What are the best ways to promote healthy conflict behaviors in your organization?

1 Assess your conflict style

The first step to promoting healthy conflict behaviors is to understand your own conflict style and how it affects your interactions with others. There are five common conflict styles: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. Each style has its strengths and weaknesses, depending on the situation and the relationship. For example, competing can be effective when you need to assert your authority or protect your interests, but it can also damage trust and cooperation. Collaborating can be ideal when you want to create synergy and mutual benefit, but it can also be time-consuming and unrealistic. To assess your conflict style, you can use a self-assessment tool such as the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) or the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP).

3 Teach conflict resolution skills

To promote healthy conflict behaviors, you can teach conflict resolution skills to your team members and yourself. These abilities involve active listening, empathy, and problem-solving. Active listening involves paying attention to the other person and using verbal and non-verbal cues to show interest and understanding. Empathy involves putting yourself in the other person's shoes to understand their feelings, needs, and motivations. Problem-solving involves finding mutually acceptable solutions by identifying root causes, generating alternatives, evaluating pros and cons, and agreeing on actions and follow-ups. To teach these skills, you can use strategies such as role-playing, case studies, simulations, or coaching sessions. Additionally, you can provide resources such as books, articles, or online courses on conflict resolution.

4 Celebrate diversity and inclusion

A fourth way to promote healthy conflict behaviors is to celebrate diversity and inclusion in your organization. Diversity is the recognition and appreciation of the differences among people, and inclusion is the creation and maintenance of a culture where everyone feels valued. To celebrate diversity and inclusion, you can educate yourself and others about the benefits of diversity and inclusion for your organization, as well as the challenges and barriers that some groups or individuals may face. Additionally, you can promote dialogue and collaboration across differences by encouraging team members to interact with people from different backgrounds, cultures, or perspectives. Lastly, recognize and celebrate diversity and inclusion by acknowledging the contributions of your team members from diverse backgrounds or groups, as well as those who demonstrate inclusive behaviors.

5 Manage unhealthy conflict behaviors

Managing unhealthy conflict behaviors within an organization is a fifth way to promote healthy conflict behaviors. These behaviors are those that undermine or sabotage the resolution of conflicts, like personal attacks, stonewalling, triangulation, and escalation. To manage these behaviors, you need to identify and address their triggers and patterns. Observe and analyze when, where, how, and why they occur and what the consequences are. Try to understand the underlying emotions, needs, or interests of the parties involved. Intervene and de-escalate unhealthy conflict behaviors when they arise. Use techniques such as reframing or summarizing to focus on the issue, not the person. Express your feelings, needs, or expectations assertively rather than aggressively or passively. Finally, resolve and prevent unhealthy conflict behaviors by setting clear goals, expectations, and boundaries. Provide feedback, support, or coaching as needed.

6 Develop a conflict-positive culture

Developing a conflict-positive culture in your organization is the sixth way to promote healthy conflict behaviors. This type of culture embraces and leverages conflict as an opportunity for learning, growth, and innovation, rather than avoiding or suppressing it. To create a conflict-positive culture, communicate and demonstrate its value and benefits. Share your vision and goals for the culture, and how it aligns with the organization's mission, values, and strategy. Highlight positive outcomes of healthy conflict, such as improved quality, efficiency, or creativity. Model healthy conflict behaviors yourself, and empower team members with the resources, tools, and skills to engage in it. Provide autonomy for them to make decisions without fear of punishment or blame. Monitor and measure the impact of healthy conflict by tracking progress and results. Use indicators such as feedback, satisfaction, engagement, retention, or productivity. Also solicit feedback from team members, peers, and stakeholders on how to improve or sustain the culture.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?