Workplace conflicts can have serious impacts on our mental and emotional well-being, as well as negatively affect the quality of our work and our relationships with others.
These conflicts can also extend beyond the strictly professional realm, impacting our personal lives, as it is often difficult not to bring such issues home or to quiet the constant stream of repetitive thoughts they generate.
Managing workplace conflicts proactively, anticipating and addressing these stressful situations more effectively, understanding their causes (including the unspoken factors that sometimes contribute to them), and finding effective strategies to resolve these issues are some of the topics I propose we explore together today. The goal is to help you regain a sense of calm and the enjoyment of working as part of a team.
How to approach workplace conflicts?
Workplace conflicts are not inevitable. As long as they remain within certain boundaries, they can even provide an opportunity to reassess the overall methods used within the organisation when those methods are no longer effective or suitable.
Discussing issues firmly (but with consideration) does not necessarily mean there is a deep disagreement between individuals. In fact, it can help refocus the group dynamic on what is truly important, especially when work tends to become scattered or insufficiently productive.
Regular meetings help address issues, feedback ensures that everyone is heading in the right direction, and the project schedule keeps things on track. This approach allows projects to be better structured, ensuring that everyone knows what they need to do and when they need to do it, without trespassing on each other’s work.
Different Types of Conflicts
Stress, jealousy, lack of consideration, and misunderstandings are some of the aggravating factors in these situations. Identifying the issue at hand immediately allows for a more humane and impactful approach to defuse conflicts.
Here, we outline four types of conflicts that are frequently encountered in the workplace.
Task conflict (What?)
This occurs when team members disagree about what needs to be done. At this stage, the project has not been adequately explained or understood, and the project manager has not sufficiently assumed their leadership role. For example, work is poorly executed or not carried out as it should be due to a misunderstanding.
Relational conflict (What are the expectations of each other?)
This occurs when individuals do not get along well (which may be due to differences in opinions, personalities, etc.). While it is not necessary to like each other outside of the workplace, when these relational difficulties become too significant, they can impact the quality of work.
For example: two people avoiding each other while working on a shared project, leading to little or no communication about the project.
Process conflict (How?)
This happens when individuals disagree on the processes to be implemented or how to work on a common project.
For example: each person believes in a different strategy and attempts to implement their own, thinking it is the best one for the success of the project.
Status conflict (Who?)
This occurs when the responsibilities assigned to each individual are not clearly identified, leading to conflicting opinions and approaches.
For example: the same tasks being handled by two different people, both of whom stick to their own approaches, or a task believed to be assigned to someone else, resulting in it not being completed with all the repercussions this has on the project.
Conflict Resolution
Active listening, communication, task planning, and feedback are all strategies to explore. It’s also about learning to work together (even if there are personal disagreements) for the overall well-being of the team. Additionally, it is important to assert oneself as a leader if that is the role, thereby becoming the reference point for the project.
Sometimes, it may be helpful to involve a mediator if the conflict seems to be escalating—this could be another colleague who plays the role of a mediator, or a superior who can reaffirm everyone’s roles.
But there are other ways to address these issues: for example, working on team cohesion and developing emotional intelligence through an informal meeting outside of work to help team members get to know each other better, communicate more effectively, and, most importantly, understand each other better; or calling on a team coach who can offer a different perspective on the situation and provide practical tools.
Have you ever had to face conflict situations at work? How did you handle them? Feel free to discuss in the comments!
Need professional support? I’ll be happy to support you!
