Healthy conflict and healthy workplaces…
In a healthy workplace, conflict is seen as an opportunity for change rather than as an occasion to blame individuals.
Conflicts between individuals, teams or even between contracting organisations require early resolution if relationships are to survive and valued people be retained.
Since we began offering the service to clients eighteen months ago, retention is certainly the key motivator among those who ask Seed to provide conflict resolution services in their workplaces.
Workplace conflict is rarely only about conflicting personalities, although it is easy to see it this way. While the conflict is often resolved between people, our experience suggests strongly that there are inevitably workplace systems and processes at work that create the climate in which unresolved conflict occurs.
(Unclear role definitions and job expectations are one systemic example we encounter often, leaving individuals to argue amongst themselves as to individual responsibilities).
Mediators aim to help prevent future disputes by giving feedback to organisations about the contributing factors they have identified when working with individuals or groups. Based on these observations they can offer recommendations to minimise the impact of these factors.
Our specialty is in early intervention - acting before people commit themselves to leaving or seeking legal redress; acting while there is still a will to repair damage done and build positive working relationships going forward.
Interestingly in our experience it is not necessarily the actual participants in the conflict who cry 'enough" but their colleagues …and sometimes even an organisation’s clients. Unresolved conflict seeps through a workplace and escalates to involve others until the workplace becomes polarised and oppositional.
Managers and team leaders who phone us to activate resolution process often admit to some embarrassment that their own efforts to date have not been able to resolve the issues in their workplace.
There is also sense of frustration that valued colleagues or staff cannot seem to "sort it out" or that they make agreements and then lapse back into conflictive behaviours.
All involved report feeling a general sense of relief once independent professional mediators are engaged. Often the individuals or groups directly involved in the conflict have a sense that they have been heard and the problems between them taken seriously. Colleagues whose work has been affected look forward to the restoration of a positive working culture, and managers are able to use the independence and professionalism of the mediators to assist them to restore relationships in a damaged workplace.
Unlike some other dispute situations where parties seek to extract themselves from the relationship by reaching a settlement, Seed's approach to conflict resolution is aimed at rebuilding relationships within the workplace. This sometimes requires post-mediation coaching or support.
Often groups or work teams affected by an initial conflict need assistance to rebuild and learn new ways of communicating. They often require coaching in how to work together again. Individuals or teams who have reached agreements also often benefit from having a follow-up meeting with the mediator some months later to see how the agreements are going. Coaching can also be beneficial for managers in terms of learning to monitor agreements, deal with any broken commitments by the parties, and encourage the rebuilding of positive relationships.
Is mediation or conflict resolution appropriate for all workplace conflict? No, not always. A good mediator will assess the situation and draw on a range of approaches to assist in disputes. They can also recommend other options.
In other situations, the negotiation processes required in successful conflict resolution will not work – this is particularly so in cases where the parties involved are no longer ready, willing or able to participate in the process.
Sometimes individuals also require coaching or counselling to enable them to participate in negotiation processes. There may be cases where serious legal issues are involved (such as harassment or discrimination for example), or parties cannot be assured of their safety. Mediators are trained to judge the appropriateness of their approach in all situations and to recommend alternative solutions for workplaces to consider where appropriate.
Not all conflict is destructive. In a healthy workplace, conflict can be healthy and creative, leading to new ways of doing things.
Conflict that remains unresolved or becomes personalised and positional is conflict that is damaging and early intervention is essential to restore workplace health. Seed can help with this.
