Top conflict resolution techniques for the workplace

Workplace disagreements aren't uncommon in Malaysia. Cultural and religious differences among employees and other factors can pose challenges to maintaining a positive work environment. Hostility in the workplace can have an impact on teamwork and productivity, so you must know how to deal with tense situations. 

Conflict resolution is a vital skill for every employee to learn. Workplace disagreements can occur regardless of the nature of your work. It's important that you know how to deal with tense situations. Conflict resolution brings people together. The workplace becomes more conducive and employees can collaborate to figure out a solution to a problem.  

While a complex skill set to learn, being able to resolve conflicts will make you an asset to any organisation. If you're still learning to master this skill, this article can help. It will cover the following key information on conflict resolution:

• What is conflict resolution?
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Effective communication in conflict resolution
• Conclusion
• FAQs 

What is conflict resolution? 

Conflict resolution is the process of ending a dispute by reaching an agreement that satisfies everyone involved. You use communication skills to hold meaningful discussions and control emotional responses. This approach allows you to resolve issues much faster. Ultimately, it can lead to greater efficiency in the workplace and a more productive work environment.  

The success of any organisation is dependent on how people address conflict. When employees resolve conflicts poorly, it strains healthy relationships among colleagues. It also leads to low retention. When employees exercise strong conflict resolution skills, it has a positive impact. It builds trust and rapport, improves understanding, and fosters a collaborative work culture. 

Conflict resolution strategies 

Conflict in the workplace can manifest in several ways. In a multiethnic country like Malaysia, workplace discrimination and misunderstandings can occur due to differences in cultural backgrounds, mother tongues, and religious beliefs. Competition among employees, personality clashes, and poor management are other factors that can contribute to a toxic work environment. 

Some employees can resolve arguments with a quick conversation between colleagues. Other conflicts are more severe and need intervention from HR or leadership. In worst cases, the lack of conflict resolution can result in resignations and low retention rates. 

Having different types of workplace conflict means that there are also different strategies to resolve them. Common strategies include avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. All these strategies can help to resolve conflict, but some may also have a negative impact. It's important to discern how to best use these conflict strategies in the workplace. You should also be aware of how they can affect your relationship with your coworkers. 

Also read: Empowering teams with strategies for conflict resolution in the workplace

Avoidance 

Avoidance is the least confrontational conflict resolution strategy. In avoidance, you distance yourself from conflict. In most cases, you wait until it goes away on its own or other people resolve it without your involvement. This can be a good strategy for minor conflicts. You don’t want to escalate every trivial dispute. It also gives your employees a chance to collect their thoughts and make better decisions. However, too many unresolved conflicts can be harmful.  

Suppose you're working at a company where the majority of the employees communicate in a mother tongue you don't understand, making you feel left out in conversations. Rather than confront them about it, you stay quiet to avoid an argument with your team. You're hiding how you feel about the situation. This can lead to resentment and eventually affect your work.  

Accommodation 

Accommodation as a conflict resolution strategy means you give way or accommodate the preference of the other party. In this strategy, the approach to resolving conflict is cooperative, not assertive. This often happens when pitching project ideas or strategies. You may have a game plan. But if someone else is more vocal about the best way to do things, you give way to them for the sake of collaboration.  

In some circumstances, this can be a positive approach to avoiding conflict in the workplace. But it can also result in unresolved issues. When you accommodate too much, others can take advantage of you. They might deprive you of opportunities to voice your opinions. You may appear to lack leadership skills and initiative.  

Competition 

The competition strategy is the opposite of accommodation. In competition, one person takes on a dominant role. They dictate how others should complete a task or resolve a problem. These people usually have strong opinions. They also practise quick decision-making without consulting other parties.  

To illustrate, imagine that you're working with a team to complete a project plan. After reviewing the plan, your manager requests revisions on certain components. You and your colleagues may suggest ideas on how to address the feedback. Someone who uses the competition strategy will decide on the best course of action without consulting other team members.  

This method can be quick and efficient. Having a clear leader to take charge can help get things done quicker. However, being too competitive can strain your relationship with your colleagues. Co-workers may avoid working with you on other projects in the future because of this behaviour.  

Compromise 

Compromise is a workplace conflict management style that requires all parties to give something up. This way, everyone can come to a mutually acceptable solution. The solution won't meet everyone's demands, but it should still satisfy them.  

