Wherever people work together, conflicts arise. It is almost impossible for everyone to pull in the same direction at all times and always be of the same opinion. Not all team conflicts are essential and lead to disruption or poor work results. However, if you don't intervene in time to resolve budding disputes, this can have lasting consequences for your company. In this article, we have summarized how you can constructively resolve team conflicts.
Ideally, you should not only intervene when the situation has already escalated. At the same time, it is often difficult for managers who are not constantly present during the day to recognize team conflicts in good time. Therefore, pay attention to the following warning signals that herald team conflicts.
1. group formation
It is normal for some employees to get on better with each other than others. However, if the same groups generally go into the break together while individual employees remain seated. This is a warning signal.
2. exclusion
Important deadlines are not passed on or unpleasant tasks always end up with the same people? Then as a manager you should be vigilant to see whether there has been any specific discrimination or even bullying behavior within the team.
3. sick notes
Frequent sick notes from the same people are an indication that underlying team conflicts may be the cause. They trigger real complaints such as headaches, back problems or gastrointestinal illnesses.
4. communication behavior
The tone makes the music. The way employees communicate with each other is a clear indication of how the team is doing. In addition to obviously aggressive communication behavior, you can also recognize team conflicts by very distant and superficial communication behavior.
5. fluctuation
A very clear indication of team conflicts is high staff turnover. Action is required at the latest when no one remains in the team beyond the probationary period.
Team conflicts can either arise from a personal discrepancy or have substantive causes. Stress and pressure are also triggers for people to get into conflicts.
There are various methods you can use to resolve disputes between teammates. Below we present a 3-phase model for creating harmony in your team.
Phase 1: Prevention
Ideally, there is little breeding ground from which conflicts can ignite. Clear target agreements, regular feedback, unambiguous role assignments and transparent communication prevent team conflicts from arising in the first place. When hiring new colleagues, it is worth checking their critical faculties.
Phase 2: Intervention
If team conflicts are already in full swing, the first step is to investigate the causes. What triggered the team conflict, who is involved and what is the aim of those involved? This step is best carried out in individual discussions on a factual level before the parties involved in the dispute are later brought together. Later on, everyone is brought together to work out a solution to the team conflict. As a manager, you take on the role of moderator.
Phase 3: Follow-up
Once the team conflicts have been resolved, it's time to follow up. Follow-up meetings must be held to clarify whether the conflict has actually been resolved or whether it is still lingering. Rules of conduct can now be drawn up on how the team members should deal with conflicts in future.
All team conflicts offer you as a manager the opportunity to demonstrate your leadership qualities. We are happy to offer you personal coaching to support you.