Did you ever experience being in the middle of a conflict at work?
If yes, what did you do?
Whether in the workplace or your personal life, it’s inevitable to be in conflict at some point. Knowing what kind of conflict you are in helps you identify areas that need to be addressed.
From the recent course I took about negotiation skills, I learned that there are three common types of conflict at the workplace, and they are:
- Task conflict
- Relationship conflict
- Value conflict
To know more about them, check out this resource from Harvard Law School.
I also learned that it helps a lot if you know the contributors to the conflict to address them effectively. They are as follows:
- Structure
- Emotions
- History
- Communication
- Values
Knowing what causes the different types of conflict prepares you to deal with them before becoming challenging to manage. Learn more about the contributors to conflict here.
But you have to admit that it’s one thing to know more about conflict and another to do something about it. It might be even tempting to simply hide away and avoid any conflict should they arise. However, is it always the best thing to do? Is conflict inherently bad and must be avoided?
To find some answers, watch this video about how disagreements can become opportunities for progress.
Another question that you might be thinking about is how to avoid being the cause of conflict. My response is by becoming patient. And when you choose to be patient, you are more open to hearing where the other is really coming from.
As it says in Proverbs 15:18 (AMP),
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes.
Another helpful advice comes from 2 Timothy 2:23-24 (AMP).
But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations [useless disputes over unedifying, stupid controversies], since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels. The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged.
So there you go. As followers of Jesus, we must not associate with things that give birth to discord and fighting but rather be kind to everyone.
I hope I can say that I am a very patient person, but no, I am not. However, I am sure that I am more patient now than I was before. And that’s something. I still look forward to the time when I am someone people see as a patient person. Maybe you are so impatient, or like me, you want to become more patient. So, let us always choose to develop our patience, and I am sure it’ll grow. It did for me, and it will be the same for you too.
I hope you learned something new about conflict and how to address it just like I did. And I also hope you found the resources useful.
Have a great day!
jessa 