Labor Conflict: Training, Conflict Coaching and Mediation, As Solutions
How often do you experience conflict at work? According to a Civility in America survey, 43% of American workers have experienced incivility and 38% say there is growing disrespect in the workplace. An additional survey, commissioned by CPP, Inc., indicates that employees around the world experience conflict, on average, 2.1 hours per week or one day per month. In the US, that number increases to 2.8 hours a week.
When a conflict occurs, many of us seek to minimize the conflict by avoiding the person with whom we had the conflict or by avoiding the situation that led to the conflict. Others, those who are competitive by nature, fight back with anger and hostility, which intensifies the conflict. Both responses are costly to the employer. Conflict-avoiding employees, by withdrawing from conflict, are depriving their employers of their skills and ideas. Competitive employees who tend to escalate conflict spend time and energy on the conflict rather than on their work. In fact, according to researcher and psychologist Daniel Dana, “[u]Unresolved conflict represents the largest reducible cost in many companies, yet it remains largely unrecognized.”
Remember that conflict by itself is not a problem. Disagreement and conflict open up opportunities for growth and new ways of thinking. It is the unresolved conflict, the conflict that is left to simmer, that creates problems for people and organizations.
Why are unresolved conflicts in the workplace so common? Therapist and mediator, Bill Eddy, believes that we live in a culture of blame and disrespect. “[T]Television, movies, the Internet, and even newspapers emphasize people’s bad behavior rather than issues of actual substance: Who said what disrespectful statement to whom today? Who walked out of a TV show or a political rally?” Another reason for our conflict-ridden workplace is that, due to our weak economy, people have to work longer hours and with greater responsibility, the stress of which can create Conflict Finally, the increasing use of teams in the workplace, while a positive development, also creates the possibility of more unresolved conflict.
The options for dealing with conflicts in the workplace are various. First, employers should consider offering conflict resolution training to their employees. Learning more about the causes of conflict, the nature of conflict, and techniques for reaching out to those with whom we are in conflict can make a significant difference. Second, conflict counseling, a relatively new option, is an individual process that helps people develop strategies and new approaches to dealing with a particular conflict or conflict in general. Conflict coaching has been used successfully at Temple University as a complement to mediation services and in large corporations such as IBM. Employers should consider offering this option to their employees.
Third, mediation, especially if used early in a dispute and before litigation is filed, can be a successful and satisfying dispute resolution process. Mediation is a confidential process in which the parties take an active role in resolving their dispute and reaching a mutually acceptable solution. The process is informal and private. Unlike a judge, the mediator does not impose a particular solution, but rather facilitates communication between the parties and helps them create a mutually acceptable agreement. This process is highly cost-effective, especially when compared to the cost of litigation. Costs are reduced because in the case of pre-litigation mediation, there is no need for extensive preparation and presentation by attorneys; there is also no need for transcripts, post-hearing briefs, or a written decision.
One of the benefits of mediation is that the tools developed in mediation can help parties address other disputes in the same way. In fact, the potential exists with mediation to transform the groups used in mediation into organized groups for the purpose of solving other problems in the employee-management relationship.
Research has shown that offering employees a variety of options to resolve conflicts can improve efficiency in the workplace and improve overall morale. Business owners and organizational managers should consider conflict management training, conflict coaching, and mediation as options for improving the workplace.