Standing up to office conflict: expert advice

Conflicts are frequent in the office environment, and almost every employee faces them during their career. These can be not only loud scandals, but also quiet conflicts manifested in framing, sabotage, espionage or misrepresentation of information. However, today we will not talk about possible intrigues in the team or ways to prevent them. Instead, let's look at how to properly respond to conflict situations and methods of maintaining self-control.

Strong or weak? Neither!

The natural reaction to someone else's indignation, especially if it is unjustified, is often reciprocal aggression. This can manifest itself in flamboyant rhetoric, writing long emails copying the manual, or avoiding confrontation and being passive about the issue. Both are usually lose-lose options: the former leads to blaming and ineffective scolding, while the latter leads to resentment and a sense of powerlessness. It's important to realize that both approaches can damage team relationships, which is why experienced leaders often call for a breakdown in relations with both sides of a conflict, even if one of them seems more right.

Giant of Spirit

Calmness, confidence in your actions, objective assessment of the situation and readiness to compromise - these are the qualities you need to possess in conflict situations. This behavior, called assertiveness, allows you to speak openly about the problem, listen to the opinions of others, seek compromise solutions and protect the interests of the business. This approach helps to resolve conflicts more constructively and maintain the working atmosphere.

Ground rules

Following a few simple rules can make managing office conflicts much easier:

Accept personal responsibility for your words and actions, do not blame others for the problems that have arisen.
Listen to your opponent's point of view without interrupting him and strive to understand his position.
Do not get personal and do not allow insults to colleagues, keep to the level of discussion of a specific problem.
Talk to your interlocutor, remembering that he or she is also a person with his or her own feelings and opinions, even if you do not like his or her point of view.
Observing these rules will help to effectively manage conflicts and maintain a productive working atmosphere in the team.