Office Conflict Resolution: 11 Communication Tips for a Healthy Workplace

Misunderstandings and communication problems remain one of the most common sources of workplace strife, and interpersonal difficulties are magnified when conflicting work styles coexist in one setting. Generational differences (baby boomers vs. GenX-ers), personal management styles, educational background, and cultural diversity are all potential sources of office misunderstandings.

While conflict is inevitable, it need not ruin your workday or cause unbearable stress. Try these conflict resolution tips to make your work environment a less stressful, more productive place:

2. Resist the temptation to involve yourself in conflicts that do not directly involve you or your responsibilities. Even if someone has clearly been wronged, allow him or her to resolve the situation as he/she chooses.

3. Try to depersonalize conflicts. Instead of a "me versus you" mentality, visualize an "us versus the problem" scenario. This is not only a more professional attitude, but it will also improve productivity and is in the best interests of the company.

4. Be open and listen to another’s point of view and reflect back to the person as to what you think you heard. This important clarification skills leads to less misunderstanding, with the other person feeling heard and understood. Before explaining your own position, try to paraphrase and condense what the other is saying into one or two sentences. Start with, "So you're saying that..." and see how much you really understand about your rival's position. You may find that you're on the same wavelength but having problems communicating your ideas. 

5. Don't always involve your superiors in conflict resolution. You'll quickly make the impression that you are unable to resolve the smallest difficulties.

6. If an extended discussion is necessary, agree first on a time and place to talk. Confronting a coworker who's with a client or working on a deadline is unfair and unprofessional. Pick a time when you're both free to concentrate on the problem and its resolution.  Take it outside and away from the group of inquisitive coworkers if they're not involved in the problem. Don't try to hold negotiations when the office gossip can hear every word.

8. Limit your complaints to those directly involved in the workplace conflict. Character assassination is unwarranted. Remember, you need to preserve a working relationship rather than a personal one, and your opinion of a coworker's character is generally irrelevant. "He missed last week's deadline" is OK; "he's a total idiot" is not.

9. Know when conflict isn’t just conflict. If conflict arises due to sexual, racial, or ethnic issues, or if someone behaves inappropriately, that's not conflict, it's harassment. Take action and discuss the problem with your supervisor or human resources department.

10. Consider a mediator if the problem gets out of control, or if the issue is too emotional to resolve in a mutual discussion. At this step, your supervisor should be involved. You can consider using a neutral third party mediator within your own company (human resources if available) or hiring a professional counselor.

11. Take home point: It’s not all about you - You may think it’s a personal attack, but maybe your co-worker is just having a bad day. Take time to think BEFORE you speak in response to an insensitive remark. It may be that saying nothing is the best response.

(from medicinenet)

Communication at Work

Eight Tips for Good Communicators

The average manager spends 80% of his or her time communicating. That time, according to Runzheimer International, is spent as follows: 10% writing, 15% reading, 25% listening and 30% speaking. To be a successful communicator, Runzheimer consultant Adlore Chaudier, Ph.D., suggests the following eight "C's" of good communications:

Credibility
You must be believed. Make too many mistakes or factual errors in trying to persuade or inform management or workers, and they will eventually question almost everything you have to say.

Context
Employees often criticize upper-level management for not understanding "how things are done in the trenches." Memos, policies and company strategy statements must be confirmed by the environment and the events.

Content
Managers should not assume that employees are aware of the significance or importance of a message. A good rule is to explain why a message is significant. Providing background information puts messages into context.

Continuity and Consistency
Communications must be continuous. Messages require repetition to penetrate the minds of employees who are busy with their own priorities.

Channels
Too often managers rely on a single means of communication. Reliance on a single communication effort will have a fairly low success rate. Written communication can take place through e-mail, newsletters and memos. Seminars or speeches can be videotaped and replayed for employees. Audio-visual recordings or cassettes can be made of key executives. It's important to understand that some channels have different effects on different audiences.

Capability
The complexity of the language used is important to the success or failure of the effort. Word choice, sentence structure and organization of the information must all be measured against the capability of the intended audience.

Clarity
If the message is not clear, it will not be understood. Put your message in simple terms. Words must mean nearly the same thing to all involved.

SOURCE: Runzheimer Reports on Relocation , Runzheimer International, Rochester , Wisconsin .

Communicating in the Culturally Diverse Workplace

The face of the workplace is changing: More women, more ethnic minorities, and more immigrants are entering the work force. As a result, the workplace is increasingly multicultural. Now, think about what you've read about today's job market: Employers look for job candidates who have good communication and interpersonal skills and are team players. Those skills are increasingly important as the American work force expands to include a wide variety of cultures.

Culture is a set of learned attitudes, behaviors, and the other things that comprise a way of life. Although you'll share your organization's culture with your co-workers, it's unlikely that you'll share your personal culture with all your co-workers. You'll find many “ways of life” represented in the workplace. Depending on your experience with and exposure to different cultures, your “comfort zone” with different groups can expand or contract.

