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Do you hate conflict?

A staggering 85% of all employees (at all levels) experience workplace conflict.

What if we told you that there’s a better way to handle conflict than dropping into total avoidance or going to war in your emails?

Let us introduce you to the concept of ✨ healthy conflict ✨

Yes, it’s possible.

Yes, we’re going to show you how.

Firstly, what is healthy conflict?

Healthy conflict refers to handling disagreements, differences of opinion or tensions that arise within the workplace in a respectful and constructive way. It’s where individuals feel safe enough to express their individual viewpoints openly and honestly whilst seeking to make sense of other peoples perspectives – this leads to a collaborative search for resolution that will benefit the team or organisation as a whole.

Oooft, sounds dreamy right?

There’s nothing like the feeling of safety that comes from being able to be completely open and honest because each individual party is taking responsibility for their own emotions/is able to see things from differing perspectives.

So before we teach you how to foster healthy conflict, let’s take a look at what is potentially sitting in the way of it being possible right now.

Barriers to healthy conflict:

1. You’re taking everything personally

   Did you hand a project in, only to receive feedback on it and now you’re shame spiralling yourself into your ‘i’m not good enough’ thoughts? Did a colleague make some suggestions for refinement and now you’re demanding people stop telling you how to do your job?

   This is ego reactivity. It’s okay. This automatic jump to defensiveness is your ego’s way of protecting your concept of self. Next time you catch it happening, take a breath and remind yourself that you’re the one creating meaning from these moments – choose a meaning that matters.

2. You’re closed off to other perspectives

   One of the biggest things we see when coaching and teaching communication is that so often people want others to see things their way, yet they are unwilling to view things from another perspective themselves.

   Everyone has their own unique perspective, shaped by their own model of the world. Let this be a super power in discussions and a reason to open, not a reason to close or become defensive.

3. You’re focussed on the problem

   Are you married to your problem?? So often conflict can develop in an unhealthy manner because the focus is too heavily placed on the problem and not enough on the possible solutions. Whether it’s why a certain project didn’t go a certain way or why someone said something that didn’t sit well with you – where are you choosing to hold on to the problem and not move towards a solution?

Now that you have an understanding of how you are potentially standing in your own way when it comes to fostering a culture that houses healthy conflict – here are the key ingredients necessary to create it:

Keys to healthy conflict:

1. psychological safety – making your team feel seen and safe to express themselves, even if those opinions differ from the majority of leadership.
2. lead by example – demonstrate openness by encouraging differing opinions and have people witness you hold respectful debate and discussion.
3. set clear expectations and define boundaries – make it known that healthy conflict is valued as a way to improve decision making and problem solving and be clear that respectful communication is paramount, avoiding personal attacks.
4. encourage active listening – foster a team culture that knows how to listen effectively so that team members feel seen and heard when they do share.
5. focus on solutions – as previously mentioned, ensure everyone is on the same trajectory of finding a solution instead of defending their problem
6. regular check ins – provide regular check ins/team meetings where conflicts can be addressed openly and constructively.
7. celebrate growth and learning – view healthy conflict as a learning opportunity, not as a failure or disruption.
8. follow up and provide support – once any conflicts are resolved, follow up to ensure all parties feel supported and that everyone is on the same page moving forward

In our opinion, all of this aside – the number one factor that trumps all others when it comes to fostering a culture that encourages healthy conflict – is communication skills. In fact, investing the time, energy and effort into improving communication within the workplace, may be the tide that rises all boats ⛵️

Overall, by implementing practices that support healthy conflict into the workplace, we minimise the amount of conflict avoidance, and therefore minimise the disconnect and disengagement of staff due to discomfort.

Conflict is something to be celebrated. Diversity of thought is what pushes humans to think outside of the box, find innovative solutions and question the status quo.

Let’s put conflict back in the positive light it deserves through fostering a healthy expression and environment for it!

Let us help you do that.

Let’s do great things.