A good working atmosphere is one of the most important assets of any organization. Conflicts between colleagues, as well as subordinates and superiors, however, happen in every, even the best cooperating team. The key issue then is to identify the causes of the conflict situation and to select effective and constructive ways to resolve it.

Conflicts are undoubtedly an inevitable phenomenon. They can be seen on every level – in the family, at school, in professional life. When building relationships with co-workers or management, you may encounter a difference of interests, values, views, emotions, and this may be the basis of a conflict. On the one hand, conflicts can cause frustration, stress, an increase in absenteeism and even departure from the company; they can also contribute to inappropriate communication or weaken cooperation. As a result of their occurrence, there may be disintegration among employees, leaving work, as well as the formation of informal groups.

On the other hand, conflicts can lead to increased solidarity, group integration and strengthening bonds between colleagues. It should be added that despite the cathartic role of conflicts, they carry high costs, not only for the parties involved, but also for the entire enterprise. The result of a conflict may often be a greater turnover of employees, a decrease in their motivation to work or an increase in the number of sick leaves, which in turn generates costs for the employer resulting from sickness absence.

Proper conflict management should aim at choosing methods that minimize its negative aspects and maximize its benefits. It should be emphasized that conflict in itself is not bad, but improperly selected ways of solving it can lead to losses. For this reason, it is very important to approach conflict resolution constructively and choose appropriate dispute resolution methods that will enable cooperation and team integration.

Traditional methods of conflict resolution most often lead to the disintegration of the group, because only one party gains from the conflict situation. Modern forms are often a better choice because they do not lead to the loss of one of the parties. In such a situation, a properly managed conflict contributes to an increase in the convergence of goals among employees and the integration of the crew.

Here are selected, modern methods of managing conflicts at work (however, of course, some of them – such as compromise or agreeing – are also used in non-professional situations):

• Compromise – partial satisfaction of both one’s own interests and the partner’s. Both sides both gain and lose in a conflict. Compromise is a popular form of conflict resolution. Most often it is used in the case of limited resources, desired by two or more people. Each side gains something, but also loses something.
• Agreeing – based on the search for the best solution. This leads to an attempt to meet the needs of all parties to the conflict as well as the satisfaction and integration of the team. In this method, the conflict is perceived as a common problem that needs to be solved in such a way that each side can achieve its interests. Negotiation is based not on concessions, but on cooperation and working out a position that will satisfy all parties to the conflict. The emphasis is not on the speed of the solution, but on the search for the best solution
• Disclosure of common interest – it can be a goal, meeting needs or protecting against threats. Competitive goals are replaced by common ones that lead to the integration of the team in which the conflict arose. There is a distraction from the conflict, and working together shows the parties that they can act together. As a result of this strategy, disputes often turn into cooperation.
• Establishing overarching goals – strengthens team integration, and conflict recedes into the background. The goal-setting method takes into account the lower-order goals of each of the parties to the conflict. Common goals lead to the abandonment of conflict and the pursuit of cooperation.

Source: CIOP and PIB materials

Source:https://www.seka.pl/konflikty-w-pracy/

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.