Description
The introduction of new employment legislation in the last few years has added to the challenges faced by employers.
Guide
Managingcon?ictatwork
Aguideforlinemanagers
Contents
Introduction 2
Section1Managingconflictatwork:acompetencyframeworkforlinemanagers 4
Section2Strongmanagement,healthyconflictandthepreventionofbullying 15
Conclusion 19
Furtherreadingandreferences 20
Managingconflictatwork 1
Introduction
Managingconflictatworkisbecominganincreasing
challengeforemployers.In2006–07thenumberof
individualemploymentdisputesthatresultedin
employmenttribunalapplicationsincreasedto132,577
comparedwith115,039forthepreviousyear.
Thehighnumberofclaimsispartlyexplainedbythe
public’sincreasedawarenessofemploymentrightsand
theirrecoursetolitigation.‘Nowin,nofee’lawyers
provideanavenuefordisgruntledemployeestolodge
claimsagainsttheiremployeratnocosttothemselves.
Inaddition,theintroductionofnewemployment
legislationinthelastfewyearshasaddedtothe
challengesfacedbyemployers.Since2003new
regulationhascomeintoforceprohibiting
discriminationonthebasisofage,sexualorientation
andreligionandbelief,addingtoexistinglaws
outlawingdiscriminationagainstpeopleforreasonof
theirrace,sexordisability.TheProtectionfrom
HarassmentAct1997isalsoincreasinglybeingseenas
anotheravenuebyemployeestomakeclaimsagainst
theiremployerforstressorbullying.
TheCIPDhaswelcomedtheevolvinglegalframework
asameansofpromotingfairtreatmentandequalityof
opportunityatwork.Organisationsthatembracethis
agendawillgainfromclearbusinessbenefitsinterms
oftheiremployerbrandandabilitytoattractand
retaintalent.However,changingingrainedprejudices
andbehavioursisnoteasy,soit’sessentialthat
organisationsdevelopclearpoliciesandprocedures
underpinnedbyappropriatetrainingformanagersand
employees,outliningorganisationalvalues,andthe
rightsandresponsibilitiesofindividuals.
Thechallengesassociatedwithmanagingconflictat
workhavebeenexacerbatedbytheintroductionin
October2004oftheStatutoryDisputeResolution
Regulations,whichintroducedminimumstandard
three-stepdisciplinaryandgrievanceprocedures.The
principlebehindtheintroductionoftheRegulations–
toensurethatemployersandemployeesmadeevery
efforttoresolvedisputesintheworkplace–was
sound,butinpracticethestatutoryprocedureshave
ledtoaformalisationofhowconflictatworkis
managed.TheCIPD2007surveyreportManaging
Conflict at Work showsthatemployersbelievethatthe
Regulationshavegeneratedmoredisciplinaryand
grievanceprocedureswithoutreducingthenumberof
employmenttribunalapplicationsmadebydisgruntled
employees.Italsoshowsthatemployersaremore
likelytorelyonlegaladvicetoresolvedisputessince
theintroductionoftheRegulations.
TheCIPDsurveyfindsthatorganisationsare
increasinglyrelyingontheirHRdepartmentsto
manageconflictasmanagersshyawayfromtackling
disputesincasetheydoorsaysomethingthatmight
beheldagainstthemduringanyformalproceedings.
Thisapproachiscounterproductive,asbythetimea
disputehasescalatedtothepointwherethe
disciplinaryprocedurehasbeentriggeredoraformal
grievancelodged,opinionsareoftenhardenedand
confrontationalstancesonbothsideshavedeveloped
thatareveryhardtochange.
Topreventthis,itisessentialthatlinemanagershave
theskills,knowledgeandconfidencetoidentifyand
manageworkplacedisagreements,andbullyingand
harassmentatanearlystage.
Linemanagerscanbeboththesolutionto,aswellas
thecauseof,workplacedisputes.TheCIPD2004
Managing Conflict at Work surveyreportfoundthat
linemanagersaremostlikelytobethesourceof
bullyingwithinorganisations.Managementstyleisalso
thenumber-onecauseofstressatworkaccordingto
the2007CIPDAbsence Management surveyreport.
