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Three Keys to Constructive Conflict Resolution
How well do you deal with
conflict? How well does your
organization
deal
with
conflict?
Unhealthy conflict is a major disruption
in many businesses today. Whether your
organization is large or small, negative
feelings can take a toll on your personal
life and your productivity at work.
The world is more complex than
ever. Change is accelerated. Corporate
cultures are more diverse. Differences in
perspective abound between incumbent
leaders and emerging leaders. These
factors are loaded with conflict potential
and can become significant leadership
stressors. But, conflict does not have to
be a destructive force. Healthy conflict
can become your greatest leadership
development opportunity. Constructive
conflict resolution builds a stronger
leadership culture and increases the
problem solving capacity of your team.
InitiativeOne transforms leaders
and their organizations, helping
them foster high impact work
cultures defined by authenticity,
transparency, safe environments
and deep respect.
As a leader, your ability to model
effective conflict management is one of
the most significant contributions you
can deliver. Failure to do so will have a
direct negative impact on your ability to
fulfill your mission. When conflict is
ignored or handled in an inappropriate
manner, it is toxic to vision, values, and
goals. There are three keys to effective
conflict resolution: (1) Recognize
Conflict Behaviors, (2) Learn to
Depersonalize Conflict, and (3) Create a
Conflict Positive Environment.
Recognize Conflict Behaviors.
One of the best ways to resist reacting on
a purely emotional level is to learn to
identify
typical
responses
and
understand which ones are more or less
effective. Most behavior in conflict
situations is less than stellar. We tend to
avoid, attack or simply compromise in
order to push aside discomfort. While
compromising is not the worst choice, it
falls short of a tremendous leadership
development opportunity. The best way
www.initiative-one.com 1.602.374.8990
to harness the value of conflict is to
engage
in
open
and
honest
communication, focus on the issue and
collaborate.
Depersonalize Conflict. The
second step is to learn to depersonalize
conflict. Choosing an effective behavior
means choosing to avoid personalizing
conflict. Healthy conflict stays within
the boundaries of the issue. Unhealthy
conflict increases defensiveness and
blaming. We can describe the difference
in terms of whether the conflict is “taskfocused” or “person-focused”.
Three keys to effective
conflict resolution
1. Recognize Conflict
Behaviors.
2. Learn to
Depersonalize
Conflict.
3. Create a Conflict
Positive Environment.
Create a Conflict Positive
Environment. Finally, The benefits of a
leadership plan to deal with conflict
reach beyond one specific conflict
situation. The goal is to create a healthy
leadership culture. A healthy leadership
culture is a “conflict positive
environment”. The fundamental goal of
any leader seeking to use conflict
productively involves the creation of an
atmosphere that encourages open, frank
and even critical disagreement without
fear of repercussion. A safe environment
allows for disagreement while holding in
check the tendency to “lash out” and
become defensive.
Much of your time will be spent
with conflict situations. Many leaders
view conflict as a necessary evil to be
avoided at all costs. As a result, external
issues translate into internal stress.
Without a plan to deal with conflict in a
healthy manner, there is no avenue to
release that stress in a healthy way. On
the other hand, you can embrace conflict
situations as growth opportunities.
Maintaining a healthy perspective
toward conflict is only the beginning. As
you practice collaborative conflict
resolution, you will be building a
constructive environment for future
growth. By partnering with others in the
process, you will encourage mutual
leadership development. Step by step,
you are modeling the way for a positive
culture change in your organization.
Bringing out your best and the
best in others.
It’s your InitiativeOne
InitiativeOne is a high level strategic
counseling and leadership development
resource that has been in business since
1999. Founded by Dr. Fred Johnson,
the firm improves the performance and
effectiveness
of
leaders
and
organizations by helping them break
through the barriers that hold them
back. Our clients range in size from
small family-owned organizations to
Fortune 500 companies.
www.initiative-one.com 1.602.374.8990