Important Conflict Resolution Skills for the Workplace

Have you ever watched a disagreement at work spiral out of control? It happens. Conflict is often a part of life — even in professional settings.

But what you may not know is that it can actually be healthy when handled properly, according to Angie Woods, MEd, a career advisor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) who also teaches “Success Strategies for Online Learning.”

Healthy conflict resolution can lead to individual growth among the involved parties, Woods said — and that can also promote positive organizational growth.

What Does Conflict Look Like at Work?

Before learning what to do in the face of conflict, it’s helpful to be able to spot a disagreement as it’s building.

Woods noted that some common sources of conflict tend to include:

• Clashing personalities and work styles: Differing approaches to work can cause friction, particularly in high-stress settings.
• Communication breakdowns: Misunderstandings can occur when communication is lacking, unclear or misinterpreted.
• Differing priorities: While everyone in an organization plays for the same team, specific priorities may differ and cause competing approaches to goals.
• Managerial conflicts: Expectations, feedback and performance evaluations are three areas that can cause disagreement between a manager and their employee.
• Workload distribution: One team member may feel overwhelmed by their work and assume unbalanced workloads when they observe others unburdened by theirs.

Each of these scenarios has the potential to negatively impact an organization and its people. “Unmanaged, unaddressed or poorly handled conflict can lead to stress, decreased morale and a toxic work environment,” Woods said. 

But they can also lead to positive and collaborative solutions if you navigate them with care. “Healthy conflict encourages open discussion, diversity of thought and creativity,” Woods said. “It can help identify areas for improvement, prompt innovative solutions and strengthen team dynamics.”

So next time you sense a disagreement on the horizon, lean into it with the help of important conflict resolution skills and strategies.

“Navigating workplace conflict effectively is less about avoiding conflict entirely and more about learning to address issues constructively,” Woods said.

What Are Conflict Resolution Skills?

Practicing conflict resolution takes a combination of soft skills — or human skills. According to Woods, they include:

• Active listening: Understand and validate the other person's point of view before responding.
• Assertiveness: Advocate for your needs in a respectful and non-aggressive manner.
• Composure: Keep calm to prevent the conversation from escalating further.
• Empathy: See the situation from the person’s perspective and understand the emotions they might be experiencing.
• Problem-solving: Work to find a solution that benefits all parties.

The good news is you don’t have to be in the midst of a workplace dispute to start honing these skills.

How to Improve Conflict Resolution Skills

There are many ways you can prepare for a conflict situation without actually being in one.

According to Woods, you might try:

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ) training using platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and opportunities within your own organization. Learn more about why EQ matters.
• Mindfulness and stress management techniques you learn now can translate into conflict situations and aid in your emotional regulation. Discover how to practice mindfulness. 
• Role-play scenarios with others to build up your confidence and response skills in a practice environment.
• Seeking feedback from those around you to better understand how your interactions are perceived by others. This can reveal some areas of opportunity you may wish to focus on. 

If you’re a college student or graduate, you could also look to your college or university Career Services team for support. As a career advisor for students and graduates of SNHU’s Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, Woods often speaks to people who are navigating conflict in professional settings. These students and alumni are often new to their role, experiencing interpersonal challenges or working in collaborative settings.

“Conflict resolution is a key area of focus in career advising sessions because it affects a person’s ability to work effectively and professionally within a team,” Woods said.

In addition to working directly with a career advisor, you might have access to resources and events within a university portal. At SNHU, for instance, there’s an Online Virtual Career Center.

How Do You Resolve Conflict in the Workplace?

Now that you know the skills necessary for conflict resolution at work and how to develop them, you may want to learn how to put them to use.

What Are 3 Steps in Resolving Conflict at Work?

While there are many ways to resolve conflict at work, Woods identified three important steps to take:

1. Pause: Step back from the situation and try to understand what’s triggering your emotions.
2. Engage: Use your active listening skills to really hear the other person and attempt to understand their perspective.
3. Address: Collaborate with the other person with the goal of creating a solution to the issue that works for everyone involved.

There may be some instances in which achieving a solution feels impossible. Rather than leaving the conflict unresolved, Woods recommended involving a neutral third party. That person might be a manager or a human resources professional trained to offer support in these situations.

What Are 5 Behaviors to Avoid?

Several behaviors will only make matters worse, according to Woods. Try your best not to:

• Assume the other person’s intentions
• Discuss the conflict with unrelated parties
• Ignore the issue
• Place blame
• React emotionally

While this can be easier said than done, Woods said engaging in these behaviors can mislead the discussion, damage trust, build resentment and generally complicate the road to resolution.

Embracing a Growth Mindset 

Conflict resolution can be tricky, and you may not always get it right. But with the help of a growth mindset, you can come to embrace disagreements.

“As professionals develop these skills, they often find that conflict becomes less daunting and more of an opportunity for mutual understanding and growth,” Woods said. “Maintaining a growth mindset can help individuals view conflicts as learning experiences that build resilience and adaptability in their careers and personal relationships.”

So next time you feel a conversation becoming tense, take a beat, listen with curiosity and see if you can find a solution together. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Rebecca LeBoeuf Blanchette is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University, where she fulfills her love of learning daily through conversations with professionals across a range of fields. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from SNHU’s campus in Manchester, New Hampshire, and followed her love of storytelling into the online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing at SNHU. Connect with her on LinkedIn.