Managersneedtohavetheappropriatepeople
managementskillstoensurethewaythatthey
2 Managingconflictatwork
manageisnotaffectingthehealthandwell-beingof
theindividualswithintheirdepartmentorteam.
Thisguidedrawsonresearchtoidentifythebehaviours
thatwillhelplinemanagersidentifyandmanage
disputesatworkproactively.Italsocoversthepeople
managementskillsneededbylinemanagerssothey
don’tbecomepartoftheproblemratherthanthe
solutiontoworkplaceconflict.
Managingconflictatwork 3
Section1Managingconflictat
work:acompetencyframework
forlinemanagers
Thisguidemakesuseofpreviouslyunpublishedresearch
–jointlysponsoredbytheCIPDandtheHealthand
SafetyExecutive(HSE)–thatidentifiesthepositiveand
negativemanagementbehavioursthatmanageand
mitigateagainstconflictatwork.Itisanoffshootofa
jointCIPDandHSEprojectexploringthelinksbetween
linemanagementbehaviourandstressatwork.Intotal,
369managersandemployeesfromthehealthcare,
finance,educationandlocalandcentralgovernment
sectorswereinterviewedtoidentifythebehavioursthat
influencestressatwork.Thisledtothedevelopmentof
amanagementcompetencyframeworkforpreventing
andreducingstressatwork.
TheCIPDrecognisedthattherewassomeoverlap
betweenthisframeworkandthespecificcompetencies
neededbymanagerstomanageconflictatwork.Asa
result,the‘managingconflictatwork’competency
frameworkwasdeveloped.Thisisbasedon100
behaviouralindicatorsrelevanttomanagingconflictthat
wereidentifiedaspartofthestressmanagement
research(seeTable1).
Thisguidedrawsonthekeymanagementbehaviours
thatwereidentifiedbytheresearchasbeingmost
importantinhelpinglinemanagerspreventandmanage
conflictintheworkplace.
Dealing with issues
CIPDresearchintomanagingconflictatworkin2007
and2004emphasisestheimportanceoflinemanagers
havingtheknowledge,skillsandconfidencetobeable
tointerveneatanearlystagetonipdisputesinthebud
–beforetheyescalate.
ThisisalsoakeyfindingfromthejointCIPDand
HSEresearchintolinemanagementbehaviourand
conflictmanagement.
Intervening quickly in cases of conflict
Managersshouldbesensitivetowhenbanterbecomes
bickeringorwhenteasingstartstohaveahurtfuledge.
Theyshouldbepreparedtostepinandhaveaquiet
wordwiththeteammembersinvolved.Themanager
shouldinformthoseinvolvedthatwhilelivelyinteraction
isencouraged,it’simportantthatthereismutualrespect
andthatcertainstandardsofbehaviourareexpectedat
work.Themanagershouldhavenotedexamplesofthe
typesofbehaviourorlanguagethathavebeenused
thatareinappropriateatworksothatthoseinvolved
willunderstandwhatisunacceptable.
It’smucheasiertohavethisconversationassoonasa
managerstartstohaveconcernsaboutbehaviourorearly
signsofconflict–topreventhabitsfrombeingformed
andtoensurethatthemanageristakenseriously.It’s
muchmoredifficulttoberespectedifamanagerhas
appearedtogivecertainbehaviourstacitapprovalby
lettingasituationdriftonforweeksormonths.
Dealing with conflict head on
Takingactiontomanageconflictcanappearquite
dauntingtosomemanagers,butit’sacorepartoftheir
roleandresponsibilities.Ifmanagersignore
unacceptablebehaviour,problemswillescalateuntilthe
disciplinaryprocesshastobeusedoraformalgrievance
islodged,bywhichtimeitwillbemuchharderto
achieveasuccessfulresolution.
Somepotentialsourcesofconflictatworkareobvious,
suchas:
• excessivepersonaluseoftheInternetoremail
• poorattendanceandtime-keeping
• anyformofbullyingbehaviourorharassment
• anyformofdiscriminatorybehaviour
• unacceptablelanguage
• theft
• drinkordrugproblems.
