Exploring 5 Effective Conflict Management Styles for the Most Productive Outcomes
Conflict is natural in the workplace. Actually, it’s unavoidable. Work is a competitive environment. Everyone comes from different backgrounds. They all have different personalities, different working styles, different opinions. As a result, tensions can arise. That’s why every leader needs a toolkit of conflict management styles that lead employees toward productive outcomes.
Conflict management is one of the biggest fears held by new managers. And for good reason. In the U.S., employees spend almost three hours involved in conflict per week. And overall, conflict can consume up to 40% of a manager’s time. Aside from taking up a bunch of time, unresolved conflict can lead to some other serious problems, including:
An increase in stress and disengagement
Lowered morale
A decrease in productivity
Employee turnover
To avoid these impacts and relieve the fears of your managers, they need intentional guidance and training on conflict management. With conflict management, there’s no “one size fits all” approach. Every situation with conflict is different. The problems, people involved, and goals will all vary. So, managers need a whole collection of conflict management styles to pull from and apply.
Let’s take a look at all 5 conflict management styles, what they look like in action, and when to use them.
>> Harness conflict as an advantage in your organization. Listen to our recent podcast about navigating conflict productively.
5 Effective Conflict Management Styles for the Most Productive Outcomes
The Collaborative Style:
First is the collaborative style. This style focuses on mutual problem-solving, encouraging open communication and teamwork to find solutions that satisfy both parties' interests.
A collaborative negotiation style is usually the most effective style for managing conflict and fostering productive long-term relationships. But, because this style accounts so much for both sides, it can be the most time-consuming option.
What it looks like:
Ryan owns a coffee shop that is managed by his friend Josh. Although Ryan ultimately can make the decisions, they discuss business-related decisions together. At the moment, Josh disagrees with Ryan over a job applicant for a new hire. But instead of just overruling Josh’s opinion, Ryan chooses to sit down with Josh and discuss an option that leaves them both happy. In the end, they choose to hire the applicant for a trial period.
When to use it:
When the relationship is important.
When the final solution will have a significant impact.
When the interests, needs, and beliefs of all involved people need to be considered.
2. The Compromising Style:
The compromising style involves a give-and-take approach where both parties make concessions to reach a middle ground that addresses key concerns.
With a compromise, issues can be resolved quickly. Plus, often the parties in conflict leave understanding more about the other person’s perspective. Compromise can set the stage for collaboration down the road and allow both parties to feel heard. However, this tactic, often called the lose-lose style, means no one leaves completely happy with the result.
What it looks like:
Anne and Charles are asked to determine the delegation of the marketing budget for the next quarter. Anne thinks they need to put a significant amount of money towards their social media advertising. But Charles wants to use the money for a full-time freelancer to help with content.
After discussion, a compromise is reached by hiring a part-time freelancer and the remainder of the budget going to social media ads.
When to use it:
When you need an immediate solution that may be temporary.
When productivity starts to be impaired by the time the conflict is taking.
When there is no solution both parties will be happy with.
3. The Accommodating Style:
Next is the accommodating style. This style emphasizes maintaining relationships by prioritizing the other party's needs or concerns over one's own. This style often leads to greater goodwill and cooperation.
While it might seem somewhat weak, accommodation can be the absolute best choice to resolve a small conflict and move on to more important issues.
What it looks like:
In a marketing meeting, the team discusses a new product slogan. Annie is adamant that choice A is the best choice. But Gina thinks that choice B is slightly better. To avoid spending time arguing about two choices that she thinks will both work, Gina decides to let Annie choose the slogan.
When to use it:
When you can’t come to a resolution.
When your peer is more concerned with the conflict than you.
When you’re mistaken or your peer is more experienced.
4. The Competing Style:
The competing conflict management style involves asserting one's interests without much consideration for the other party. This style is often used in situations requiring quick decisions or strong leadership. This style rejects compromise and involves not giving in to others' viewpoints or wants.
The competing style gets used in situations where morals dictate that a specific course of action is taken. It also can be used when there is no time to try and find a different solution or when there is an unpopular decision to be made. It can resolve disputes quickly, but there is a high chance of morale and productivity being lessened, so it should be used rarely.
What it looks like:
Daniel is the head of his department. Within his staff, he has been dealing with several conflicts delaying projects moving forward. His two managers, Lauren and Jenna, have been fighting over which one of them will own an upcoming project. Neither of them wants to put in the time and effort and they’ve been arguing that it is the other’s job to deal with it. Daniel decides to make the call to resolve the conflict, giving it to Lauren to complete.
When to use it:
When you have to stand up for yourself, your rights, or your morals.
When a less forceful conflict management style is ineffective.
When nothing else is working and you have reached your last resort.
5. The Avoiding Style:
Lastly, the avoiding conflict management style refers to temporarily sidestepping or postponing the conflict. This style is useful when emotions are high or when the issue might resolve itself over time without intervention.
One wants to use this with caution. Sometimes the deliberate delay causes unresolved conflict to lead to resentment and frustration among employees. Conversely, in other situations, it can give both parties time to potentially readjust their attitudes and perspectives and the conflict could resolve on its own.
What it looks like:
Ethan and Levi have been arguing over the design of a new feature all day. Their manager has tried to guide them to compromise, but their disagreement is becoming angrier and more distracting each minute.
Then, their manager tells them to set the project aside and work on other projects for the rest of the day. Taking a break from the project gives both Ethan and Levi time to work through the conflict on their own. They continued working on the feature the next morning with more positive and collaborative attitudes.
When to use it:
When the conflict is meaningless and wasting time.
When you don’t have the time to manage the conflict properly.
When you aren’t sure how you feel about the issue yet.
The ROI of Conflict Management
As a leader, addressing conflict doesn't have to be difficult. By understanding the intentions behind conflict, leaders can rally their teams behind common goals and boost their overall productivity.