Conflict Management Resources
Online resources to support your efforts to navigate conflict situations at work:
1. Reframe conflict as positive and productive.
Productive Conflict Isn’t Bad, Especially in the Workplace
Conflict in the workplace can arise when there’s a diversity of backgrounds and lived experiences. This blog by BetterUp explains how to harness differences and reduce the potential for harm to help teams grow and reach their full potential.
For many, workplace conflict is considered a signal that something is wrong and should be avoided. This TED talk by Clair Canfield provides a different perspective on conflict to help improve our personal and work relationships.
2. Understand reason for workplace conflict and different conflict styles.
This blog by Harvard Business Review explains different forms and sources of conflict at work and distinguishes the difference between constructive, healthy conflict (disagreements) vs. destructive, unproductive conflict (aggression).
Conflict Management Styles Explained in 5 Minutes
This resource by the Niagara Institute describes conflict management styles. Also included is a quiz for identifying your own conflict style and suggestions on situations when adopting an alternative conflict style may be more effective.
3. Adopt constructive approaches for handling workplace conflict.
Finding Confidence in Conflict
Many of us go out of our way to avoid having difficult conversations necessary to resolve workplace disagreements. In this TED Talk, Kwame Christian introduces his Compassionate Curiosity Framework, a 3-step process for making difficult conversations easier. Kwame is also the author of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life.
When conflict emerges at work, we tend to seek out others who think like us, rather try to understand different points of view. In this Coaching for Leaders podcast Amy Gallo shares evidence-based strategies for effectively navigating disagreements and handling conflict situations professionally and productively. Amy is also the author of the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict.