Download Miller - Workplace Tension Resolution

Workplace
Tension
Resolution
Carolyn Miller
HRRM Director
Chatham County
Sources of Workplace Tension?
• Employees
• Supervisors
• Customers
• Unknown persons
What do they all have in common???
Causes of Workplace Tension
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Opposing positions
Competitive tensions
Power struggles
Egos
Pride
Jealousy
Performance discrepancies
Compensation issues
Perceived unfairness
Two Major Causes of Conflict
• Communication (or lack thereof)
• Emotions
What is the Definition of
Effective Communications?
• Effective communication occurs only if
the receiver understands the exact
information or idea that the sender
intended to transmit.
• The more communication transactions
that take place, the more difficult it is “to
get it right”
The Basic Communications
Process
Idea
Interpretation
Message
Message
Exercise 1
• On the sheets of paper provided,
record a recent difficult conversation
you had in the right column; to the best
of your ability, record the exact words
of yourself and the person you were
talking to
• In the left column, record your
unspoken thoughts and feelings
The Ladder of Inference
John wants the project to fail.
Abstract
John isn’t committed to this project.
John is intentionally late.
John is late to the meeting.
Specific
The meeting is
planned to start at
7:00. John arrives
at 7:30.
Feelings…nothing more than
feelings…
Are feelings an appropriate part of a
difficult conversation?
We are taught to be “rational”
Why do we avoid feelings?
• Messy
• Make us vulnerable
• We have to hear the other person’s
• We have to hear the other person’s
feelings
Problem with Leaving Feelings Out
• Often, the problem is really about
feelings
• They will leak in (or explode)
anyway
• Our feelings get in the way of good
listening
• We leave out part of ourselves
Feelings Become Something Else
• Attributions or judgments about the
other person’s intentions
• Blame
Dealing with it—5 Guidelines
1-Define Acceptable Behavior
• Have clearly defined expectations for
employees
• Well articulated chain of command
Dealing with it—5 Guidelines
2-Hit Conflict Head-On
• Secret to conflict resolution is conflict
prevention where possible
• Be proactive and seek out potential areas
of conflict and intervene and a fair and
decisive fashion (ideally comes from
employees themselves)
Dealing with it—5 Guidelines
3-Understanding the WIIFM Factor
• Try to understand the other’s motivations
• Everyone has their own objectives to
meet-approach conflict from the
perspective of taking action
Dealing with it—5 Guidelines
4-The Importance Factor
• Pick your battles and avoid conflict for the
sake of conflict
• If it is important, keep lines of
communication open
Dealing with it—5 Guidelines
5-View Conflict as an Opportunity
• Tremendous potential to teach/learn
• Always value the feelings/opinions of
others
How-To Punch List
1. Address the conflict directly
2. Listen to both sides (3rd story)
3. Bring both (all) parties together
How-To Punch List
4. Find common ground
5. Encourage compromise
6. Confront negative feelings
7. Be positive!!
Left-Hand Column Revisited
Questions?