Every organization will experience some degree of conflict; in fact, conflict is fundamental for all social beings. One of conflict’s gifts is that successfully navigating through it can increase your organization’s resilience by stress testing your structures, systems, and practices to result in an organization that is more transparent, consistent, and responsive in how it navigates internal challenges.
This guide is for managers and supervisors interested in improving how they navigate conflict among staff. An attentive, empowered, and skilled supervisor can increase staff’s conflict management skills, increase a group’s effectiveness, and strengthen a team’s feelings of respect, trust, and belonging. Healthy conflict navigation requires discernment, tact, confidentiality, respectful withholding of judgment or premature promises for a resolution, and consistent communication with the parties involved. The supervisor therefore plays a powerful role in fostering a healthy culture and supporting consistent organizational practices related to conflict.
This guide includes a short outline of steps that can help managers navigate conflict between staff.