This is article 5 of the series on Conflict Resolution
Conflicts in the workplace are unavoidable, whether it is due to heavy workloads, creative disagreements, or perhaps even a personality clash. However, it’s important to remember that while conflict can be beneficial and even required for progress, it can also have a detrimental impact on performance, making for an unproductive and unpleasant working environment. That’s why it needs to be managed before it spirals out of control.
Educating oneself on Friedrich Glasl’s nine-stage model of conflict escalation is a proven method for conflict resolution. The second stage of conflict escalation and how to deal with debate and polemics were the focus of the previous instalment of this series. This article will focus on the third stage, which is actions rather than words.
What Occurs During the Third Stage of Conflict Escalation?
The prerequisite for moving on to the third stage is tied to the fundamental right of each side to be heard. The conflict enters stage 3 when one party concludes that further discussion is futile and decides to act unilaterally without consulting the other.
At this point, neither party believes that talking about the problem would bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. Hence, they focus their efforts on taking action. Mutual goals and the chance of resuming collaboration are relegated to the back seat. The parties begin to perceive one another as rivals. Because of this, it’s easy to become frustrated with one’s dependence on the other party, which can feel like an impediment to progress. Competing parties are working to eliminate mutual reliance in favour of unilateral dependence, so they can gain the upper hand over their rival. At this stage, the most important objective is to prevent the other side from achieving its goals and pursuing its interests.
By acting alone, the parties expect that the competitor would succumb, but they do not want to appear to yield to the other group’s pressure. Actions and nonverbal cues take precedence over spoken exchanges because of the distrust between those involved. In turn, this has the effect of speeding up conflict escalation.
The push to adopt a similar stance and perception grows among each side. There is a tendency for ideas, sentiments, and interpretations to be pared down to the most basic common denominator. As a result of the strong sense of togetherness and shared dilemma, it’s harder to empathise with the worries and viewpoints of those on the opposite side. Conversations are limited and unreliable, so the parties’ stereotypical judgments of each other’s behaviour and inferred motives can’t be validated by getting real feedback. Speculations about hidden agendas and covert plans can take root if left unchecked.
Due to the lack of genuine communication, the sense of isolation is heightened. Eventually, the participants begin to regard themselves as being overwhelmed by external forces they cannot influence. As a result, they are more likely to deny any responsibility for the outcome of events. They increasingly see their actions as retaliation for the other party’s behaviour.
Common Signs of Conflict at Stage 3
In the third stage, you should be on the lookout for these red flags:
Formation of Factions
Workers should always collaborate for the good of the company. Certain members of the group may be feuding if the team is divided into distinct factions. The same goes for those choosing sides or banding together against each other.
Loss of Trust and Respect
This issue is a serious problem. Keep an eye out for these terms if you see them used frequently. These are warning signs that the workplace is in the midst of an unhealthy conflict. In any business, trust is crucial, whether it’s between colleagues or between workers and management. According to studies, teams that have a great deal of trust have been shown to be the most effective. Any signs of loss of trust and respect should be immediately addressed.
Disengagement
Disengagement can emerge in various ways for different people, such as isolation or a decline in the overall quality of one’s work. For instance, perhaps they suddenly stopped engaging in social gatherings after work or severed friendships with their coworkers. In some cases, a personal or work conflict may be to blame.
Circular Arguments
Dialogues with colleagues or employees keep repeating themselves, and the issue doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The fundamental problem may not be getting addressed even if you’ve had a discussion to do so, and you’ll need to dig deep to find out what it is that’s preventing your team from moving forward.
De-escalation Techniques
If you don’t do something about conflicts, it will only worsen until official disciplinary or arbitration procedures are applied. If this is the case, it will be considerably more difficult to come to a resolution and mend relationships. Here are some de-escalation techniques you can try at stage 3:
Approach the Conflict Head-on
When conflict occurs, most people avoid it at all costs, so they don’t even notice it until it’s too late. Rather than allowing a problem to fester and negatively affect productivity over time, a company can avoid it by dealing with conflicts as they arise. This involves identifying and resolving possible sources of friction before they emerge.
Meet To Discuss the Conflict in a Neutral Setting
The only way to overcome conflicts is to talk and work through them openly. Using online communication for conflict resolution might result in misinterpretations and more friction; thus, aim to organise a meeting and address the situation in person.
Try to schedule a meeting enough time in advance that everyone has time to prepare and consider what they want to say before the session begins. Consider a neutral setting for the meeting so that neither party feels more at ease than the other. Keep the discussion open, and don’t let anyone take over the conversation.
Find Common Ground
As a last resort, try to find common ground among the two parties. Rebuilding trust and achieving a compromise can be made easier by focusing on the things that both parties have in agreement.
The Bottomline
Because of the nature of humanity, conflicts will inevitably happen in the workplace. However, there are cases when disputes turn worse, from verbal arguments to actions. To keep things from going out of control, we’ve shared some de-escalation techniques in this article.
Unfortunately, some disagreements won’t be settled at this point. Next up in this series, we will cover the fourth stage of escalation: coalitions.
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