4 Managingconflictatwork
Table1:Managingconflictatwork:acompetencyframeworkforlinemanagers
Examplesofmanagerbehaviour
Competency Positive Negative
A
c
t
i
o
n
o
r
i
e
n
t
a
t
i
o
n
Dealingwithissues
• interveningquicklyincasesof
conflict
• dealingwithconflictheadon
• protectingemployeesby
removingthemfromconflict
situations
• removingadisruptiveteam
memberwhennecessary
• followinguponconflictsafter
resolution
• avoidingconfrontation
• leavingconflictsbetweenteam
memberstosortthemselvesout
• notaddressingbullying
• allowingasituationtodevelop
beforeintervening
• steppingintointervenein
conflictswithoutunderstanding
theissues
• allowingadisruptiveteam
membertoreturntotheteam
Useofofficial
processes
• communicatingprocedures
andpoliciesavailabletoeach
employee
• useallavailableproceduresto
investigateincidentsofabuse
• usingofficialprocedurestoset
anexampleofhowseriously
complaintsaretaken
• escalatingissuestosenior
managementwhereappropriate
• makingacomplaintofficial
beforeseekingtoresolvelocally
• makingacomplaintofficial
againstthecomplainant’swishes
• notfollowingcorrectprocedure
indealingwithaconflict
• using‘redtape’associated
withproceduretodiscourage
employeesfrommakingofficial
complaints
T
e
a
m
f
o
c
u
s
Participative
approach
• actingasamediatorinconflict
situations
• speakingtoeachparty
individually
• bringingbothsidestogetherto
communicate
• supportingbothsidesina
complaintsprocedure
• gatherideasofhowtoaddress
theissuewiththeteam
• takingsides
• notgivingequaltimetoeachside
oftheconflict
• speakingtoemployeesina
parent/childmanner
• notlisteningtoemployee
complaints
Monitoringteam
relationships
• beingawareoftensionand
keepingitatalowlevel
• pickinguponsquabblesbefore
theyleadtoconflict
• acknowledgingwhenateam
memberiscausingstressto
others
n/a
P
e
r
s
o
n
a
l
s
t
y
l
e
Actingasa
rolemodel
• maintainingprofessionalism
• beingclearaboutexpectationsof
teamconduct
• nottoleratingbackbitinginthe
team
• showingnointerestinoffice
politicsorgossip
• losingtemperwithindiscussions
• deliberatelycreatingconflictin
theteam
• engaginginconflictwithother
managers
• engaginginconflictwith
employees
Integrity
• keepsemployeeissuesprivate
andconfidential
• treatingallemployeeswiththe
sameimportance
• makingpublicwherecomplaints
havecomefrom
• bullyingemployees
• threateningemployeesunfairly
withdisciplinaryaction
Managingconflictatwork 5
However,frequentlyitisthemoresubtlebehaviours
thatovertime,ifnotconfronted,willleadto
workplacedisputes.
Examplesoflessobvioussourcesofdisputeinclude:
• takingcreditforotherpeople’sworkorideas
• talkingoverpeopleinmeetings
• notinvitingteammemberstoteamsocialevenings
orevents
• notcoveringforpeoplewhentheyareoffsick
• nottakingmessagesforpeople
• usingsomeoneelse’scontactsorcustomer/client
informationwithoutpermission
• notincludingpeopleinround-robinemails
• ignoringpeopleorbeingdiscourteous
• poorpersonalhygiene.
Managersshouldnotignoreunderlyingtensionsthat
aredevelopingintheirteams.It’svitalthatline
managershaveregularinformalone-to-one
conversationsandcatch-upswiththepeoplethey
managesothatthesekindsofissuescanbeaired
naturallywherepossible.However,managersmustalso
bepreparedtobeproactiveandinitiateinformal
discussionsiftheythinkaproblemisbrewing.Conflict
atworkcanleadtoabsences,soreturn-to-work
interviewsarealsoagoodopportunityformanagersto
askquestionsaboutanyconflictissuesthatmightbe
botheringemployees.
Alocalgovernmentemployeeistalkingaboutasituationwhenanewtemporarymemberofstaffstarted
workintheinterviewee’soffice.Atthetime,anotherteammember,calledShirley,wasonannualleave.
‘I think one particular day I just sort of said to her, I prefer it if you didn’t sit at that desk because that’s
Shirley’s desk and she’s a bit funny about people using her desk. I said if you could sit at your own desk.
