Confrontation and Conflict
Confrontation and conflict arise naturally from competitive endeavors, and the ability to differ fuels a company's growth. However, for confrontation to be productive, it must be handled appropriately.
The source of conflict often arises out of competing initiatives or priorities, where it is not possible (often due to limited resources) to pursue multiple courses of action.
Exacerbating the problem is that winning conflicts is necessary to develop credibility and a reputation as a tough and competent business person. To an individual, the consequences of being brutish in confrontations is damage to their professional reputation and the willingness of others to du business with them at all; to the organization, fostering a hostile environment can be counterproductive.
Some tips for dealing with conflict constructively:
- Be prompt - If a problem is allowed to fester to the point that it becomes a crisis, the parties involved will often act rashly in dealing with an "emergency" situation
- Seek perspective - Attempt to understand the other side rather than making assumptions about their motives. Ask questions, but avoid "why" questions, which tend to put people on the defensive.
- Focus on the situation - In many instances, remnants of past conflicts exacerbate the current situation. They are neither relevant nor productive.
- Respond appropriately - Not every problem is a crisis, and aggrandizing small matters harms your credibility and your case.
- Focus on a solution - Every problem has a cause, but the cause is irrelevant to solving the problem. Especially when "the problem" is a person or department, the argument can become heated. Fix the problem first, and examine whether it's worthwhile to address the behavior later.
- Preempt if possible - In many instances, you can see a problem coming and act to avoid it before it arises or becomes critical. It takes much less effort to do so, and creates fewer enemies.
EN: The ability to deal with conflict is also a matter of culture, and being prompt and direct may be counterproductive.