| When people think of the word conflict, they often | | | | within your business. This requires using conflict |
| think of wars or violence. However, conflict exists at all | | | | management techniques. |
| levels of society in all sorts of situations. It is easy to | | | | Conflict management is the process of planning to |
| forget that we experience conflict every day of our | | | | avoid conflict where possible and organizing to resolve |
| lives. But, and this is a very important but, if you can't | | | | conflict where it does happen, as rapidly and smoothly |
| manage and have it under your control, it might be | | | | as possible. |
| disturbing to you and your business. | | | | Here are some useful hints regarding conflict |
| Conflict happens when two or more people or groups | | | | management for you: |
| have, or think they have, incompatible goals. | | | | 1. Active Listening: |
| Wherever there are choices to be made, differences | | | | Just listening without any judgement, even if, and |
| may provide challenges or opportunities. One difficulty | | | | particularly if, you do not agree. This helps you to |
| is the possibility that differences will result in increased | | | | capture the essence of the feelings of the people you |
| contention. Supervisors may have to act as mediators | | | | are talking to. |
| and arbitrators from time to time. The advantage of | | | | Consider an iceberg. As you know it is 80% under the |
| mediation is maintaining responsibility for problem | | | | water and we see only 20%. When people |
| solving and conflict resolution at the level of those who | | | | communicate interpersonally, the 20% represents their |
| own the challenge. | | | | words, the 80% underneath, represents their real |
| For any organization to be effective and efficient in | | | | feelings. |
| achieving its goals, the people in the organization need | | | | A smart soloist listens carefully to his work force, and |
| to have a shared vision of what they are striving to | | | | business partners without any prior judgement. This |
| achieve, as well as clear objectives for each team / | | | | helps him understand their real feelings. |
| department and individual. You also need ways of | | | | 2. Reflective Listening: |
| recognizing and resolving conflict amongst people, so | | | | Person A listens to Person B and reflects back, |
| that conflict does not become so serious that | | | | sometimes the exact words, what B has said. Then B |
| co-operation is impossible. All members of any | | | | says whether they feel heard or not. This, too, takes a |
| organization need to have ways of keeping conflict to | | | | lot of practice. |
| a minimum - and of solving problems caused by | | | | 3. The use of "I" statements and "you" statements: |
| conflict, before conflict becomes a major obstacle to | | | | This is known as the power of speaking about your |
| your work. This could happen to any organization, | | | | feelings and thoughts with no attack on the other. A |
| whether it is an NGO, a CBO, a political party, a | | | | "you" statement is perceived of as an attack and thus |
| business or a government. This includes your business | | | | closes down the other person to really be willing to |
| too! So as a soloist, you need to be careful and take | | | | hear *you* and to engage in conflict resolution. |
| all the necessary steps to have conflict under control | | | | Again, this takes a lot of practice and coaching. |