Anyhow she must have really taken offence to it. The next time I had my supervision, supervision fine,
brilliant, no problem but then my line manager’s manager came in at the end and said that somebody
had expressed the opinion that they thought I was bullying. She filled me in on what it was about and I
said, I asked her not to sit at that desk because I know that that person is quite protective of her own
environment. She just wanted her own desk, she’d got everything just so. I said I wasn’t really nasty
about it at all but she said well we’ve had it reported and we’ve got to mention it to you.’
Thecomplainantwasthenpreparedtoacceptanapologyandsoanapologywasmade.Theinterviewee
goesontodescribetheimpactofthesituationfollowingthis.
‘After that, because of what had been said previously, I was really really paranoid about saying anything
that might offend. When I had the next supervision, it was mentioned that I was very quiet and I wasn’t
talking to anybody, I wasn’t being part of the team and I said I really do feel uncomfortable. I was
disapointed that my line manager felt that she’d had to bring her line manager in to tell me something like
that when really if she had raised the matter with me I’d have just apologised for what I said.’
Thissituationcontinuedwithabadatmosphereintheofficeforthenexttwoorthreemonths.
Case study 1: an example of ineffective conflict management
6 Managingconflictatwork
Protecting employees by removing them from thereisanychanceofmovingtheindividualtoa
conflict situations differentjobroleorteam,whichtheymaybemore
Managersalsoneedtounderstandwhattodoifa suitedto.Anychangewouldhavetofollowfull
conflictdoesblowupintoamajordisagreement.If consultationwiththeindividual.
someonelosestheirtemperthenitisimportantthat
thattheyaretakenoutofthesituationorawayfrom Alternatively,ifanindividual’sbehaviourisconsistently
thepersonorpeoplethatthedisputeiswithuntilthey disruptiveanddoesnotimproveafterattemptshave
calmdown.Ifthisdoesnothappenthenthedangeris beenmadetoresolvemattersinformallythentheline
thatsomeonewilldoorsaysomethingintheheatof managerwillhavetoconsiderusingthedisciplinary
themomentthatcouldbecomeabiggersourceof process.Thedisciplinaryprocesswillensurethatthe
grievancethantheoriginalproblem. individualconcernedunderstandstheseriousnessofthe
situation.Thedisciplinarymeetingwillallowthe
Oncethedisputingpartieshavebeenseparateditwill managerandHRtosetoutclearlythestandardsof
thenbepossibletohaveacalmerandmorerational behaviourandperformancethatareexpectedgoing
conversationaboutwhatsparkedthedisagreementand forward.Ultimately,ifthereisnoimprovementover
starttoconsiderpossibleresolution. timethenharddecisionswillhavetobetakenregarding
possibledismissal–butonlyoncethedisciplinary
Removing a disruptive team member when procedurehasbeenfollowedconsistently.
necessary
Insomecircumstancestheremaybepersonalityclashes Recognisingthepointatwhichinformalapproachesto
thatarehardtoresolveandremainanongoingsource resolvingdisputeshavefailedandwhenformal
oftension,oraparticularmemberofstaffwho disciplinaryactionmustbetakenisanimportant
consistentlycausestensionsandconflict.Ifthisisthe judgementthatlinemanagershavetomake.HRcan
casethenthelinemanagershouldconsiderwhether provideusefuladviceatthispoint.
Acentralgovernmentmanagertalksaboutasituationofconflictemergingfollowinganewmemberof
staffbeingbroughtintotheteamfromanotherdepartment.
‘We knew that this person wasn’t very well thought of, there had been quite a lot of problems with this
person, he’d been caught going off site in the middle of the day, leaving early etc, etc, so we weren’t
very keen to have him. But we decided we would give him a try because it’s quite a nice team of people
that I work with and we thought we would perhaps be able to sort him out, get him motivated and
enjoying the work. But things didn’t work out at all, they just went from bad to worse and personnel
wouldn’t actually believe us that it wasn’t working out and that, you know there were serious problems.
This chap really was having a rough time, and so he was coming into the office looking as if he was
sleeping out of doors, it was really that bad. My senior manager said to me, “Do something about him,
tell him that he can’t dress like that in a public office.”
