Managers
often find themselves trapped in the middle of situations that aren't theirs to
solve. Say one of your team members comes to you pleading that you compel
another of your direct reports to handling something a certain way. It's your
job to give direction and make judgment calls, but where does that duty shade
into arbitrating conflicts your teams should be handling?
To be fair,
that's often a tough call. In some cases, an exasperated team member will take
an issue up with their manager because they genuinely think their approach will
lead to the best results. But chances are the person they disagree with is just
as convinced of their own ideas. Before you intervene, think about the possible
outcomes. If you step in, will it look like you're taking sides? Will your team
be able to work together effectively afterward if you do? Ideally, both of your
quarreling employees are valuable, and you want to keep both of them engaged,
even if you can't make both happy.
But worst of all, arbitrating certain
disputes robs your team members of developing their own conflict management
skills. One of your other jobs as a manager is to help your team grow, both
individually and together. To do that, you need to help them resolve some of
their own issues collaboratively. Here are five tips to help managers do just
that.
1. Know When And How To Intervene
Different circumstances call for different
responses. If one employee’s weak performance is preventing other employees
from getting their jobs done, you most certainly have a role to play. Address
the performance deficiencies of that team member. If it comes down to an issue
of harassment, stepping in is a much easier call, and your organization is
legally required to investigate it. If an employee is struggling because of
issues either in or outside the workplace, offer the support and resources you
can in order to help them through it.
But if the matter comes down to
disagreement over strategy or tactics involving a certain project, that might
be a time to step back and encourage your team members to sort it out. You can
and should give guidance, but you don't always need to make a final call from
on high.
2. Give Your Employees Room To Grow
Employees need the freedom and authority to
solve problems that relate to their work. Today’s workers (especially
millennials) want training that helps them advance their career. So give them
the opportunity to learn conflict management techniques and develop
problem-solving skills. In the midst of a dispute, your team members can get
frustrated and aren't always likely to see it as a teaching moment. That's
where you come in.
Needless to say, every conflict requires
its own response, but you should model the techniques and skills you want your
employees to learn each time. It behooves your company to cultivate a staff
that's capable not only of resolving issues and crises independently but of
heading them off in the first place.
3. Recognize When Egos And Emotions Get
In The Way
Define the problem and the impact it’s having in the workplace—tempers and
egos aside. That won't calm everyone down automatically, of course, but it will
help your team members focus on the issue itself and not how they feel about
it. Remember that the dispute could involve someone's passion project. If
emotions flare, help your employees control them so they don’t interfere with
the resolution. Then give them space to work toward it. Call for a break and
ask everyone to step away and reflect on things. It’s an opportunity to regain
balance so conversations can carry on constructively.
As a manager who takes this approach,
you’ll be a neutral observer. From that vantage point, you can help mediate the
discussion. When you meet with the employees to do that, you should define
roles and set ground rules. Again, the employees are the primary players here,
not you. They're the ones who you want asking questions of each other and
proposing solutions. You won’t offer advice, opinions, or solutions, even if
asked. You’re there to keep the discussion on track.
5. Make The Conflict Mean Something
When team members butt heads over a
project-related issue, it's sometimes the sign of creativity and innovation
trying to break through. Employees who are close to the work often have great
ideas for better solutions. So help them brainstorm these ideas, then help them
evaluate and prioritize them.
When people sit down and talk, calmly and
rationally, information is exchanged—not assertions, opinions, or insults.
There's an opportunity to hear and understand different viewpoints. But as a
manager, you need to create and protect those opportunities, otherwise they'll
become far less productive than they can be. By coaching your team members to
sit back down together and work things out, you'll end up strengthening their
working relationships.
That employee who asks you to step in and
resolve an issue may not know it at the time, but they're really asking for
help to grow. So embrace the conflict, don't solve it. When everyone on your
team can step up and own the issues they confront by working together, everyone
benefits.
This
article was originally appeared on fastcompany.com on September 28, 2015
Cornelia Gamlem & Barbara
Mitchell
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