by Kevin Hartford

Created on: February 09, 2010   Last Updated: February 10, 2010

Nothing makes work feel more like work than some conflict in the workplace.  Although it is true that there is some conflict that cannot be avoided, in the workplace conflict can be managed.  It is up to all employees and managers to manage to strive to make the workplace a productive congenial atmosphere.  A few strategies to manage conflict include: respecting others, knowing boundaries, and developing group norms.

Respecting others is often difficult in the work place for some people.  There are people that thrive on the strife that they create, but even these people dislike work site conflict.  It all boils down to respect.  The manager needs to create policies and team building engagements that create mutual respect among the employees.  One way to do this is to create self-directed teams to work on issues or to create a metric that measures the climate in the office.  These tools help to build confidence among the employees and create awareness of management's engagement.

Some people do not know boundaries.  There are just somethings that should not be talked about at work.  It is unfortunate there are some employees who do not understand this. Overhearing discussions about controversial topics can cause conflict among employees. Some topics, such as sex, can even open the organization up to lawsuits for a hostile work environment.  Another boundary is personal space.  Some employees will rummage through other worker's desks.  This could be a major cause of conflict.  Boundary issues can be managed by creating policies, performance counseling, and even training.  In the end, it has to be enforced by the manager.

By developing group norms, the manager can create policies that all employees have more or less agreed with.  Of course there are some policies that are mandated by law, but by allowing the group to decide on a majority of the rules that effect them; ownership is created.  It is easier for personnel to deal with a change if in fact they created that change.  

Managing conflict is the manager's job.  It sometimes seems like a insurmountable task, but it can be done by creating an atmosphere of respect, teaching all personnel about boundaries and creating group norms.  The manager can use policies, self-directed work teams, and climate surveys to help manage conflict in the workplace.

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