Unlocking Career Success Through Effective Conflict Management Skills

Conflict is an unavoidable part of any workplace – but our conflict management skills determine whether we deal with them in a healthy way, or whether we crash and burn.

If you’ve ever handled a disagreement between colleagues or a difficult customer, you’ve handled a conflict – a clashing of different goals, needs, interests, opinions, ideas, beliefs, or personalities.

But how well did you handle it? Did you become defensive and raise your voice? Were you able to step back and take a break? Did you lean in and ask more questions?

We’re about to explore why conflict management is such an important skill to master and how you can use it to make sure your career stays on track. Let’s dive in.

What Is Conflict Management?

Conflict management refers to the process of effectively handling conflicts, whether they happen in personal or professional settings. In order to effectively manage conflicts, it’s best to approach the situation with a mindset of finding a resolution that is mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Conflict management is made up of several component skills that contribute to this goal, such as:

• Actively listening to the other person’s perspective
• Communicating your own needs and concerns openly and honestly
• Empathizing with the other people involved
• Negotiating outcomes that account for multiple needs and desires

In professional settings, conflicts may become complex and require a more structured approach to resolution. When things get really messy, you may need to involve a mediator or arbitrator.

Also, it may be necessary to involve higher levels of management or human resources to find a resolution. If the same conflicts arise regularly, you can consider implementing policies and procedures for addressing conflicts.

No matter what kind of conflict you’re dealing with, it’s important to remember what you want to achieve: a positive workplace where people can feel valuable and productive.

Why Is Conflict Management Important?

Conflict management skills are important in the workplace for a number of reasons:

• Improved communication: By effectively managing conflicts, employees can learn to share ideas and thoughts more effectively and clearly, which can improve overall communication within the organization.
• Increased productivity: Unresolved conflicts can lead to decreased productivity and morale, as employees may become distracted or disengaged. By resolving conflicts in a timely and effective manner, you can make conflict a productive part of your workplace culture!
• Better decision-making: When you manage conflicts effectively, employees can feel more comfortable bringing different of perspectives and ideas to the table. This gives you a wider range of options and allows for more informed decisions.
• Stronger teamwork: Conflict within a team can lead to a breakdown in trust and cooperation. By effectively managing conflicts, teams can work together to solve problems, build stronger relationships and work more cohesively towards common goals.
• Greater job satisfaction: When you practice good conflict resolution skills like empathy and active listening, employees may feel more understood, valuable, welcomed, and satisfied with their job – and ultimately more committed to the organization.

Conflict Management: An Essential Part of Career Success

Strong conflict management skills can be particularly beneficial as you climb higher up the management ladder. Some specific ways that these skills can help you as you progress in your career include:

• Demonstrating leadership: By effectively managing conflicts, you can demonstrate your ability to listen to others, understand a problem, lead a team, and make sound decisions.
• Building a positive reputation: By consistently handling conflicts in a professional and effective manner, you can build a favorable brand for yourself within your organization and industry.
• Improving team performance: As a manager, you will likely lead a team of people with different individual motivations and goals. Strong conflict management skills can help you create a positive and productive environment that unites everyone toward a common objective.
• Maintaining good relationships: In any organization, it is important to maintain good relationships with colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders. Conflict management skills can help you navigate and resolve any conflicts that may arise in these relationships.

Overall, strong conflict management skills are critical for success in any workplace and can be particularly valuable as you try to climb the management ladder.

But even if you’re just starting out, it’s always a good idea to keep these skills in mind, because they signal to your employer that you’re adaptable, patient, empathetic, emotionally intelligent, and open-minded.

How Can You Improve Your Conflict Management Skills?

If you’re facing a conflict at work – or just want to be prepared should a conflict arise – here are 5 steps that you can take to manage it effectively:

1) Identify the cause of the conflict

Before attempting to resolve a conflict, it’s important to understand what is at the root of the issue. This may involve identifying any underlying concerns or needs that are driving the conflict. Some common causes include:

• Unclear or unrealistic expectations
• Imbalanced workloads
• Mismatched working or management styles
• Personality clashes
• Poor communication

2) Communicate openly and honestly

Open and honest communication means you’re both listening actively to the concerns and perspectives of others while expressing yourself in a clear and authentic way. Pay attention to how you word your responses as well:

• Avoid speaking in you” statements
• Don’t point fingers or play the blame game
• Give others time to express themselves
• Don’t talk over others

3) Stay calm and composed

Although emotions can run high during conflicts, it is important to remain calm and level-headed if you’re going to effectively resolve the issue.

PRO TIP: In the moment, try your best to keep your points rational and grounded. Stick to the facts as much as you can.

If you feel yourself getting worked up, try:

• Excusing yourself for a few moments so you can gather your thoughts before continuing the discussion.
• Bringing the conversation back to your shared goals or an outcome you’d both like to achieve.
• Asking a neutral third party to step in to help keep the discussion on track.
• Reminding yourself that you can let it all out (in an appropriate time and place) after the conversation’s over.

4) Seek a mutually beneficial resolution

When resolving conflicts, focus on the solution, not the problem. And try to make that solution as beneficial to everyone involved as you can.

This may mean finding a compromise, making accommodations, or collaborating on a creative solution that addresses the concerns of both sides.

• Mediation: This involves bringing in a neutral third party to facilitate the resolution process and help the parties come to an agreement.
• Arbitration: This involves presenting the conflict to a neutral third party who will decide how to resolve the issue.
• Collaborative problem-solving: This involves working together with the other party to identify and explore potential solutions to the conflict.
• Compromise: This involves both parties making concessions in order to reach a resolution that is acceptable to both sides.
• Avoiding or withdrawing from the conflict: In some cases, it may be appropriate to avoid or withdraw from the conflict altogether, either temporarily or permanently. This may be necessary if the conflict is not worth resolving or if it is not possible to reach a mutually beneficial resolution.

5) Follow up

Once a resolution has been reached, summarize your solution and any next steps with everyone involved. In a few days’ or weeks’ time, you may also want to check in on everyone individually.

See what actions they’ve taken and whether those actions were effective or not! Your goal is to ensure that the resolution is working well and address any ongoing concerns as they pop up.

Ready To Find Career Success With Conflict Management Skills?

Conflict management skills are essential for success in both personal and professional settings. Moreover, they can also help improve communication, increase productivity, and strengthen teamwork.

While conflicts are an inevitable part of life, with the right skills, they can be effectively managed and resolved.

If you’re looking to improve your conflict management skills, consider working with one of Uvaro’s Career Coaches! They’re experts in helping professionals build real-life skills that make a difference in their careers.

To learn more about how Uvaro can help you develop your conflict management skills and achieve success in your career, download our Career Success Catalog today!