Conflict Resolution: 5 Tips for Project Managers

Conflicts are inevitable in any organization, and the way you manage them will have an impact on efficiency, productivity, and the morale of your team. Lingering conflicts can lead to widespread dissent and even mutiny, so you must be very careful to not simply brush issues under the rug or you might have to face the consequences later. Let’s take a look at some tips all project managers who want to be better at conflict resolution should follow.

Set Clear Guidelines from the Get-Go

The clearer the instructions are for a project, the lesser the chances that there will be miscommunication issues. Things like team hierarchy, meeting guidelines, who should be consulted in case of issues and when, and overarching goals and objectives must be clear from the very beginning. They must be easily verifiable too. This is what will eventually eliminate the chance of misunderstandings and conflict.

Consider Getting Leadership Courses

If you want to become better at conflict resolution, one of the first things you should consider is to continue your education so you can refine your skills. A technical leadership certificate would give you all the skills to better manage teams, and improve communication between you and employees, and between employees themselves. You can get a technical leadership certificate online or on campus in as little as six months, so don’t assume that it will take too much time, and consider the different options out there if you want to be a more well-rounded manager.

Be an Active Listener

One of the worst things when trying to resolve conflicts between employees is bias. And the first step in eliminating bias is being an active listener so you can listen to both sides of an issue with equal attention. 

If an issue arose because of a clash of egos between employees, try to approach them separately and hear them out. Find out if the issue happened overnight, or if it was festering for a long time. Ask as many questions as you can so you can get to the root of the conflict, and do not fall prey to negative presumptions. This is the only way to find out what really caused the issue and come to a fair conclusion.

Embrace Conflict

You need to see conflict as a normal part of running an organization. You can’t expect all your team members to agree with all of your decisions, and they might have something to say about the way you do things. This is a chance for you to learn and improve, so take conflict as an opportunity, and always value your team members’ viewpoints.

Use a Mediator

Using a mediator is a great way to resolve a conflict. The mediator will listen to both sides of a conflict and come to their conclusions. You can use their opinion as supporting evidence and bring both parties in to share your solution. The mediator can be present to help clarify certain things that were said.

Conclusion

Resolving conflicts fast and effectively is very important if you want your team to reach its objectives and work in unison. So try to constantly refine your conflict resolution techniques and focus on being as impartial as possible when approaching conflict.

Originally posted 2022-12-13 19:25:32.