Workplace Conflict and the Importance of Resolving it Early

By Craig Rashkis, ESQ.

Dealing with the affects of workplace conflict is often one of most difficult and persistent issues HR and EAP professionals face today. Not being able to effectively identify conflict in the workplace and resolve it before the greater working environment is impacted leaves your organization vulnerable to conflict's debilitating and potentially disastrous affects. The purpose of this article is to help you identify workplace conflict, understand how it arises and how to most effectively resolve it, as well as recognize the benefits of resolving conflict at its early stages.

Identifying Workplace Conflict

Identifying workplace conflict is not always as easy as one might think. Conflict is regularly associated with acute and isolated incidents such as outbursts, arguments, or verbal/physical altercations. While these examples can be indicators of conflict, they may not be. When seeking to identify conflict in the workplace, it is important not to mistakenly identify "disagreement" as "conflict."

Disagreement and differences of opinion are regular occurrences not only in the workplace but in our everyday lives. In fact, disagreement is often the vehicle by which creative and cutting edge ideas are generated. The process of developing, defending, and reconciling opinions is likely the sign of a healthy and vibrant workplace. Even seemingly aggressive and intense disagreement should initially be looked upon as normal and acceptable. Do not make the mistake of stifling a creative and exuberant environment by identifying disagreement as conflict.

Conflict is something different all together. Where disagreement can be an expression of confidence, enthusiasm, or caring, conflict is an expression of frustration, self-consciousness, and anger. This brings us to the primary identifier of conflict: Those in conflict are unable to sustain a productive and stable exchange. What does this look like? Picture an interaction between two or more individuals where at least one person's participation becomes increasingly rigid and short as the interaction continues. There is often a "breaking point" where someone abruptly cuts off the interaction or irrupts with anger. In both instances, the breaking point is usually taken as "irrational," "inappropriate," or "unbelievable" by those on the receiving end and can lead to a vicious-circle of conflict driven exchanges. As those of us who enter into organizational working environments on a daily basis know, it is precisely this vicious-circle of exchanges that is disruptive to our workplace and destructive when left unresolved.

Unfortunately, workplace conflict can not always be easily identified by isolated interactions. Moreover, as a HR or EA professional, you are rarely present to observe exchanges. While you can rely on the account of others, you can also identify conflict in the workplace by being aware of and watching for the following signs of its presence: Low morale and productivity; repeated communications from the same employee or manager, even when then the subject matter appears mundane; repeated time spent dealing with the same department or team, regardless of the reason; transfer requests from productive employees; concerns raised by employees regarding other employees, managers, teams, or departments; and client or customer feedback expressing dissatisfaction or inconsistencies with the organization's operating procedure, particularly when there have been no changes.

You may already be watching for each of these events; however, keeping in mind that conflict could be driving these kinds of occurrences may lead you to a different approach when dealing with them. For example, if you discover that a request to transfer is being fueled by conflict, you can see to it that the situation gets addressed directly as opposed to simply addressing the symptom. Addressing the symptom does nothing to resolve the conflict or protect the organization. To the extent you can, always be on the look out for conflict that masquerades as ordinary HR and EA issues. Asking a few extra questions will surprising reveal the presence of conflict more often than not.

How Workplace Conflict Arises

Although easily an article all on its own, workplace conflict can be traced back to two distinct areas. These areas are "lack of effective leadership" and "qualities and characteristics of individuals." Lack of effective leadership refers to an individual or organization's failure to implement and utilize effective leadership skills and structure. If an individual in a position of leadership does not know how to lead others or an organization does not have a clear leadership structure, conflict will take hold quickly. Issues that stem from a lack of effective leadership and fuel conflict are: Lack of trust; undefined purpose; no standards; inconsistent application of policy; unclear communication; lack of appreciation; and feelings of disrespect.

The qualities and characteristics of individuals also play a major role in how conflict arises. Personality traits and ego largely influence whether someone will initiate a conflict. The bottom line-individuals with a clear sense of self and a commitment to teamwork will be less likely to engage in conflict behavior. Being careful to hire people with the same or similar values as your organization is an important aspect of whether individual qualities and characteristics will give rise to conflict.

Being aware that lack of effective leadership and qualities and characteristic of individuals are the primary sources of workplace conflict is important because, as a HR or EA professional, you can prevent conflict in your organization by dealing with issues of leadership and individual characteristics long before difficulties develop.

