Developing the skills to build and maintain productive and positive work relationships lies at the heart of the work we do with our clients.
Most of us have the ability to get along with others most of the time, but there can be people or events where we just can’t seem to do this with our usual relationship toolkit. The other person or group seems very different to us, we can’t reach agreement or things happen which we, or they, do not agree with and which start to affect the relationship.
Conflict - a condition in which a person or group becomes more negatively focused on their differences and where strong negative emotions are in play to the detriment of the relationship.
In these circumstances, finding a way to reach agreement or get the relationship back on track can be difficult to achieve. Left unattended, conflict can escalate into full blown disputes or corrosive personality clashes. Dealing with this can take a lot of management time with a significant reduction in productivity and workplace engagement.
There are a number of ways to tackle this problem at both the team and the individual level but in all cases, it is better to intervene early. As a manager, you can take positive action without having to take sides or get caught in the middle. We have worked with a number of clients who are seeking positive ways to address both team conflict issues and specifically deal with personality-based conflict.
Based on Dr Laura Crawshaw's ground-breaking work, Taming The Abrasive Manager: How To End Unnecessary Roughness In The Workplace, Boss Whispering is a coaching method designed specifically to aid abrasive leaders to change their management style and recognise the negative impact of their behaviour on team dynamics. Yvonne Treen is New Zealand“s first, internationally accredited Boss Whisperer.
Find out how Yvonne can help you to address the issues of an abrasive manager in your business, and turn around a potentially destructive situation.
We offer an objective, constructive workplace mediation service. Our experienced mediators can help you take the heat out of workplace conflicts and work through the issues to reach a successful resolution.
Our facilitated team workshops include team-building workshops focusing on creating positive team relationships and identity, workshops specifically focusing on building the conflict capability of the team and workshops that are convened to specifically address ways to move forward from team disharmony.
Team workshops may also focus on a shared model for dealing with difficult or aggressive customers. In these workshops the aims are typically to build the conflict capability of the team as a whole, reduce the distress often experienced in customer conflict situations and provide a consistent approach which meets the organisation’s service standards.
We also facilitate workshops where the brief is to create consensus in those instances where agreement is deemed vital for success. As an example, we recently facilitated a workshop with a group of mid-level managers on a restructure proposal which required consensus on both budget and headcount reductions.
Conflict coaching can be an effective alternative to mediation, as preparation for mediation, or a follow-up post-mediation to reinforce and support the behaviour changes needed to ensure the conflict stays in the past.
We can help coach your team to manage difficult conflict situations and to reach a resolution that meets the needs of all parties.
To discuss how we can can further assist you and your business, call us on +64-9-360 0773.
Or fill out this form and we'll get back to you shortly
© 2014 Ripasso Group.