Janet and Kawas have worked together for three years. From the beginning,
they have argued over their responsibilities on shared assignments,
requiring their manager’s intervention each time. Their disagreements
are becoming increasingly strident and their manager Robert, is fed
up.
Janet has been Karl’s manager for two years and they worked
together two years before that. There is a history of conflict between
them that has escalated since Janet became manager. Other staff members
are aware of the dissension. Janet is very concerned about this situation.
Margaret and Lillian have shared an office space for over a year.
The ongoing conflict between them over things like the loudness of
the radio, use of telephone, chattiness with other staff and other
matters, is having an impact on anyone within earshot. Carol the manager,
has talked to each, to no avail.
These types of situations are all too rampant in organizations and
have significant, adverse impact on among other things, morale, productivity
and working relationships. What they also signify is the ‘evilution’
of conflict. ‘Evilution’ refers to the existence of longstanding
dissension. It is when people have become entrenched in their perceptions
and positions. ‘Evilution’ is when people in dispute react
in destructive ways. This article suggests a range of ways for organization
to prevent and address conflict and particularly, its ‘evilution’.
Engaging in and Preventing Conflict
As a starting point, it is necessary for organizations to acknowledge
conflict as inevitable and natural and as an opportunity to build
relationships, share ideas and opinions and create mutually satisfying
solutions. To make a paradigm shift as such, it is most helpful if
organizations commit to building a culture of conflict competence,
by having effective conflict management skills as a core competency
for all staff and to support that initiative with the requisite training
and coaching. It is equally as important to provide easily accessible
options for staff, aimed at preventing and addressing conflict. Such
initiatives are ideal, but not a common phenomenon. Optimum is not
always considered financially realistic, although that argument does
not reconcile with the high cost of absenteeism, medical or stress
leave and litigation that are too often the outcome of ill managed
conflict.
Spectrum of Conflict Management Options
Most organizations are reactive when it comes to conflict. When relationships
break down, it is common to use internal or external neutrals to mediate
the issues. Likewise, when a work unit becomes dysfunctional, team
‘builders’ facilitate a process to mend matters. Problematic
employees may be sent to conflict management training; corrective
action may be taken; shifts and work locations may be changed; and
so on. Unfortunately, these methods are not always durable, especially
with the ‘evilution’ of longstanding conflict. Here are
several suggestions:
Conflict Coaching
Conflict coaching is a coaching specialty in which a coach helps individuals
to gain the skills and ability to manage and resolve an ongoing dispute,
to prevent a conflict from escalating unnecessarily and to improve
their conflict competency, in general. As it pertains to longstanding
conflict, the latter objective - to improve conflict competency -
is recommended.
What makes conflict coaching most helpful, is that the coach helps
people on a one-onone basis to examine the many elements of conflict
that precludes their effective conflict management. ‘Coachees’
explore their ‘hot buttons’ and the reasons for and impact
of their adverse responses. Coaches also help individuals gain increased
insights and different perspectives on themselves and ‘the other
person’. They also learn ways to shift their behaviours and
interact more productively. In all cases and especially, when there
is longstanding conflict, the importance of coachees’ participation
in establishing measurable goals and accountabilities, cannot be overstated.
Pre-Mediation Coaching
Not all staff want to engage in mediation, in which a third party
facilitates a discussion between or among the parties. The antipathy
that exists may impede the process. If this forum is to be used, one
way of facilitating mediation is to provide pre-mediation coaching.
This technique applies conflict coaching principles, to help people
engage more effectively in the mediation process.
However, it is important to keep in mind that mediation generally,
focuses more on specific issues in dispute at the time. While these
matters may for all intents and purposes be resolved in mediation,
the process does not usually help people identify and work on their
challenges in managing conflict.
Post-Mediation Coaching
In the aftermath of mediation, a process that helps parties move forward
is post-mediation. Again, depending on the type of mediation used, there
is often limited opportunity for parties to get underneath the conflict
and gain insights about their conflict conduct and their contribution
to the strife. Settlement Agreements are more often about what the parties
will and will not do vis à vis their specific dispute. This of
course, can be very helpful, but it does not address behaviours that
are undoubtedly, destined to repeat themselves. Post-mediation coaching
provides ongoing assistance for the parties and helps monitor their
behaviours that exacerbate conflict.
Other preventative techniques may include:
- Conflict management training combined with conflict coaching, for
all new managers (and others, when trained in conflict management)
- Peer conflict coaching, in which co-workers (managerial and non-managerial) are trained to provide internal assistance to their peers
- Peer mediation, in which staff are trained to mediate or co-mediate co-worker disagreements
- Internal or external ombudsperson(s)
- ‘Managerial’ conflict facilitation, in which managers conciliate disputes between and among their reports
- Managerial conflict coaching, in which managers are specifically trained to coach their reports
Summary
Longstanding conflict may be the result of many things, including
an organizational culture that avoids conflict and reacts only when
things escalate. It may be due to staff who have no training and no
incentive or support to get off the treadmill of conflict. It may
be due to lack of conflict competence by the leaders. It may be a
consequence of systemic, task-related or social/relational problems
that are allowed to erode the workplace fabric. There are many options
available to prevent the ‘evilution’ of conflict and provide
a ‘conflict-positive’ workplace in which people learn
skills to manage conflict and also, trust they may raise concerns
and be responsibly and respectfully assisted, without retaliation.
Cinnie Noble, ACC, CM, LL.M. (ADR), is a lawyer-mediator and
ICF certified coach who created the CINERGY® model of conflict
coaching. She chairs the ACR Workplace Section’s new Conflict
Coaching Subcommittee and is co-chair of the ICF’s Special Interest
Group on Conflict Coaching.
