In these organizations, you see higher rates of absenteeism and turnover, but above all, employees who become demotivated and disengaged. Sooner or later, this results in poorer business performance. That is why Walk Your Talk focuses on conflict management.
Walk Your Talk coach Gwen Declerck found it striking how many conflicts she encountered during her recent projects within organizations. A few examples?
Two employees are jointly responsible for a strategic growth pillar of the organization but fail to work together. Management does not know how to respond, causing the conflict to escalate. One employee has not been to the office for a year because he cannot handle the tension. Management is now considering which of the two employees will be dismissed, much to the dismay of all other colleagues.
During a meeting, a bitter argument breaks out between two employees over a seemingly insignificant detail. The other team members are not surprised, as they have known for some time that the colleagues do not get along. One of the colleagues feels she has to compensate too much for the other, who works part-time and passes on work. The manager is also aware but expects the colleagues to resolve their problems themselves.
We see it often: many leaders are not particularly well-versed in conflict management.
Leaders are often very strong at connecting, but they lose their natural leadership qualities during a conflict. This is problematic, as conflict avoidance by the leader fuels even more conflict within teams. With the awareness and skills from Nonviolent Communication, everyone can start preventing and resolving conflicts.
Artificial harmony
The art of arguing is something that not many people have mastered. Almost no one has been taught how to do it. Yet conflicts can be useful: learning to voice differences openly and engaging in conflict constructively deepens relationships and takes collaborations to a higher level.
We are afraid of conflict, but we should actually be more afraid of teams where there is never any conflict or where differences are swept under the rug. The real danger in organizations is artificial harmony. Small annoyances that remain unaddressed can grow into major conflicts.
Sometimes the price is high and organizations collapse. In Belgium, bus manufacturer Van Hool is a recent example. The company was recently declared bankrupt and subsequently taken over, partly due to a long-running conflict between several family shareholders.
Addressing issues
The consequences of lingering disputes are not always so dramatic, but they are always palpable: higher turnover, more absenteeism, less engagement, demotivation… It is much healthier if management, leaders, and employees are taught the tools and skills to honestly express what is going on and truly listen to one another. This allows differences to be addressed before they can escalate into real conflicts. This creates a connection beyond differences and leads to sustainable, well-supported solutions.
