Workplace Conflict - Smoothing the Waters

Conflict is something that happens in every company. However, conflict that is ignored and not resolved can lower productivity, lead to more absenteeism, cause an employee to leave the company, or potentially cause a true crisis. Identifying conflict and successfully addressing it can help make your organization run more smoothly.

There are many reasons why conflicts come up. Some are because of different communication styles or poor communication. Because there are all types of people in a given organization, differences in opinions and viewpoints can create challenges. There is also the issue of biases and stereotypes that may have been part of someone’s upbringing. Another way conflict starts is because there is a perception of unfair treatment.   

Regardless of the reason, many people, including managers and even top leadership, do not feel comfortable enough or trained to address conflict. But not addressing conflict has a true bottom-line cost to your company. It’s estimated that American businesses lose almost $400 billion a year because of unresolved conflict in the workplace.

There are different strategies that you can talk about in your organization to better handle a conflict situation.  

Avoiding is not always ignoring a conflict issue. It may be that the relationship or goal is not important enough to get into an issue. For example, if someone sitting next to you on a bus or subway is doing something annoying, it may not be worth addressing this issue if you will never see them again. That is something that rarely happens, however, in a work environment.

In some environments, competition is used to resolve conflict. This usually is not the best approach at work. One scenario is potentially in a crisis. If someone is in a medical emergency and people are arguing about what to do, taking charge can mean getting appropriate help more quickly. This approach may also be helpful if in an unsafe situation. It can be a situation where being more assertive to get to a safe place is more important than the relationship with those causing the conflict.

Sometimes, making an accommodation can calm a situation. This is a good approach if the relationship is more important than the immediate goal. There does need to be a balance between knowing when to make an accommodation and not using it as a way to just avoid conflict. It’s important for managers and leaders to pay attention to make sure that some team members are not always backing down and don’t feel their ideas are not being valued. This can lead to less innovation and problems that need to be addressed not being discussed. 

Compromising can be a great way to resolve a conflict. It's key to build a working environment that rewards compromises that help move past a roadblock. It does require more of a broader view and putting personal ego aside. It can allow for the people or groups of people on either side of a conflict to feel their views and ideas are valued, but that the bigger goal is for everyone to be able to contribute. It emphasizes that though there is some sacrifice, it can lead to a beneficial resolution for everyone involved. This still may feel to some like a lose-lose strategy, so think about additional follow-up to see if additional conversation is needed.

Collaboration is the best form of addressing conflict because, if done right, it can feel win-win for everyone. The goal is to get everyone involved in working on an outcome that meets all the needs. It can mean that both the desired goals can be met, and relationships can be maintained, even strengthened.  

If you are having challenges with conflict resolution, there are organizations that provide conflict resolution training for your managers and leaders. Helping your teams better address conflict can mean building more trust and innovation into your working environment. It may be an investment your company wants to make in 2026.