"Only through contradiction can great things be created" (Müller-Thurau 2024: 131) / "The goal of a conflict or dispute should not be victory, but progress" (Joseph Joubert)
The aforementioned quotes emphasize the importance of conflicts for growth and self-development, as they uncover problems that might otherwise remain hidden or lead to increasing frustration among employees.
Conflicts are also essential for change processes—no change process occurs without resistance, and without constructively resolved confrontations, no further development can take place (cf. Bieler 2021: 1).
The next conflict is never far away, whether in professional or private life. Therefore, it is advisable to engage deeply with conflict management.
In the following, we will outline how a conflict discussion should ideally be structured and share other essential elements of conflict management, including appropriate measures.
How should a conflict discussion ideally be structured?
A conflict discussion should consist of three phases, which must be followed in a specific order. The first step is to describe the conflict, avoiding any judgments or accusations. The second phase involves defining the context, where all relevant information is gathered through thorough discussion. In the final phase, a decision is made on what actions need to be taken after weighing all the facts. A good negotiator and conflict manager will already consider possible alternative solutions before the discussion (cf. Müller-Thurau 2024: 140-141).
It is particularly important that the participants understand what happens during a conflict and how it can be explained. Analyzing a conflict requires perspective and context (cf. Hilmer 2021: 325).
Conflict management measures
Conflict coaching can be recognized as an important tool for resolving conflicts. It focuses on just one element of the system—namely, a single person. It involves personal conflict management, which is about handling challenging situations, emotions, and everything one encounters in a conflict. Conflict coaching can be used for conflict prevention, conflict resolution, or even conflict escalation (cf. Hilmer 2021: 327-328). Therefore, it is advisable to strengthen conflict competence in advance.
It can indeed be useful to establish a conflict culture within the company. Questions that serve this development include what constitutes a conflict and how it unfolds, what a constructive approach to conflicts might look like, and what characteristics a constructive conflict culture should have (cf. Bieler 2021: 4).
Approaches and principles of nonviolent communication help articulate conflict-ridden situations more effectively. Only when conflicts are addressed and controversies are exposed can we successfully work through them (cf. Tietze et al. 2023: 47).
Conclusion
Effective conflict management is essential for the success of any organization. It not only helps to defuse tensions and uncover problems but also improves the work environment by enhancing team dynamics.
Sources:
- Bieler, K. (2021): Konfliktkultur (weiter-)entwickeln. Nachhaltige Veränderung der Konfliktmentalität in Unternehmen. Springer Gabler.
- Hilmer, H. (2021): Konflikte in Projekten. Erklärungsmodelle, Methoden und Lösungen für eine bessere Konfliktkompetenz. Springer Gabler.
- Müller-Thurau, C. P. (2024): Das erste Mal Führungskraft. Tipps eines Personalprofis. 2. Aufl., Haufe.
- Tietze, A.; Treiber, J.; Weber T. M.; Schweizer-Strobel P. (2023): Kommunale Konfliktmoderation. Ein Praxisleitfaden für kommunale Verwaltungen, zivilgesellschaftliche Institutionen, Moderatorinnen und Moderatoren. Springer.