Resolving Conflicts on Intranet Teams (Leadership, Part 3)
Paul Chin
(www.paulchinonline.com)
9/11/2006
Go to page: 1 2 3
Printer Friendly Version
How an intranet leader is perceived plays a large role in conflict resolution. If team members view their leader as a hack, the leader's attempts at conflict resolution will be seen as an unwanted third party butting into a situation he or she has no right to be in. The intranet leader might end up becoming an active participant in the disagreement as opposed to a mediator between the parties.
Conflict Resolution Tips for Intranet Leaders
Conflict resolution and diplomacy is a skill every good leader should have. It's a skill that has little to do with technology or business process; it's about social skills and communication. A leader's ability to prevent minor disputes from escalating into furniture-throwing altercations is vital to a healthy working relationship among the various intranet team members.
Here are some tips that leaders should keep in mind when resolving team member conflicts:
It's crucial to resolve the conflict evenly and fairly without creating the appearance of one side being the victor and another the loser. This will cause resentment and create an even wider gap between the conflicting parties.
Compromise is key. If neither party is willing to yield, it's up to the leader to diffuse the situation and come up with a compromise that both can live with.
Keep in mind that conflict resolution is a mediation, not a trial. Empathy must be shown to both sides; never find fault with, or assign blame to, one group or individual.
Always meet with both parties at the same time, never separately. This will prevent one party from thinking that the other is badmouthing them or working out some secret backroom deal with the leader.
Give each party equal time to air out their case -- without interruption or commentary from the other party -- so that everyone has an opportunity to fully voice their opinion.
Conflict resolution must have equal representation from both parties. Never allow one group to have a single representative and another to bring half the department. Disproportionate representation will cause a negative "ganging up" effect.
Make sure the conflicting parties stay on topic and confront the issues at hand. Sometimes parties will digress, and the original point of contention will morph into a long shopping list of grievances.
Make sure the parties -- even though they're currently in disagreement -- still respect each other, and prevent one side from taking potshots at the other.
Don't allow the conflict to turn personal. Leaders must prevent a professional disagreement about project scheduling or task allocation to turn into a barrage of "Yo Mama" insults.
Sometimes a relatively superficial argument is rooted in something entirely different. Leaders needs to uncover what the real issues are. It's like in a relationship: An argument about "Why don't you ever put the mail where I can find it" is really rooted in "I hate your in-laws and everything they do."
Go to page: 1 2 3
Printer Friendly Version
Events
[
Home | Discussion Forum | How Do I... |
Lotus Notes Intranets |
Microsoft SharePoint |
Products |
Shopping
]
