How can leaders use conflict resolution to improve employee retention?

Understanding the root cause of the issue and the quality of culture that enables or hinders constructive conflict resolution is the key. Oversimplified ideas such as "let's talk about their DISC styles" might sound good at first, although it does next to nothing without finding and addressing the underlying reason which might be rooted in the lack of psychological safety, fear of losing or something even more personal and less logical. Once a coach told me to imagine that I know everything about communication and people skills, I teach it in front of a huge audience when somebody walks in 15 minutes late who looks like my ex-wife who took my kids and house. Let's see how how I can apply those fancy skills...Eye-opening idea.

Speak to each side and truly listen. What values, experiences and challenges does each side face? How does each side define success? Is there a common goal? Asking these questions not only clarifies for you but helps the different parties to clarify for themselves (which sometimes equips them to resolve on their own!)

No friction, no diamond. Conflict itself isn't negative. Any team and organisation needs healthy conflict. However, conflict or disagreement can turn detrimental when its roots remain unaddressed and ambiguous. Establishing psychological safety forms the crux of cultivating a healthy work culture, fostering an environment where potential disagreements can be openly discussed in a professional manner. This significantly contributes to employee engagement and retention within an organization.

Often times conflict is a misunderstanding of communication. People read tone from an email or text that is not meant to be how it was perceived. Your perception is your reality just as their perspective is yours. So everything you say and do can be viewed or interpreted differently based on the others life interactions.

Conflict is a sign of something wanting to happen. To capitalize on conflict to help with retention, then work on what is it that's emerging. Otherwise, conflict resolution amounts to calming the emotional state of a group ... no real improvement.

Conflict management is often a leader's biggest challenge. It's important to realise that what works well for you might not work well with the team, and what works for one team member, might also not be ideal for another. You'll need to discern learning preferences, and feedback styles to help you understand how to manage each conflict as they arise.

Compromising is an active & passive push & pull. There is tension to balance personal goals with the good of the “team” or organization. It can be unhealthy both ways if you under value your own goals or over value the goals of the company or organization. Surround yourself with great people and high integrity organizations. There is so much peace that comes with a win win resolve.

I believe in figuring out conflicts by talking openly and finding solutions that work for everyone involved (Ofcourse you may have a vision of your own for the mission that you started in the first place). I like working together to come up with ideas that benefit everyone. But, I also understand that sometimes we might need to find middle ground or make some concessions for the greater good. My main goal is to keep the team and the organization(Both) in mind while dealing with conflicts.

Choosing the correct resolution style is critical. We all process situations differently and therefore must understand that our colleagues do as well! What may be trivial for us could be anxiety producing for the person in the next cubicle. We have to strive to understand how we should effectively communicate and employ the right tactics.

Avoidance is an ineffective conflict resolution strategy. The conflicts that you avoid get amplified. Unresolved issues breed resentment, so it’s important that you find ways to facilitate dialogue and collaborative resolution. If you ignore problems, your employees will leave because they’ll assume that you’re okay with unaddressed discord within your teams. This dynamic diminishes feelings of psychological safety and trust, so be proactive and help all parties come to a mutually agreeable solution.

One of my favorite questions when a team member brings me a problem about another team member: "Do you want to go tell them, or would you like me to come with you?" This is so critical. You're not offering to go be a middle-person to solve their issue, but you're also not ignoring it. Here's what normally happens with a healthy team. They respond, "let me go talk with them first and I'll come back if I need your help." Then I follow up, "Have you talked with ... yet?" Team Member: "No not yet." Me: "You know it's not going to get better by accident right?" Them: "Okay, I'll call them today." Me: "Awesome. Let me know how it goes." Them: "I'm so glad you pushed me. We solved it and we're good." Me: "I love it! Great job."

Facilitating dialogue in conflict resolution is a crucial leadership skill. It involves creating a respectful space where all parties feel safe to express their views. Guiding the conversation, you should ask probing questions, clarify misunderstandings, and summarize key points. Acknowledge the emotions involved and steer discussions towards finding common ground. This approach resolves conflicts and fosters mutual understanding and respect, which are vital in retaining employees.🧩Culture Connector: Mastering the art of dialogue in conflict resolution weaves a more robust fabric of trust and cooperation, essential for keeping and nurturing talent.

El diálogo es el baile entre comunicar y escuchar. De nada sirve transmitir un mensaje si no escucho y, sobre todo comprendo. Este es el principio para la empatía y la creación de un ambiente favorable para la colaboración.

I deal with these challenges frequently, and each requires a specific approach. From my experience, at the core of any conflict lies a breakdown in communication and empathy between the parties. When mediating a conflict, it’s crucial to: 1️⃣ Listen to each party, allowing them to express their emotions 2️⃣ Isolate facts from feelings, guiding the person to evaluate their behavior in relation to company procedures and values. 3️⃣ Have them visualize themselves in the other person’s position, shedding assumptions and preconceived ideas, focusing solely on the facts. What would the other person feel? 4️⃣ Finally, bring both parties together after reflection, inviting them to find the best solution collaboratively.

