Live in zenitude thanks to our conflict management techniques

Within socially relevant organisations such as companies and enterprises, where cooperation (and competition) is the order of the day, it is normal that conflict finds a special place. It is up to managers and human resources to do their utmost to manage this issue as best they can.

Conflicts create a climate of unease and that is why one always tries to avoid them. But can conflicts be dealt with differently? Knowing how to deal with conflicts is a soft skill that is best acquired to avoid unpleasant situations and a climate of constant tension.

Are you reading these lines and think that your company environment is a trench where conflicts occur every day?

Rest assured! Appvizer will explain in this article how to manage conflicts intelligently.

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What is conflict management

Détente is the key word behind conflict management. A climate, in which suppressed disputes and enmities are not eliminated, leads to an irreparable drop in productivity as the overall mood of the company is affected. For this reason, rapid conflict resolution is important. There are many conflict resolution techniques that are very effective in resolving tense situations within the company. Unfortunately, people do not always manage to resolve problems on their own, but need the intervention of a third person to mediate and prevent the conflict from escalating.

Knowing how to resolve disputes means reaching a truce and not insisting on finding a winner at all costs. In fact, this would again lead to an escalation of conflicts. Conflict management aims at fostering mutual understanding of the two counterparts and reaching compromises. For this reason, a conflict management expert will not propose solutions to the problem, but rather a dialogue window that allows the two counterparts to reach a solution.

What is the goal of conflict management?

According to what we have already said, conflict management is not the same thing as conflict resolution, since it comes into play at the moment when negotiations are possible. The two counterparts defend their interests and therefore it is crucial to understand whether a compromise can be reached or not. If it is primary needs that come into play, then it becomes more difficult to speak of conflict management. One enters the realm of conflict resolution. Since the two terms have similar characteristics, it is not easy to draw a clear dividing line between the two: in fact, both are used in business.

A third distinction to be made is that between conflict management and conflict resolution: the latter aims at finding a solution that does not let the conflict escalate and allows the company's work to continue without further hindrances.

Conflict transformation, unlike conflict resolution, has the aim of resolving the problem in the long term. In this situation, it is not the conflict itself that is important, but the situation that contributed to the conflict. For this reason, the goal is the improvement of the overall situation so that such problems do not happen again. The counterparts behind the conflict should be part of this process, so that a climate of collective harmony is recreated.

How to manage conflicts in a working group?

S.P.A.C.E. model

For proper conflict management, one of the most effective models is the S.P.A.C.E. model.

Space represents the following acronym:

• "S" stands for "self"
• "P" stands for "purpose
• "A" stands for "audience
• "C" stands for "code
• "E" stands for "experience".

Self

Self means analysing the situation in detail. What is our role in conflict management? Who are the other parties involved? What disputes are raised by those involved? And how can the roles of those involved influence the working environment?

Purpose

Purpose means being clear about the objectives that each counterpart wants to achieve. For example, it may happen that personal objectives are in conflict with company prerogatives, leading to a climate of conflict and tension.

Objectives must be

• formulated in a positive way
• expressed by the person defining them
• measurable
• shared

Audience

Apart from the people involved in the conflict, who else is affected by the dispute? Can other people influence the participants in the conflict positively or negatively? Did they follow the conflict from the beginning or in the process? What is their role in the story? Have they tried to resolve the situation or have they exacerbated the conflict?

Code

Code means the forms of communication used, whether verbal or written. What elements were not understood or were misunderstood? Make sure that the message has been conveyed clearly and accurately.

Experience

Experience refers to the personal history and situational aspects that the two people involved in the conflict carry with them. This phase is important in order to understand the most appropriate solution for conflict resolution. When performing this analysis, the factors to be considered are the following:

• Vision and values;
• Relationships;
• Focus;
• Motivation;
• Creativity/innovation;
• Methods, material, time, space.

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What skills do you need to show to manage a conflict?

In recent years, in the field of conflict management, there has been increasing talk of problem solving. This is a cognitive strategy through which it is possible to analyse a situation in detail in order to understand which is the right way to solve the problem.

This cognitive process can be applied to conflict management in companies as it is based on a flexible 5-step model.

1. Framing the problem

In order to better manage a conflict, the secret is to invest time and energy in identifying the problem in terms of needs, fears and feelings. In 1976, MacCrimmon and Taylor gave the following definition of a problem: it is a gap between the status quo and the state one would like to achieve. In order to arrive at an accurate analysis of the problem, a gap analysis must be carried out, i.e. a comparison between the current situation and the hoped-for situation in the future.

2.Consider all possible solutions

Do not just see the conflict and the related problem, but try to think of alternative and creative ideas to change the problem conflict into a tension-free situation. Brainstorming sessions in this case prove to be very effective in managing the conflict, if not optimally, at least in an acceptable way.

3.Identify the winning solution

Once all possible solutions have been considered, one must decide which is the best one to adopt to manage the conflict in question. One must sift through all the options and discard those that are invalid or inapplicable to the conflict at hand.

The parameters to be applied to the choice may be based on effectiveness, time, cost or effort required to implement the solution to the problem or conflict.

4. Establish the plan of attack

At this point, the next steps to be implemented must be established. A plan B must always be foreseen, in case something goes wrong. The famous rule of the 5Ws (who, what, where, when and why) will be useful in devising the winning strategy to best manage the conflict.

5.The time to act

You cannot apply problem solving strategies if you do not take action. It may happen that some decisions are riskier than others, but this should not prevent you from taking action. Success is also achieved through some failures: it is part of the game.

If a conflict is handled superficially, using strategies such as forcing or abandonment, the result will simply be resentment, indifference, or in the worst case scenario, an irreparable break-up. If, on the other hand, it is handled intelligently, the conflict can be transformed into a renewed climate of trust, improving the bond between the two interlocutors.