The challenge to today's employer is to ensure that its work force's diversity is a source of strength, not one of conflict. Recognize, however, that it is not the sole responsibility of the employer to see that goal achieved; all employees, including you, share in that responsibility.

Communication Styles

Miscommunication is a major source of intercultural discomfort and conflict. Communication—verbal, written, and nonverbal—goes beyond what's said, written, or expressed. The process of communicating differs among cultures: It's how it's said (or written or expressed), when it's said, and why it's said. These things comprise one's communication style. Miscommunication can (and often does) result when an individual's style of communicating differs from that of another person. In today's workplace, you can bet that, at some point, you'll deal with a co-worker whose communication style differs from yours. Learning how to communicate among cultures is a necessary ability no matter what type of career field you enter.

Communication—verbal, written, and nonverbal—
goes beyond what's said, written, or expressed.

What's your communication style? Do you communicate in a linear manner, moving in a straight line to your point? Or, are you more apt to use a spiral style in your communications, circling around your subject in tighter and tighter loops until you get to your point? Neither style is right or wrong, but the “spiral communicator” may perceive the “linear communicator” as abrupt or rude. The linear communicator might think the spiral communicator is deceptive or indecisive. In each case, there's been a misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

Some other areas where there commonly are differences in style include:

• Courtesy: Greeting styles differ among cultures, for example, as do ways of discussing problems or conflicts.
• Phasing: One example of differences in phasing is when one deems it an “appropriate time” for a discussion. Lead-ins to business talk are another example of where differences exist.
• Objectivity: Argument styles are an example of objectivity differences. In some cultures, arguing in an impersonal manner is the accepted “norm”; in others, the argument style is emotional. Specificity: Is your thinking focused on the immediate, or are you focused on the long term? That's one example of specificity differences.
• Assertiveness: There are varying levels of assertiveness that are deemed acceptable. For example, one culture's assertiveness level might lean toward reticence while another tends toward more forwardness in communication.
• Candor: There are also different levels of candor. For example, some cultures value “telling it like it is” while others value preserving harmony.
• Simplicity: Do you present information in simple language, or are your sentences more complex?
• Accent: Accents vary greatly—even within the same language! Don't allow someone's accent to be an excuse for making assumptions about that person.

Keep in mind that when you're unfamiliar with another culture, or when you don't recognize that there's no “one way” of doing things, it's easy to jump to the wrong conclusions or create a conflict through misunderstanding.

By recognizing that there are different styles, you'll take a big step toward effective communication.

Gateways to Effective Intercultural Communication

Effective intercultural communication requires more than simply recognizing differences; it requires you to respect and know how to deal with those differences. Intercultural communication often is not easy (just take a look at the evening news! It's a showcase of miscommunication between countries and their cultures.), but there are “gateways” to effective intercultural communication.

These gateways are:

• Written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills;
• Respect for differences;
• Tolerance for ambiguity;
• Flexibility;
• Suspension of assumptions and judgments;
• Willingness to see other person's point of view;
• Time and practice.

These gateways can help you strengthen your ability to understand and to be understood. In the end, however, it's up to you —the gateways are effective only if you're willing to go through them.

(from Jobweb.com) Adapted from the Diversity in the Workplace Training Module, INROADS, courtesy of INROADS/San Francisco Bay Inc. and reprinted in Job Choices: Diversity Edition 2001.

Key Points of Intercultural Communication

• When communications cause conflict, be aware that problems might have more to do with style or process than with content or motives.
• Learn to understand different communication styles—you could even benefit through expanding your repertoire.
• Communicating across cultures requires extra effort. Good communication requires commitment and concentration.
• Although culture affects differences in communication patterns, there are many exceptions within each group depending on class, age, education, experience, and personality.
• Remember that communication is a process and that the process varies among cultures. Look at what might be getting in the way of understanding. Constantly ask “What's going on here?” and check your assumptions.
• Avoid jokes, words, or expressions that are hot buttons, such as those that are based on ethnicity, race, or gender.
• Use language that fosters trust and alliance.
• Respect differences; don't judge people because of the way they speak.

Don't exclude others through language

Remember that language can divide as well as unify. While your language is part of your culture and binds you to others who speak that language, it can also separate you from those who do not share it. If you're bilingual, take care not to let your language skill create a barrier between you and your unilingual co-workers.

Does that mean that you should hide your ability? Not at all. Use your proficiency to help your co-workers, organization, and customers. For example, if it's appropriate, offer to serve as an interpreter for customers who share your language. Or offer to translate a document for a business colleague who doesn't speak the language. Or offer to teach your co-workers some basic words and key phrases for business or for their personal use.

(from Jobweb.com)