Five Conflict Resolution Strategies for the Workplace

Fahad Usmani, PMP

June 4, 2024

Conflicts are common in the workplace, and conflict-resolution strategies can help managers solve conflicts and maintain a healthy work environment. If you are a manager, project manager, or department leader, then you should know conflict-management techniques to quickly solve conflicts in your workplace.

However, unlike the functional environment, the environment in project management is dynamic and stressful. Conflicts are more common here. If you manage projects, you know how tense the environment can be and the importance of managing conflicts.

Conflict management techniques are universal; you can use them anywhere, according to the situation and requirements.

In today’s post, I will explain all conflict management techniques you can use to manage conflicts.

What is a Conflict?

A conflict is an intense disagreement that can occur when two or more stakeholders have different opinions or interests. According to the American Management Association, managers manage conflicts 24% of their time.

Don’t panic; the situation is usually not as bad as you think. Resolving conflicts appropriately can build trust and sometimes bring new ideas and opportunities. This can make the difference between a positive and negative outcome.

If you don’t solve the conflict, your team members will lose trust. This will weaken your position as a manager and your team’s ability to bond, which may affect your team’s performance. You must deal with conflict before it is beyond resolution.

The following are a few consequences of improper conflict management:

Low team morale
Negative impact on the project manager’s authority
Increased number of personal clashes
Low productivity and efficiency
Low-quality work

Managers or supervisors must monitor and resolve conflicts quickly to keep them from becoming bigger issues.

What Are the Common Causes of Conflict in the Workplace?

Conflict in the workplace can occur for many reasons. The Harvard Business Review identifies four primary triggers for conflicts.

These triggers are:

Poor communication
Unrealistic performance expectations
Poor time management
Unclear roles and responsibilities

Some other triggers specific to project management are:

Schedule priorities
Personal reasons

Each of the factors mentioned above can cause conflict in the workplace. Instructions are often not passed to all employees correctly, and they act as per their understanding, which can cause conflict. Unrealistic performance goals demotivate and frustrate employees, which can cause conflict between employees or between employees and their supervisors.

Conflicts due to schedule priorities and personal reasons are more common in project management. Projects have limited resources, and team members fight for them. Also, every project has new team members who don’t know each other, so personal conflicts are common.

Whenever a conflict occurs, you should intervene and cool the temperature down. Ignoring conflicts can negatively affect the team. Leadership skills play key roles in resolving conflicts.

What Are Conflict Resolution Strategies?

The PMBOK Guide defines the five conflict-management techniques as follows:

Withdraw/Avoid
Smooth/Accommodate
Compromise/Reconcile
Force/Direct
Collaborate/Problem-Solve

These conflict-management strategies are also known as “Thomas-Kilmann’s Five Approaches to Resolving Conflict.”

1. Withdraw/Avoid

In this approach, you will avoid or retreat from the conflict and allow it to resolve itself. This technique can be used when the stakes are low, and the conflict is likely to disappear on its own.

You can use this technique in the following cases:

Individuals involved in the conflict are not influential stakeholders.
The issue does not require a time investment.
An intense argument has already happened, and the individuals need time to cool off.
You do not have enough information to pursue other techniques.

Advantages of Withdraw/Avoid

This technique saves time. It is a good strategy for low-level disagreements and gives you enough time to prepare if the conflict re-emerges.

Disadvantages of Withdraw/Avoid

Withdraw/avoid is not a resolution. It does not resolve conflict and may weaken your position because other parties may assume you have an unfair bias. Team members may think you lack skills or you are not authoritative.

Many experts don’t consider this technique a conflict management strategy because withdrawing and avoiding is not a solution.

2. Smooth/Accommodate

You find areas of agreement, try to smooth out the situation, and circumvent tough discussions. The smoothing technique gives more consideration to one party than the other. You downplay the seriousness and behave as if the conflict never existed.

This technique is helpful in the following cases:

You don’t have time to deal with the problem.
You require a temporary solution to the problem.
The conflict is minor and involves less influential stakeholders.