How Workplace Conflict is Most Effectively Resolved

Workplace conflict is most effectively resolved by the process of mediation where the mediator is an objective third party who is completely independent from the organizational structure. First, the process of mediation is most effective because it allows the individuals in conflict to maintain control of the situation. Maintaining control reduces the impulse people have to dig their heels in. In addition, participants are more at ease in the mediator's presence because, as a third party, the mediator has no power or authority to control the resolution, which is a significant difference from disciplinary hearings or formal grievance processes. Mediation also tends to be confidential, if not in the legal sense, at least in terms of not placing the conflict on parade for the entire organization and members of the public to see. Overall, no matter how extensive or intense the conflict has become, mediation is an opportunity for those involved to "clean up their own mess," which they usually do with the assistance of a competent and skillful mediator. This results in a reduced burden on the organization, since it does not need to formally intervene.

Second, mediation is most effective at resolving workplace conflict when the mediator is an objective third party who is completely independent from the organizational structure. This is because individuals in conflict are more likely to be open to speaking with and listening to someone who has no connection to the organization other than for the purpose of resolving the conflict. When the mediator comes from within the organizational structure, participants will often be suspicious of bias and hidden agendas as well as have concerns about the internal mediator's ability to competently handle the situation when mediation is not that person's primary job. As the field of mediation has developed, it has become clear that the type of intervention called for in resolving bona fide workplace conflict requires competency and professionalism. Having an unskilled volunteer from the internal structure be responsible for resolving conflict in the workplace is an unrealistic expectation.

Finally, several years ago when the use of mediation began to gain popularity among lawyers as a means to settle litigation, many corporate organizations were hesitant to utilize professional mediators. This was primarily due to mediator fees in the $800-$1200/hour range, which was excessively high for the corporate arena. Today, however, the mediation field has broadened and matured. Mediators have become aware of the market difference between providing services to parties in litigation and organizations seeking to resolve workplace conflict early for the purpose of avoiding even the thought of litigation. To this end, competent and highly skilled mediators can be hired anywhere from $200-$400/hour. At today's rates, choosing to hire a professional mediator will deliver to your organization a tremendous amount of value for your dollar. The following section details precisely how that value comes to life.

Benefits of Resolving Workplace Conflict Early

The single most important benefit of resolving workplace conflict early is avoiding its debilitating and potentially disastrous affects. The debilitating affects of workplace conflict which are seen regularly include: Decreased morale and productivity among both employees and managers; entire team or department dysfunction; poor work product; and increased employee turnover. At the end of each of these debilitating affects is the reality that your organization's "bottom line" is affected-you will be less profitable. In addition, the debilitating affects of workplace conflict put an organization on the defensive, always having to extinguish internal fires instead of being on the offensive, setting the competitive marketplace ablaze with superior products or service.

The disastrous affects of workplace conflict come in the form of dealing with employee complaints to various equal employment opportunity agencies, defending lawsuits filed by former (and sometimes current) employees; and having the organization's profit margin, reputation, and overall success significantly tarnished. Let there be no doubt, having a formal complaint filed in court or with an administrative agency will send shock waves through various parts of your organization and severely affect a smaller organization's entire ability to function. When it comes to protracted litigation, the amount of time, money, and stress required to deal with the situation takes an enormous toll, and that, unfortunately, does not guarantee a favorable jury verdict (i.e., the situation could get worse). The total amount of organizational resources spent on resolving workplace conflict early is often less than the resources used up in half a day of trial when defending a lawsuit.

Beyond the benefit of avoiding the negative affects of unresolved workplace conflict, organizations that remain disciplined in addressing conflict early also receive the following benefits: Increased morale and productivity, often above historic levels; greater employee loyalty and retention; clarification of corporate purpose and policy; and increased profitability, reputation, and success through superior products and services.

Perhaps the most fundamental benefit from resolving workplace conflict early, particularly through the use of mediation, is the opportunity an organization gets to learn about itself. A tremendous value is added when a mediator communicates to HR, EA, and other executives what he/she has learned about the organization. This kind of post-mediation discussion can help an organization further reduce its exposure to the negative affects of workplace conflict as well as the resources necessary to deal with them.

In conclusion, the negative affects of workplace conflict are persistent and difficult to deal with. However, by being able to properly identify these situations and bring in a qualified professional to resolve them, your organization will benefit by becoming more aware of itself and being more profitable in the competitive marketplace. Many organizations are brought to their knees by allowing workplace conflict to go unidentified and unresolved. This does not have to happen. Resolve workplace conflict early and be the most successful organization you can be.

Craig Rashkis is a mediator in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a member of the California State Bar, having received his law degree from Santa Clara University, and he has a master's degree in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Craig can be contacted via email at mediationadmin@mediationnetwork.net or through the Mediation Network Offices at 1-800-286-0777.