‘So when I did actually do that, because I felt as if I had to do it for everyone’s sake really, he actually
walked off site and refused to come back to work. He also threatened some of the staff, including me,
with harassment. So it was a horrible stressful thing to happen and in the end after about six months he
actually gave his notice in and so it all just went away.
‘But personnel were very worried that we would be sued and none of my line management supported
me, especially the one who said “do something about him”.’
Case study 2: an example of ineffective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 7
Following up on conflicts after resolution
It’sverytemptingforlinemanagerstohopethat
onceaconflicthasbeenresolved–eitherinformally
oronceadisciplinaryorgrievanceprocedurehasrun
itscourseandappropriatesanctionshavebeentaken
–thattheproblemhasgoneawayforgood.
However,inmanycasesonepartyoranotherwillstill
feelaggrievedtoagreaterorlesserextent.Soit’s
importantthatlinemanagerstalktotheindividuals
involvedduringinformalone-to-onesorduring
discussionsarounddevelopmentorperformance
appraisalstofindoutwhethertheconflictreallyhas
beenresolvedorisbeingmanaged,orifthereare
renewedtensionsorunhappiness.Thedangerwith
oldconflictsisthatiftheydore-occurtherewillbe
noslowbuild-up,asanimosityandresentment
alreadyexists.Thisiswhyit’simportantthatline
managersuse‘temperaturechecks’throughregular
communicationtoensurethatolddisagreementsare
notbrewingagain.
Use of official processes
Ofcourse,althoughalleffortsshouldbemadetoresolve
workplaceconflictinformallyatanearlystage,therewill
bemanyinstanceswhereformaldisciplinaryaction
shouldbetaken.Linemanagersshouldnotshyaway
fromusingthedisciplinaryprocesswhereanindividual’s
misconductorunderperformancedemandsit.
Communicating procedures and policies available
to each employee
Linemanagersshouldensurethatallemployees
understandtheformaldisciplinaryandgrievance
proceduresthatareinplace.Linemanagersshouldalso
emphasisethatwheretherearedisagreements,efforts
shouldbemadetoresolvemattersinformally(wherever
possible)andemployeesshouldbeencouragedto
discussanyproblemsthey’rehavingwiththeirjob,
colleaguesoroutsidework.
Use all available procedures to investigate
incidents
Whereseriousincidentsoccur–suchasalleged
harassment,bullyingorout-of-characteroutburstsof
verbalabuseorphysicalintimidation–theymustbe
dealtwithandtakenseriously.Anyformofgross
misconductmustbeproperlyinvestigatedanddealt
withusingtheformaldisciplinaryandgrievance
procedure.Linemanagersmustbewaryofsecond-
guessingtheresultsofanyinvestigationandmust
ensurethatothermembersoftheteamdon’teither.
Inmanycasesconflictscanbedefusedbyeffectiveearly
interventionbythemanager.However,therewillbesome
situationsthatwillblowupwithverylittlewarning,either
becauseofthepersonalitiesofthoseinvolvedorbecause
ofsomethinghappeninginsomeone’sdomesticlifethat
isputtingthemunderpressurethatthey’rehaving
problemsdealingwith.However,regardlessofthereason,
whereanindividual’sbehaviourleadstoserious
misconduct,theformaldisciplinaryorgrievanceprocedure
mustbeusedsothatthematterisinvestigatedfairlyand
decisionsarenotmadeintheheatofthemoment.
Using official procedures to set an example of
how seriously complaints are taken
Usedproperly,theofficialdisciplinaryandgrievance
procedurecanreassurethoseinvolvedinconflictat
workthatthematterisbeingtakenseriouslyanddealt
withconsistentlyandfairly.
Escalating issues to senior management where
appropriate
Insomecases–particularlywherethelinemanageris
involvedoristhecauseoftheconflict–itmaybe
appropriatetoinvolveaseniormanagerintheformal
disciplinaryorgrievanceproceduretoensurethatthe
processisseentobeobjective.
Linemanagersshouldalsohaveaccesstoasenior
managerorHRpractitionerswhocangivethemadvice
aboutmanagingdifficultsituationsatworkbeforethey
escalatetoconflicts.
