disagreeing. There are three types of conflict in the work place:

• Substantive conflict

• Personality-based conflict

• Structural Conflict

• The substantive conflict can be dealt with by addressing the specific problem that is the subject of the conflict. For example, consider two employees who must use the same copy machine. When one has a big job and ties up the machine, the other is delayed and can’t get a document out when promised.

• There are times when conflict between employees is simply based on personality and it must be addressed.

• Part of the conflict common to a workplace is structural. For example an accounting manager will have a different point of view of what reasonable expenses are than a sales manager. This type of conflict is difficult to remedy by communication. When the leadership at the next level is clear about the goals of the group as a whole however, it can be reduced.

Preparing people

There is an important matter with each of these and that is the importance of teaching people in the organisation how to appropriately talk to each other. The bad news though is most are not born with good communication skills and must learn them.

Conflict can be fairly easy to avoid but the result will be unresolved conflict costs. The costs can include turnover, increased absenteeism, health problems, and even stress-related worker’s compensation claims.

Investing in resources to address and resolve conflict and to improve communication is an effective measure to resolve these issues in the workplace.

There are three main areas to address with this investment and they are:

• Acknowledge that

conflict is important. Don’t be overly concerned that people are upset with each other. That’s what it’s like to manage change.

• Do not tolerate personal attacks. There are protocols for the expression of honest disagreement and training in them is part of this investment.

• Provide support.

There are trained facilitators available. Seek them out. When you are planning a meeting that could get ugly, seek a good facilitator to help guide it.