Conflict is one of the absolutely indispensable elements in a workplace. Whether the organization is doing business or not, it has to deal with conflicts. Humor aside, this is said simply to illustrate the enormity of the importance of conflict resolution at the workplace.
Conflict is not something one runs away from
We need to get one bare fact about conflict and conflict resolution right to start with: Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It is an inevitable result of the clash of people in the organization who bring in different attitudes and mindsets into the workplace. People carry with them their own conditioned and cultivated attitudes that are a result of their upbringing, social milieu that they come from, their educational background, and a million other factors.
Dealing with workplace conflict is more important than avoiding it
Workplace conflict is not about sparring physically in the office. It is not about blowing one's top at one's colleagues. It is about understanding, respecting and accepting the different approach each individual employee has towards carrying out a function. In this sense, most employers understand that workplace conflict resolution is not about avoiding conflicts, but finding ways of dealing with it.
Yet, notwithstanding this fact; workplace conflict resolution is something that organizations have to think of implementing, because when conflict reaches a point of crisis, it is dangerous for the organization's health and growth.
HR has a major role in conflict resolution
HR's role in conflict resolution is in recognizing and seeking to extinguish or douse out a fire before it becomes an inferno that burns the business.
- Firstly, a good HR manager first understands the reason for the conflict. For this to happen, she has to be a good and objective listener
- The HR manager should bring the conflicting groups together to enable them to come up with their version, why they are seeing a problem in an issue, and so on. The role of HR in conflict resolution is akin to that of a mediator and negotiator
- HR has to also ensure that the conflict is resolved at the right time. Timeliness is very important because workplace conflict resolution loses its importance if done too late or too quickly
- HR should see an opportunity in a potential crisis. This is one of the hallmarks of workplace conflict resolution. Once the conflict is resolved, it is the duty of HR to ensure that the teams work in tandem and cooperate with each other to achieve the organization's goals.
