Retaining Members through Conflict Resolution
By Joanne Hartman, Associate Director, National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM)
WINTER 2000 (archived information - please note the date of publication)
Conflict is a normal, inevitable part of life.
People who work together are likely to encounter conflicts sooner or later, sparked by differences in personality, values, or perceptions. Conflicts may also seem more challenging when those involved come from different backgrounds or experiences.
Just as in any other work setting, national service members may encounter disagreements with their peers, supervisor, or people in community organizations with whom they are working. For most people, conflict takes the enjoyment out of their work. For some, it may reach a point where they consider leaving the organization. Organizations and teams that often must deal with conflict situations tend to have lower morale, lower productivity, higher turnover, and more burn-out. Conflict that may have been easy to resolve at the outset can make us dread coming to work when it is an ongoing problem.
As preventive measures, it is important to note warning signs and behaviors that may create conflict so they may be addressed early.
Warning signs that something may be wrong:
- Avoidance of issue, situation, or person
- Mistrust
- Violations of rules and working guidelines
- Not accepting responsibility
- Not doing one's job
- Not listening
- Lack of understanding
- Power or status - based communication
Behaviors that may stir up conflict:
- Nonconstructive criticism
- Guilt trips
- Blaming, defensiveness
- Commands
- Unhealthy competitiveness
- Mistrust
- Pushing someone's "buttons"
- Using absolutes - "You never . . ." "He always . . ."
- Threats, dares
What can be done?
- Establish working guidelines that the whole group agrees to and has helped create.
- Learn and practice effective communication skills - active listening, reframing, etc.
- Go through a self assessment - identify people's conflict styles: are they competitive, do they avoid conflicts, how well does the group employ collaborative conflict resolution, how do people cool off when they are angry?
- Model collaborative skills and encourage team members to practice.
Successful organizations create a climate in which people are invested and productive because they feel listened to and appreciated. This is the type of climate in which conflict is not a threat, but instead is an integral part of improving and growing in the organization. Supervisors can play a huge role in establishing this climate, with some key management principles in mind:
- Ethical leadership
- Empowerment - invest in others
- Listen - share differences of opinion while accepting the validity of other's views
- Environment:
- What are the vision and goals of the organization?
- Who are the people affected by the organization's work?
- How does the organization work?
- How do people interact?
Even when the goal is preventing conflict, collaborative conflict resolution is an essential tool. It is a model of resolving conflicts that respects and satisfies the concerns of each person involved in a conflict. In this model, those in the conflict take responsibility and ownership of the problem, then work together to solve it. They communicate with each other, try to understand each other's point of view, and come up with solutions that will produce a positive outcome for each person involved.
There are conflict resolution resources available - a local community mediation center or a state mediation association has a lot of experience dealing with many kinds of conflict situations, and can be a good partner or mentor to you and your project. Services may include materials, training, consulting, mediation, or facilitation.
