MANAGEMENT SKILLS - Organizational Culture & Conflict Management

Organizational Culture & Conflict Management Assessment

by Colleen Reinhart, Demand Media

A cooperative approach to conflict usually works better than duking it out

Wherever people work together, occasional conflict is inevitable. What sets one organization apart from another is how people respond to conflict when it does arise. Although disagreements take place between individuals, organizational culture can affect how often people argue, conflict resolution style and what most disagreements are about. While some conflict is productive, other types aren't. Manage your organization to encourage positive change through conflict resolution, and avoid fights that only produce division and frustration.

Conflict Styles

On his website, consultant and Ph.D. Ralph Kilmann discusses the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, a method of assessing conflict resolution style that has been around for more than 30 years. According to this model, there are five modes of conflict resolution: competing, accommodating, avoiding, collaborating and compromising. Everyone's capable of using all five styles, although most people rely on one type more than others. Although all five approaches have their place, the collaborative approach is ideal in most workplace situations. It involves searching for the root of the problem and finding a solution that's equally satisfactory to both parties. Organizational culture affects the conflict style employees use. For example, if your company is based on an "every man for himself" mentality, chances are you'll have more competitors and fewer collaborators.

Leadership

Strong leadership at the top allows people to use a collaborative approach to conflict more often. Without a clear, communicated vision of where the company is going, people can get into disagreements that go beyond the surface level as every person in the organization struggles to develop top-level goals and a defining identity. When a strong manager develops a mission and communicates objectives to the team, people have common ground to work from to address conflict collaboratively. If conflict is a big problem in your business, consider whether you're providing enough guidance to allow people to work as a team. According to a 2008 study by the testing and assessment company Psychometrics, 73 percent of survey takers said poor management was a major cause of conflict.

Top Skills

No matter your industry or organizational culture, there are steps managers can take to reduce conflict and make the experience of dealing with it more positive. The Psychometrics study said that management must proactively address underlying tensions before an explosive conflict emerges. When you're making a big change in your company, take the time to seek out opinions and understand how people feel about it before moving forward. Modeling the right behavior is also important. If you want your employees to take a collaborative approach to conflict resolution, take that approach yourself, whether you're negotiating pay with a new employee or determining strategic direction with a business partner.

Accentuate the Positive

Conflict isn't something to be avoided at all costs. In fact, approaching conflict with a positive attitude is the best way to make the most of it and emerge at the end of the tunnel with a more creative solution or a better plan than before. Communicate this positive view of conflict to your team and people will be more likely to work together than bump heads. Include a commitment to collaboration and teamwork in your mission statement.