Leadership and Conflict Competency

As the workplace becomes more diverse, collaborative and inclusive, there is a greater requirement for leaders to be able navigate and skillfully resolve team conflict as it arises. 

Conflict is completely normal in life and at work. Conflict can arise in relation to task ownership, values and interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Task conflict arises over how things get done, personal preferences or entrenched ways of working. Task expectations are often clear to some and not others. 

Interpersonal relationships are another key source of conflict, with differences in personalities and communication preferences playing out - often to a bewildering effect on others who operate differently. And perhaps where things can get most challenging are values conflicts. This may arise in relation to individuals - a micro level example , or in relation to the whole organisation where stated values are not clear or clear but not lived out respectfully by all. The truth is we won't like everyone we work with, or share the same values, but we can come to appreciate what skills and talents they  bring to the team, with the correct approach.

Leaders should be aware that conflict can be expected and is often the most visible as by-product of change. For example, conflict often arises during organisational change processes. As teams change, as members come and go, conflict is likely and should be seen as a natural part of the process of change and resettling. It can also arise in long-standing teams where an individual’s growth and desire for change may change behaviour leading to  demands for a new role, tasks or recognition.

A skillful leader can support team members to resolve their internal and interpersonal  conflicts by coaching - talking through views, and accommodating, or collaborating effectively to facilitate the required change, or change in approach. My advice is to allow the conflict a bit of oxygen first. There is potential, creativity and insight available at the core of the conflict, which if respectfully given some air can help to direct or extinguish the conflict in a productive and  healthy way.

Leaders can fall short in their efforts to resolve disputes, either by allowing simmering tensions to lie unattended or by glossing over the complexity of the problem. While some conflicts do naturally resolve, others do not and unfortunately by the time they are able to be named they are usually more ingrained and often affecting more than the people directly involved. 

More substantial conflicts between individuals, ones that will not resolve through the normal processes, will require more considered intervention. The more intractable the conflict or dispute, the more deeply someone is hanging onto some part of themselves or their worldview which inhibits them from finding a common ground.  So how do we help them to flex?

In coaching we seek  to expand the potential in the individual by reaching for personal growth and embracing change. When an individual is deeply attached to a point of view, they might be held back by a value instilled in the past, a previous  workplace experience, or a long-held belief about how things “should” be done.. If two individuals, or members of a team cannot respectfully hear or understand each others true motivation, the conflict will go on and on.

A sense of physical and psychological safety is essential for conflict to be reduced or resolved, no matter how contrary or just plain difficult the presenting behaviour of the person might be. If you want powerful change, then you must meet the problem with compassion, seeking to understand the psychology or what is being held onto. Only then, and when an individual feels respected and understood, are they able to try to make changes happen and to be open to new and different ways of thinking and behaving.

Leaders need to spot the conflict before it is ingrained, name it and actively offer support. First by seeking to understand, and then by bringing together those in conflict to find ways to empathise with each other, to respect the differences of views and of approach and work together to find a new way to approach tasks and challenges.

Leaders are the custodians of their organisational culture and that of their teams. Culture is formed by how team members are behaving when 'no one is watching'. If you are seeking to build a healthy safe and inclusive culture, and to retain happy staff,  the successful management of conflict as it arises is a key responsibility for leaders. 

Like all leadership skills, conflict competency may not always be a natural capability, but it can be learned. Everyone  can better learn to manage conflict and reduce the stress that can attend it. Listening deeply, challenging the norms of existing tasks, workplace standards and routines, and those of the individual is paramount in this situation. 

For my next article I will focus on unpacking a conflict scenario with advice for leaders. If you have a particular conflict case study you would like me to consider please get in contact.

Best wishes
Clair