Recognize conflicts as opportunities
To resolve a conflict, you must look at its causes and analyze the issues. Without it, you won't be able to create a sustainable solution.
The good news is that searching for causes can be positive for two reasons:
It increases your knowledge of your work environment.
It is an opportunity to improve faulty organizational processes and harmful long-term relationship habits.
The conflict-driven crisis makes it possible to confront what C. Argyris, the theoretician of organizational learning, calls "organizational routines," and to develop the learning organization process.
C. Argyris and D. Schön elaborated on two concepts:
The single loop: learning is restricted; we modify the action strategies without changing the mindset.
The double loop: learning is deep; internalizing changes in behavior and mindset.
In Stages 1 (tension) and 2 (crisis), the cost of the conflict is counterbalanced by the learning opportunity (single or double loop) and, therefore, the medium/long-term benefits.
On the other hand, at Stage 3 (stagnation), the conflict becomes even more costly:
The organization and relationship costs as well as the decline in performance.
The cost of the resolution itself: managing a stagnating conflict requires time and energy, and doesn't guarantee success.
Identify causes of the conflict from among 14 possible conditions
When a conflict comes up, whether you are directly involved or not, you can probably find a motive or two. These can be:
Objective: external to the protagonists, or due to faulty processes.
Subjective: relating to egos, feelings, mental filters.
Carry out your investigation
Your knowledge of the people involved and the situation is your starting point. You must, however, dig deeper. All causes, and especially those impacting the resolution, do not always reveal themselves plainly.
Discreetly survey the protagonists through informal discussions (small talk) or, if necessary, more formal one-on-one sessions.
Categorize the conflict
Here are the seven possible objective causes:
Technical (disagreement on tasks, process).
Economic (lack of or insufficient means/resources).
Power dynamics (competition, power games, will power of the strong, over-reaction of the weak).
Rules (non-compliance or different interpretation of regulations, rules, contracts).
Information (incomplete/false, not shared, unspoken, secrets).
Witnesses and public opinion (acceleration or inhibition of conflict).
Defective communication (impossibility of dialogue, negative communication, manipulation).
And the seven possible subjective causes:
People and relationships (confrontation of identities, personalities, incivility, relationship to authority).
Expression of emotions (fear, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, shame, jealousy, suffering).
Beliefs, values, cultural practices.
Internal conflict (individual dilemma, personal malaise turned outwards which affects others around the individual).
Old conflict (simmering resentment).
Misinterpretation of a situation (over-sensitivity to words, actions, bad faith).
Confrontation between groups (individual and group loyalties).
Let's recap!
As long as the conflict does not reach Stage 3 (stagnation), you still have an opportunity to improve the quality of the processes and relationships within the team.
Conflicts offer a learning opportunity. To take advantage, make sure that you have diagnosed the issues and causes: there are seven objective and seven subjective potential sources of conflict.
If you correctly analyze the situation, you'll be able to offer an effective solution. You still need to identify the risk factors in your work place.
