Conflict Management in Organization

· Identifying the conflict: Ask yourself probing questions before contacting the parties to the conflict. What is the conflict about? What is the root cause of the conflict?

· Listen to each party involved in the conflict: Do not take sides! Listening and understanding does not mean that you agree but it is important that you give your full undivided attention. Ask clarifying questions to avoid making assumptions

· Clarify and evaluate the conflict: Do not make hasty decisions! Remember, you want a win-win solution. Clarify and restate each person's perspective of the conflict. Review the options available; consider compromising. Sometimes a combination of several alternatives works best.

· Focus on the present: Do not bring up unrelated conflicts from the past.

· Remain calm cool and collective: When conflict develops, one or more parties to the conflict may feel that they are being attacked personally. When this feeling is present as a manager you should concentrate on keeping all participants calm.

· Stay neutral: Do not take sides, even if you think one party was correct and the other incorrect. The parties are in conflict and once they both agree that the conflict is resolvable each party will likely recognize their contribution to the issue at hand. You are not only the manager but also a leader. Do not take sides!

· Be a problem solver: As a manager, learning to recognize conflict can help you to try and resolve it timely and skillfully. Invite the parties to the conflict to help you to arrive at a resolution. Develop an agreeable action plan, a follow update and time for each party to the conflict and yourself to reconvene and evaluate the success of your efforts.

· Thank the participants: Thank each party to the conflict for being willing to participate in a discussion and for agreeing to work towards a resolution.

· Be patient: Resolving conflict takes time so don't expect that all will be well in a matter of hours. Depending on the root cause of the conflict it can take even weeks to resolve itself. Until the conflict has been resolved your managerial role is to follow up, evaluate and modify any prior agreements if necessary. Note: Follow up, don't nag.

· If the conflict proves too challenging for you to handle alone, consult with your manager and or your human resources department.