Assuming that most of us save conflict with the supernatural for the characters of our books, I’d like to touch on the more common workplace conflict – conflict with others.

First, conflict isn’t just something that happens between two people. It can happen in group settings, too.

Second, conflict happens because of incompatibility. This means that there is more than one, option, opinion, or approach at play and that they contradict one another somehow. It doesn’t mean someone is right or wrong and it isn’t a personal attack.

Third, conflict is normal! It doesn’t indicate that there’s a problem or that something is wrong with the situation, or the people involved. It’s a natural occurrence when people have different ideas and beliefs.

The important thing is conflicts are handled correctly. Avoiding conflict or managing conflict poorly can damage relationships, decrease motivation, reduce collaboration, and bring barriers to diversity of thought in the organization.

At McLean & Company, we focus on and train in five different conflict resolution approaches:

Cooperate
Compromise
Acquiesce
Evade
Force

Need some help knowing which one to use when? Research below! Wonderful infographic created by Danish Centre for Conflict Resolution

#humanresources #culture #management #chro #conflictresolution