The No. 1 Source Of Workplace Conflict, And How To Avoid It

There’s no doubt that the office can be a stressful place. After all, from Monday through Friday it’s where most of us spend the majority of our time. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and – as is the case with most aspects of life – it isn’t always sunshine and roses.

The difference, however, between professional and personal conflict is that when it happens in the workplace it has a direct impact on the organization’s bottom line. Teams in conflict who are immersed in drama can cost millions of dollars a year in lost productivity and kill team morale. Ultimately, this dynamic creates a lose-lose situation for the company whether you are a top manager in charge of profitability and revenues or an employee in the trenches dealing with the drama directly. No matter which way you slice it, the odds are not in your favor and the only way out is to address the conflict head-on.

But what’s really behind all the turmoil and how can we mitigate the chances of it happening in the future? I had my theories, but needed to dig deeper. With the help of an assistant, I conducted an eighteen-month research project to help determine what the root cause of conflict at work could be.

Initially, nearly 100% of our respondents reported that other people were the primary cause of conflict at work. The problem with this theory is that it’s very personal and creates a paradigm in which there is no real solution. People at work may be the problem, but is it realistic to believe that you can change every person you find challenging in the workplace? Of course, not. So, we went further in our studies to understand what the true cause could be.

What we found was astonishing. Despite employee claims that it was largely due to personality differences or individual incompetence, we uncovered information that proved that –in most instances- those weren’t the primary culprits. In fact, teams in conflict had much higher levels of ambiguity in three categories of work: their team’s goals, roles and procedures. So, while it’s very human to assign personal motive and blame in times of trouble, there isn’t really anything personal about the core of workplace conflict. If you back up and look at the facts, a lack of clarity is what’s truly to blame.

How do we end this issue for good and restore peace and sanity at work? Here are three things today’s professionals can do to prevent conflict and progress toward the organization’s end goal more efficiently:

1. Get Clear On Goals

Have you ever tried to go somewhere you have never been without a map? Without specific information on how to get there, odds are you won’t make it. The same is true when it comes to helping your team understand their goals. You have to be very clear and tell them what your primary goals are from an organizational standpoint. From there, you need to specifically help them understand how their efforts can support and help them reach that goal. Without those details, employees often find themselves working against each other without even knowing it. Never assume everyone is on the same page –odds are they aren’t.

2. Help Teams Fully Understand Their Roles

It’s easy to judge or make assumptions about what other peoples’ roles encompass. High-level overviews might be part of a job description or team meeting, but often times we don’t discuss specific expectations with our team members. This approach is both unfair and unproductive. Help your employees understand their daily duties so they can be more accountable and take more ownership, as this is what leads to true happiness and fulfillment at work.

3. Once Goals And Roles Are Clear, Let Procedures Fall Into Place

If you are a leader in a managing director or vice president role, you should not have to get involved in procedures at all. That’s right, you heard it here first folks. If you are doing your job correctly, you should be spending about 80 percent of your time clarifying goals and roles. Employees who are clear on goals and roles should (and will) devise their own procedures for getting things done. A little flexibility about procedures can go a long way, as long as the goal is being accomplished. It might be tempting to step in and provide the kind of insight that likely got you to your top-level position to begin with, but fight the urge to over-manage and under-lead. Delegate those duties and provide some independence to your team, as it will prove beneficial and more productive for both parties involved.

It takes courage (and time) to face the conflict and have professional, clear conversations. But in the end, it’s more beneficial for your organization and your teams to have the honest conversations than to live in conflict and allow it to fester. Clarity gives employees the freedom to work within their own roles and to be as effective as possible. And it stops conflict in its tracks.

The No. 1 Source Of Workplace Conflict, And How To Avoid It http://onforb.es/1dbqgSk via @forbes