Facilitating constructive dialogue is a crucial step in resolving conflicts. Creating a safe and respectful environment where open communication is encouraged allows conflicting parties to express their views and listen actively. As a leader, guiding the conversation with open-ended questions, clarifications, and summarizations helps in understanding perspectives. Acknowledging emotions and assisting in finding common ground, generating options, and evaluating alternatives is pivotal. Your role in this process is to foster a collaborative atmosphere that supports reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

Strong leaders have a congruence between what they say they’ll do and the actions they actually take. If you don’t follow through, then you’ll lose your teams’ trust. They need to know that you have consistent follow through and that you’re dependable. Be sure to devise a concrete, specific action plan so that your team can know what to expect from you. Be transparent about how you’re implementing what was discussed, and update them about your progress.

Conflicts are inevitable at work. Where there are people, there are conflicts. And, conflicts aren't 'bad' unless they aren't dealt with. If you want to drive away your best people, ignore the conflicts being created by or because of your lower performers. And, leaders must do more than just acknowledge that there are conflicts. There has to be action. Whenever possible, include the group in the creation of the solution. Co-creation will help the resolution to be impactful and to last. Continue to follow up. To ensure that the solution is working. That no one has slipped back into old habits. And if it's time to revise the solution, don't be afraid to! Solutions are rarely perfect on the first attempt. Keep at it! Retention will follow

If you learned, than you “won”. If you you can have the lens of empathy in the continuations of the team, a rising tied lifts all “ships”. So double down on seeing the good on all sides and make sure to give credit where credit is due to the team. You will never regret encouragement.

Remember, conflict is normal and healthy in any relationship, including work relationships. The goal isn’t to avoid conflict, but rather, to have the systems in place to navigate conflicts as they arise. Check in with yourself to observe your own comfort or discomfort in addressing conflict. Here are some questions to ask yourself: 1. Do you tend to avoid problems until they escalate? 2. Are you able to listen empathetically to all parties or do you jump into solution mode? 3. Are you willing to coach or let go of people who consistently create conflict? If not, why is that? Doing this reflective work is essential to developing your leadership skills, and will help you to be more effective in your role.

Leaders/ organizations must adapt a very unbiased approach in dealing with conflict resolution. In my POV the very first thing organization/ team can accomplish by resolving conflict is workplace happiness, productivity, respect and a great culture. This would eventually help in employee retention, which means conflict resolution shouldn't just be an exercise to retain but should be an intentional effort by the leaders. Now is the how part : 1. Unbiased approach in discussing and dealing with the involved parties 2. Apply problem solving approach 3. Be open to suggestions/ recommendations 4. Be genuinely interested to resolve the issue 5.Maintain confidentiality of the discussion

As my friend, Dave Quick, says: "You can either change the person, or you can CHANGE the person." If there's ongoing conflict, it doesn't solve itself by accident. It takes intentional work to get to the root cause and normally you find out the root cause relates to insecurity somewhere. We all come with baggage, hurts, past experiences, and a whole host of things that contribute to how we show up everyday. Insecurity is not easy stuff to fix. You can't just throw a memo or meeting at it. It takes intentionally caring for your people to make a meaningful difference in their insecurities. It also takes some intentional time to deal with your own. I promise I don't have this all figured out! Give yourself and others a lot of grace.

Address conflicts promptly and try not to let them simmer. Promote a culture of open communication and implement fair resolutions. You may also want to consider providing training around this area to promote a positive and collaborative work environment which would in turn help build a healthier culture and improved employee retention/satisfaction. .

Conflicts may occur due to: - Opposing objectives and deliverables - Different personalities and approach - Lack of proper communication - Conflicting goals - Perceptions This is how you handle/ prevent a conflict: - Never focus on the problem, convert this into a learning experience - Promote an inclusive, compassionate and tolerant culture - Identify common grounds and highlight them - Have an open & transparent communication - Build consensus, decide, and follow through - Devise an action plan and implement - Build trust and respect - Empathetic listening There are different ways to manage conflicts. Use the “Collaborative style” to resolve a dispute.

Having tough conversations is hard, avoiding them is harder. One of the reasons people quit organizations is because candour is not practiced. This leads to cultures of terminal niceness, which is not very nice at all. Conflict is healthy - avoiding of it is not. Teaching your team to describe reality without laying blame and reward them for being courageously authentic up, down and across the organization. And this starts with you. Model what you want to see in others. I start my team meetings by asking “What's the tough challenge” we need to tackle today. Rather than dictating the agenda I don't want to assume I own the truth about what's happening day to day. When we don't tackle our toughest challenges we lose talent.