Confronting Conflicts

Confronting Conflicts

 

LIMITING DISCUSSION OF DIFFERENCES YIELD WORSE DECISIONS

 

Conflicts are inevitable, but it doesn't have to be bad. It all depends on the behavior and attitude of those who have to deal with it. Constructive action helps to resolve conflicts quicker vs. inflaming the situation and making it last longer.

 

When we say conflicts are inevitable, it is inevitable at our workplace as well. The employees comprising of staff, supervisors, officers, managers, directors comprising of the total strength of the organization regularly come together at one place to achieve common objectives which we term as ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS. In the process of achieving these goals, there are areas of conflicts / disagreements and this is where one needs to confront conflicts by resolving it / diluting it / mitigating it / dissolving it for the common good.

 

Consider the areas of constructive action.

 

• ACTIVELY LISTEN BEFORE RESPONSE. Actively listen to other people and show that you genuinely want to under their points of view. Look at them while they are talking. Ask pertinent questions. In your own words, restate, giving them a chance to clarify what they're saying. Wait to give your own opinions, and after you have done so, ask for feedback. Rather than trying to "win" as if you were in sort of a contest, honestly try to find out why they feel the way they do.

 

• FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS. Strive to focus on the problem to come out with solutions and not on the people involved. Try to get at the root causes. Winners examine root causes. Losers look only at surface symptoms. Avoid "sore points" that encourage greater confrontation. Look for points for mutual agreement and work on those points first; then go on to the points of difference. Brainstorm possible solutions.

 

• GIVE REASONS WITHOUT EMOTION. Speak honestly about your feelings. Tell why you feel the way you do. Speak up, and be honest, but in a thoughtful, controlled manner.

 

• OFFER NEW OPTIONS. Take the first step toward compromise. Discuss past mistakes and how the issue might have been handled differently. If you learn that you did something to hurt someone, apologize.

 

It is not an easy action to confront conflicts. It requires a great deal of maturity, understanding and the implications involved in coming out of conflicting situations. When confronting with the conflicts, interest of the organization, people, resources, time, and relationships largely matters. The more effective you are in resolving conflicts the more you would be tested with larger and varied degrees of conflicts. This will put you in to a great of mental and physical anguish which you may not have encountered with. Under these circumstances, you need to stretch yourself, be positive by believing in yourself and come out with a consensus which your colleagues / members appreciate. This action of yours will make you a very special individual for your organization.