What types of conflict can you find in the company?
There are several types of conflicts that can occur in a company, some of the most common are:
- Conflicts between individuals: Disagreements between colleagues, conflicts between managers and subordinates, conflicts between different departments, etc.
- Interdepartmental conflicts: disagreements between different departments about resources, objectives, priorities, etc.
- Conflicts between interests: Discussions between the company and its employees, the company and its customers, the company and its suppliers, etc.
- Leadership style conflicts: Serious differences between leaders and subordinates about how tasks and projects should be led and directed.
- Conflicts of values: Misalignments regarding the values and ethical standards of the company and how they should be applied.
- Objective conflicts: Disagreements about the objectives and goals of the company and how they should be achieved.
- Resource conflicts: Disputes over the use of financial resources
What skills are needed to efficiently manage conflicts?
There are several key competencies that a manager needs to resolve conflicts in his company, some of the most important are:
- Effective communication: Communicate clearly and constructively with the different members of the team, in order to understand the perspectives of each party involved.
- Negotiation skills: Negotiate and reach win-win agreements between the people involved in the conflict.
- Empathy: Put yourself in the place of others and understand their feelings, needs and motivations, in order to find solutions that satisfy the majority.
- Creative problem solving: Think outside the box and find creative solutions to conflicts, instead of resorting to conventional solutions.
- Leadership: Guide the team through the conflict resolution process and keep the focus on the long-term goals of the company.
- Decision making: Decide quickly and effectively, assuming responsibility for the consequences of their decisions.
- Mediation Skills: Mediate between the parties involved, help the parties understand each other’s points of view, and guide the parties to reach a mutual agreement.
How to improve the key competencies for conflict management?
There are several ways in which a manager can improve their managerial skills to resolve conflicts in their company, some of the most effective are:
- Training: Look for training courses in leadership, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, etc. that can help you develop the necessary skills to manage and resolve conflicts in your business.
- Reading: Read books and articles on leadership, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, etc. to gain a better understanding of how to manage and resolve conflicts in your company.
- Practice: Practice the skills of communication, negotiation, mediation, etc. in everyday situations it can help build your confidence and skills in these areas.
- Observation: Observing how other leaders manage and resolve conflicts in your company or in other companies, this can give you an idea of how to manage and resolve conflicts in your own
- Coaching: Get a coach. Coaching is a process in which a coach (trainer or advisor) helps a person or a group to achieve their personal or professional goals through discussion and dialogue. The coach helps the person to identify their strengths and weaknesses, to establish clear goals and to develop strategies to achieve them.
Finally, leadership is a combination of innate and acquired skills. Some people may be more likely to be leaders, but developing skills and gaining experience are essential to becoming an effective leader. Without that constant development, the leader will become out of date and end up being replaceable.
Ricardo Alfaro