4 Conflict Resolution Skills for Managers: Nurturing a Positive Team Culture

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

In today’s fast-paced business environment, managers are not just expected to lead the work and people, but also to foster a positive team culture and resolve conflicts effectively. Conflict arises from differences in personalities, goals, and pressures and oftentimes, managers are smack dab in the middle of these conflicts. At the end of the day, how these conflicts are managed can significantly impact team dynamics and overall productivity. 

Let’s take a look at four essential conflict resolution skills every manager should develop to nurture a positive and productive team culture:

Where is the conflict coming from?

1. Active & Reflective Listening

One of the fundamental skills in conflict resolution is listening. This involves not just hearing what the other person is saying, but truly understanding their perspective and listening for the root of the issue(s) they are describing. Active and reflective listening both require patience, openness, and the ability to withhold judgment. 

For new managers, it can often be an additional challenge to hold back from solving the conflict for the parties involved. A good practice is to write down responses or questions in lieu of interrupting or jumping in with solutions. This can help de-escalate tensions and show team members that their viewpoints are valued, while also empowering them to work towards resolution on their own.

2. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill for managers in resolving conflicts. It involves being aware of one's emotions and the emotions of others in order to navigate different types of conflict situations that managers are asked to address.

High emotional intelligence can help managers anticipate conflicts before they escalate and handle them more diplomatically. For managers looking to build self awareness around their own emotional intelligence abilities and opportunity areas, assessment tools like Everything DiSC and EQi 2.0 can be incredibly helpful, especially with the guidance of a coach.

Once identified, how to address it?

3. Facilitate Communication

Encourage team members to express their thoughts and concerns openly. Ideally, they should feel as though they can do this without fear of repercussions, but if a manager hasn’t created a sense of psychological safety on the team this may not be possible. 

Consistent communication by way of check-ins and team meetings is a good practice for managers looking to increase team communication touch-points and build an environment of trust and transparency. 

4. Define Acceptable Behavior

Clearly defining what constitutes acceptable behavior of team members is a proactive strategy to prevent conflicts. 

This involves setting clear expectations and guidelines about professional behavior at work and how to engage as a team. When these guidelines are in place, they also provide a framework for addressing behavior or performance that may lead to conflicts. When people know what’s expected of them as well as what the consequences are if they don’t live up to those expectations help set the tone for how conflict is handled on teams.

Need additional support and resources?

New Manager Skill-Up

As a manager, you might often need to take the role of a mediator. This involves facilitating a dialogue between conflicting parties to help them understand each other’s perspectives and reach a compromise. Effective mediation involves being impartial and focusing on the issue, not the personalities involved. If you are a new manager looking to build your conflict management capabilities, consider training programs focused specifically on the mediation and conflict skills for those at the manager level in organizations.

Follow Through & Accountability

After a conflict has been resolved, it is essential to follow up with the team to ensure that the resolution has been effective and that no residual feelings are lingering. This might involve regular check-ins with the involved parties and monitoring the team dynamics to prevent a recurrence. Conflict coaching can help hold managers and team members accountable to putting agreements and skills into practice.

Training & Resources

Make the investment in training. Not everyone is naturally good at navigating conflict. In fact, most leaders and managers are NOT good at handling or addressing conflict. The chance to develop and practice specific conflict management skills not only equips managers to handle issues, but also promotes a culture of self-management, mutual respect, and accountability. Resources such as workshops, seminars, and reading materials can be beneficial tools on the learning journey.

Conflict resolution is not about winning an argument or enforcing authority; it's about forging understanding and respect among team members. As a manager, investing time in conflict management skills can be a game changer for nurturing a healthy, constructive team culture that can withstand the challenges of modern workplace conflicts.