Advantages of Smooth/Accommodate

This conflict-resolution strategy requires little effort. By ignoring unimportant arguments, you can focus on essential issues. Situations can be handled simply while bringing harmony, creating goodwill, and providing enough time to find a permanent solution.

Disadvantages of Smooth/Accommodate

If you fail to provide a balanced approach, then one party may get an unfair advantage, while the parties who are not being accommodated may question your authority and/or stop reporting conflicts altogether.

This conflict-resolution strategy is not recommended, as it often weakens the project manager’s authority.

3. Compromise/Reconcile

In this conflict-management strategy, you will take suggestions from both sides and partially satisfy them. This technique is useful when the stakeholders involved hold equal power.

You may use this technique in the following cases:

All parties involved need to win.
You have an equal relationship with both parties.
Collaborative and forcing techniques have failed.
You need a temporary solution.

Advantages of Compromise/Reconcile

This technique produces quick results, lowers stress, and keeps all parties satisfied until a permanent solution is found. You can then cool off and revisit the situation later.

Disadvantages of Compromise/Reconcile

This technique does not generate trust in the long run; all parties remain unsatisfied, and the conflict could resurface. Morals are not being strengthened. You may have to ensure all parties abide by the agreement.

4. Force/Direct

In this conflict-management strategy, you will agree with one party’s viewpoint and enforce their wishes. This is a win-lose situation and risks demoralizing the team.

You can use this conflict-management technique in the following cases:

You need a quick solution.
You know that one party is right.
You do not have time to investigate.
The conflict is not very important.
The relationship with stakeholders is not essential.

Advantages of Force/Direct

This technique provides a quick solution. It requires almost no effort from the manager and may help establish their authority.

Disadvantages of Force/Direct

Using this technique may leave a negative impression. You may lose opportunities that could be gained from the opposing party’s viewpoint. You cannot apply this technique with powerful stakeholders, as it may backfire and worsen the conflict.

5. Collaborate/Problem-Solve

In a collaborative conflict-resolution strategy, you will discuss the issue with all parties and agree on a solution while considering multiple viewpoints.

You may use this technique in the following cases:

You must incorporate multiple viewpoints.
Influential stakeholders are involved.
A consensus is required.
You want to distribute responsibility.

Advantages of Collaborate/Problem-Solve

This is a real problem-solving technique that provides a solution to the conflict. It brings consensus, commitment, and shared responsibility for the outcome. This technique creates a win-win situation, builds your team’s confidence, earns respect, and establishes your authority.

Disadvantages of Collaborate/Problem-Solve

This technique is not suitable for quick solutions, as it requires time and effort. It is generally used for conflicts that may affect your project.

What Are the Key Conflict Resolution Skills?

You will need many skills to solve conflicts in your workplace. Leadership style is most vital to this.

Leadership Skills

Leadership skills help you constructively guide your team members during conflict. Effective leaders listen and understand all parties’ views and build an environment of mutual respect. They show empathy and address concerns. Leaders facilitate problem-solving by encouraging collaboration and mediating discussions to find common ground.

Effective leaders use emotional intelligence to manage their reactions and maintain composure. Decision-making skills enable leaders to implement fair, balanced solutions. By modeling these behaviors, leaders inspire stakeholders to engage in constructive conflict resolution, thus promoting a harmonious, productive work environment.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills facilitate clear communication, empathy, and emotional regulation. Active listening helps the manager understand all perspectives and minimize misunderstandings. Empathy helps recognize and validate the feelings of all involved parties and de-escalate tensions.

Effective communication ensures the respectful expression of thoughts and builds mutual understanding. Patience and perseverance ensure thorough and amicable resolutions. Together, these skills create a conducive environment for resolving conflicts effectively.

Problem-Solving

Every problem is unique and requires a different strategy. As a manager, you should know which conflict-resolution strategy you should use for any solution. For example, if two unimportant stakeholders are having a conflict that will not affect the project or its outcome, you may simply ignore it. Understanding conflict-management techniques and their use is vital for solving conflict efficiently.

