Deborah OConnor September 3, 2013

Conflict occurs all the time in business, in fact it is surprising thatit doesn’t occur more often. The key is keeping the conflictprofessional instead of turning it into a personal attack. Because youare emotionally invested in your work, you stand a much better chance of resolving issues if you can indeed keep it professional. Let’s examinesome effective ways to do this.

•    Define the conflict by determining what the actual conflictis. Don’t label the person, rather describe the specific behavior orsituation that causes conflict.
•    Consider your alternatives. You have to decide if thisparticular situation is worth pursuing. Is this the right time to takethis on? Do you have more to lose than to win? Letting the other personwin this one can provide a future bargaining chip.
•    Talk to the person involved. Always give the person who iscausing the conflict a chance to explain or correct it. The sooner youdo this, the better, and your boss will expect you to try to resolve the issue before you bring it to him or her.
•    Be specific regarding the behavior you want to discuss. Bedirect in order to be effective and tell the person exactly what you are unhappy with. For example, you might say, “When I don’t have theresearch I need on my desk every morning by 9:00 am I get frustratedbecause I can’t do my job properly.”
•    Stay calm and don’t accuse. Sometimes the other person isn’t aware of the problem. A good way to approach this is, “You may notrealize this, but it’s really distracting when you talk loudly on thephone” or “ Please remember to sign the contract in the future” asopposed to “You forgot to sign the contract again!”
•    Listen. Let the other person tell their side of the storyand try to learn how the other person feels. You may have entirelydifferent versions of the conflict and may resolve the issues by hearing each other out.
•    Develop a mutual solution. Be specific about your solutionand then listen to the other person’s ideas. Perhaps there is acompromise that makes everyone happy.
•    Follow through. You may have to remind the person of theagreement, you may have to put it in writing, and you might have torenegotiate. You also have to decide if you need to take this to ahigher level in the company. Always document everything in the process.

Conflict resolution can be handled with diplomacy and efficiency if youreally make the effort. Be thoughtful, fair, and always considereveryone’s feelings in the process.

Deborah O’Connor is a social strategist and founder and president of Successful Image LLC with offices in Columbia and Atlanta. She offers training and seminars on image management, workplace etiquette, and social skillsnecessary to succeed in life professionally and personally. Contactat:  [email protected]        www.successfulimage.biz