What causes of conflict at work and advice to handle it? < classification>

“ Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional” _ Max Lucade . These days, conflict seems to be everywhere, especially is in workplace. Understanding causes of conflict and how it can be resolved is essential for effective communication and gaining productivity in the workplace.

The most significant cause is the subjective reason. Differing expectations can lead to conflict, such as expecting the single person in the office to work during the Christmas vacation while those married people with children expect to have the vacation time to spend with their family. Just because that may be your expectation, does not mean that it is the expectation of other people. No wonder there is so much resentment and conflict at work. Furthermore, when people have differing values, conflicts can result. If one of your personal values in life is that your family comes first, and if your boss’ personal value is that work comes first, conflict can be the result when they ask you to stay late at work or to give up a planned family vacation due to project deadlines.

The least significant cause is the objective reason. The cause of workplace conflict is often misunderstood and blamed on personalities and misbehavior, but in reality much workplace conflict is systemic and endemic to the workplace environment. Ineffective organizational systems, unpredictable policies, incompatible goals, scarce resources, and poor communication can all contribute to conflict in the workplace. Workplace conflict causes loss of productivity, distractions, and employee dissatisfaction.

So what can we do to resolve conflict? When you handle conflict, do not think of it as fighting a battle. Exploring what is happening like someone who really wants to move things forward, not like an investigator. Treat people with respect and try to get in their shoes. You should not jump to conclusions. There are two sides to every story.

In conclusion, conflict may stem from a variety of causes, and understanding them and solutions is the first step in dealing with it effectively, reduce them at work and exploit the advantages that it brings to your job.