Best Practices for Using Conflict-Management Strategies

The following are the best practices for using conflict-management strategies:

Understand the Conflict: To solve any conflict, you must understand it first. You must find out which stakeholders are involved in the conflict, whether they are influential or non-influential, etc. Then, you must find the conflict’s root cause. Don’t believe rumors; instead, get firsthand knowledge by speaking privately with the stakeholders involved in the conflict.
Bring Involved Stakeholders Together: After understanding the conflict, bring all stakeholders together and don’t allow external intervention. Keep the meeting in a closed space. Build a positive environment and let the parties speak. Conflicts often arise due to misunderstandings, and a simple, open conversation can often solve conflict. Encourage them to find a solution on their own.
Find/Provide a Solution: If the parties involved in the conflict do not find a solution themselves, you must step in. You must listen to all parties’ viewpoints, and if one party is obviously wrong, you must convince them to accept their mistakes. If the problem is complex, you must try to find common ground and use collaborative techniques to resolve agreeable conflict. You can also use any other technique that suits the situation.
Monitor Stakeholders: After implementing the decided conflict-resolution strategy, you must follow up with all involved stakeholders and monitor them until you are sure that they no longer have conflicts. If a conflict arises again, you must intervene, and this time, you can take stronger steps to suppress the conflict.

Which Conflict Management Technique Should I Use?

No single conflict-management technique can be used for all conflicts; it depends on the situation and the stakeholders involved.

For example, what should you do if two ground-level laborers conflict?

You may ignore it.

However, if you see that some important stakeholders are conflicting, you will intervene, solve the conflict, and save the workplace from negative impact.

Although no single technique can be used for all conflicts, the Collaborate/Problem-Solve method will bring the most consensus and commitment.

The best method to solve the conflict is to prevent it in the first place.

You cannot prevent all conflicts, but the following practices can help you reduce them:

Establish Ground Rules: These can help discipline team members, which will result in less conflict.
Form an Effective Communication Plan: This can help you avoid many conflicts. Define how much and how often you will communicate with your stakeholders.
Form a Better Stakeholder Management Plan: Your project will be successful if your stakeholders are happy. Project management is all about managing stakeholder requirements.
Solve Conflict Early: This takes little time and effort. It also prevents an unresolved conflict from resurfacing later.

I have now explained all the conflict-resolution strategies and how you can use them. As a manager, you must respond rationally and reach a solution that best serves your objective.

While resolving a conflict, keep the following points in mind:

Each participant deserves respect.
Be calm and rational.
People are separate from problems.
Each participant should be listened to patiently.
There are always areas of agreement and disagreement.
You should explore all possible solutions.
Mind your biases, and don’t pick sides.
Don’t force or pressure participants.
Postponed conflicts may fester.
Focus on the conflict; don’t let it escalate, and don’t generalize the issue.

Benefits of Conflict Resolution

The following are key benefits of effective conflict resolution:

A More Positive Work Environment: Proactive conflict resolution can build a more positive work environment, which can lead to long-term employee retention. A culture that values conflict resolution will attract top talent and boost employee morale.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Unresolved conflicts can cause significant stress and anxiety. Effective conflict resolution can help lower stress levels, improve employee mental health, and enhance job satisfaction.
Improved Relationships: Resolving conflicts can strengthen relationships by addressing underlying issues and promoting shared understanding. When conflicts are resolved constructively, it can enhance communication, increase trust, and build stronger bonds among workers.
Increased Productivity: Unresolved conflicts can hinder productivity and efficiency. Effective conflict resolution can lead to better collaboration, innovation, and creativity.

Summary

Conflict can occur at any time, and unresolved conflicts are not conducive to the work environment. They can become a significant issue affecting employee morale and work efficiency. Therefore, you must intervene and solve the conflict as soon as possible.

This topic is important from a PMP exam point of view.