For example, let’s say people are competing for limited workplace resources. The best solution might be for the company to buy more equipment, but this isn't always possible. A compromise would be for people to share the available equipment. Or they could create a schedule where each person has access for a fixed amount of time. 

In this situation, the compromise might be fair, but it’s not exactly the best outcome. Although your team members agreed to compromise, the inconvenience will make them unhappy. This could lead to further unresolved conflicts down the road. It’s critical that a compromise is fair to all and doesn’t make things too difficult for your team. 

Collaboration 

Collaboration is a strategy that provides the best possible outcome in any situation. With this conflict management technique, everyone comes together to discuss the issue. They actively listen to each other and negotiate a solution that everyone agrees on. Collaboration works when people put the needs of others above their own.  

For instance, when creating company policies, team members may have differing ideas on the wording. This can cause conflict over which direction to take. It's challenging to move forward with a project when people have their own way of doing something.  

But with collaboration, everyone's input will influence the end product or solution. All people involved feel heard and understood. Collaboration makes it easier to work together in finding the best solution. This method may take more time and energy, but the outcomes are beneficial. 

Effective communication in conflict resolution 

Effective communication is one of the most important conflict management skills. In Malaysia, many people hesitate to speak up at work so that they can avoid offending their co-workers and getting into trouble. It's important to learn how to express your concerns without faulting other parties involved. This makes it easier to find common ground and avoid workplace conflict. There are many ways you can improve dialogue with your colleagues. One helpful method is to learn about effective communication styles. Here are some you can use them in your daily conversations:

• Practise active listening.  This involves understanding the speaker without interrupting or judging them. Be fully present in the conversation and reflect on what you hear before responding.
• Use open and honest communication. This means allowing yourself to be vulnerable to the other person. The priority is fixing the problem as opposed to winning an argument. This helps build trust and fosters a collaborative atmosphere.
• Use "I" statements instead of "you" statements. “I” statements allow you to focus on what you want to communicate. Avoid “you” statements since they can be perceived as hostile. Using “I” statements helps avoid blame and defensiveness, promoting a more constructive conversation.
• Be aware of your nonverbal communication. This includes body language and facial expressions. Nonverbal communication can convey important messages and emotions during conflict resolution. Some examples include making eye contact or nodding your head in agreement. 

Conclusion 

Misunderstandings and disagreements can happen in any Malaysian workplace. Although you may not be able to completely eliminate workplace conflict, you can do your best to avoid or resolve it. The goal is to ensure all team members have effective conflict resolution skills. This enables them to handle disagreements professionally. Practising conflict resolution creates strong workplace relationships. It fosters loyalty and trust among employees, improving workplace morale.  

Learn which conflict management styles work for you. Then try to integrate them into your daily interactions. The goal is to be more intentional about how you communicate with others. 

FAQs 

1. What are the 5 methods of conflict resolution? 
   ⁠The five conflict resolution strategies are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Since there are several methods of conflict resolution, teams and individuals can find the method that works best for them. This can help find solutions to workplace conflicts faster with more positive outcomes. 
2. What is the meaning of conflict resolution techniques? 
   ⁠Conflict resolution techniques are strategies for addressing and resolving conflicts. This is done constructively and positively. It also promotes understanding and collaboration among teammates. Some examples of conflict resolution techniques are active listening and positive nonverbal communication. 
3. How can effective communication help in conflict resolution? 
   ⁠Effective communication leads to successful conflict resolution. This is because people can better express their perspectives. Communicating clearly and calmly makes it easier to identify the root cause of conflict. After this, people can work together to find a solution and find ways to avoid conflict in the future. 
   ⁠Effective communication builds trust and creates healthy workplace relationships. This helps prevent conflicts from happening in the first place.  
4. What is problem-solving in conflict resolution? 
   ⁠Problem-solving involves identifying, analysing, and developing solutions to resolve conflict. Doing so helps address a specific issue. It also requires collaboration and team building. All involved parties must work together to find a resolution that satisfies everyone. 
5. What is negotiation in conflict resolution? 
   ⁠Negotiation is when conflicting parties work together until they reach an agreeable solution. They make use of a give-and-take approach to address and resolve workplace conflict. This means that everyone has a say in the resolution and team members consider all ideas.