Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional. When a dispute arises, often the best course of action is negotiation to resolve the disagreement.
The Conflict Resolution Process

The resolution of conflicts in the workplace typically involves some or all of the following processes:

1. Recognition by the parties involved that a problem exists.
2. Mutual agreement to address the issue and find some resolution.
3. An effort to understand the perspective and concerns of the opposing individual or group.
4. Identifying changes in attitude, behaviour, and approaches to work by both sides that will lessen negative feelings.
5. Recognizing triggers to episodes of conflict.
6. Interventions by third parties such as Human Resources representatives or higher level managers to mediate.
7. A willingness by one or both parties to compromise.
8. Agreement on a plan to address differences.
9. Monitoring the impact of any agreements for change. Disciplining or terminating employees who resist efforts to defuse conflicts.

Types of Conflict Resolution Skills

Assertiveness: A supervisor might take the initiative to convene a meeting between two employees who have engaged in a public dispute. An employee might seek out a person with whom they're having conflict to suggest working together to find ways to co-exist more peacefully.

Interviewing and Active Listening: A Human Resources representative might have to ask questions and listen carefully to determine the nature of a conflict between a supervisor and a subordinate.

Empathy: A mediator might encourage empathy by asking employees in conflict to each describe how the other might be feeling and thinking, and how the situation might look to the other party.

Facilitation: Managers of rival departments might facilitate a joint brainstorming session with their teams to generate solutions to on-going points of conflict. Group facilitation techniques can also be used to avoid triggering conflict during group decision-making, in the first place.

Mediation: A supervisor might guide subordinates who are in conflict through a process to identify mutually agreeable changes in behaviour.

Creative Problem Solving: A supervisor might redefine the roles of two conflict-prone staff to simply eliminate points of friction. Creativity can also mean finding new win/win solutions.

Accountability: A supervisor might document conflict-initiating behaviours exhibited by a chronic complainer as preparation for a performance appraisal. In this way, the supervisor helps establish accountability, since the employee can no longer pretend the problem isn’t happening.

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