Participative approach
Acting as a mediator in conflict situations
Alllinemanagersshouldhaveinformalmediationskills
toallowthemtostepinandattempttoresolve
disputesbeforetheyescalate.Linemanagerscanhelp
individualsindisputeidentifywhatisattherootof
theirdisagreement,whattheyneedtohappento
resolvemattersormoveforwardandanychangesor
compromisesthey’repreparedtomakeintheir
behaviourorattitudes.
Speaking to each party individually
Thestartingpointisforthemanagertohaveinformal
one-to-oneconversationswiththepartiesindisputeto
8 Managingconflictatwork
identifythecruxoftheproblemandhearthedifferent workplaceoncetheformalprocesshasbeencompleted
individualperspectivesonwhatishappeningandthe andanydisciplinarysanctionimposed.
grievancesthattheybear.
Gather ideas of how to address the issue with
Bringing both sides together to communicate the team
Onceamanagerhasaclearunderstandingofthe Insituationswheretherearedisputesthataffectthe
problemandtheindividuals’differentperspectivesonthe wholeteam,forexampleasaresultofthetensionsthat
problem,theycanbringthedisputingpartiestogether arisefrommeetingparticulardeadlinesorchangesto
andactasanobjectivebrokertohelpfindcommon workingpractices,managerscanhelpfindsolutions
groundandchangesthatcanbemadebyeithersideto thatthewholeteamcanbuyintobyhavinganopen
helpfindasolution.Themanagershouldbecarefulnot discussionorbrainstormingmeetingwiththeirteamto
totakesidesinthisprocessbutshouldsimplyassistthe findpossiblesolutions.
individualsindisputetoreachresolution.
Managerscanalsouseone-to-oneswithemployeesto
Supporting both sides in a complaints procedure getaclearpictureofwhatiscreatingteamdisharmony
Whereinformalattemptstoresolveadisputefailand fromdifferentpeople’sperspectives.
mattersdeterioratetothepointwhereoneorbothof
thepartiessubmitaformalgrievance,itisimportant Managerscanhelptoavoidconflictbyhavingregular
thatthemanagerisnotseentotakesides–unlessof consultationwiththeirteamtoensurethattheirviews
coursetheyhaveobjectiveevidencethatisrelevantto aretakenintoaccountbeforemakingchangesthat
thedispute.Takingsideswillnothelpresolvethe affecttheirworkorworkingenvironment.
conflictsuccessfullyandwillcreatetensionsbackinthe
Afinancialemployeedescribesasituationwhenanewmanagercameintotheirteam,atatimeofhigh
conflictandlowmorale.
‘Most of the issues centred around one person and the effect that person had had on the team. There
was lots of arguments, lots of bitching, lots of issues that just were not being addressed and hadn’t been
addressed for a long, long time. This new manager was more or less put into the lions’ den to see how
she would cope with it. So it was pretty unfair to her but, she came through it and she actually turned
the team from being one of the most negative or one of the most unproductive teams to probably being
the best in the department within the space of a couple of months.’
Theemployeegoesontoexplainhowtheythinkthemanagercreatedthisturnaround.
‘I think it was her attitude to the work and it was her attitude to the people. She started with a clean
slate and didn’t listen to the “tittle tattle” that went on before. She came in and she immediately had a
one-to-one with every member of staff and allowed them the opportunity to air their views, get the rant
and rave out and then she sat back and quietly watched the team dynamics, watched the team, watched
how they interacted, and on a couple of occasions she had to maybe move seats, move people’s seating
arrangements. But she did that as a trial and error over a period of time, watched people how they were
at their work and how they interacted with each other. So by her becoming really involved with the
people in the team, she made a real difference.’
Case study 3: an example of effective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 9
Monitoring team relationships
Being aware of tension and keeping it at a low
level
Inanyteamtherewillbetensionsordisagreementsthat
arisefromtimetotime,butlinemanagersshouldbe
awareofsignsthatseriousdisputesaredeveloping.Line
managersshouldalsobeawarethatdifferent
personalitytypeswilldealwithconflictindifferent
ways.Somepeoplewillshowtheirannoyancevery
quicklyandopenly,forexamplebyconfronting
someoneassoonastheirbehaviourbothersthem,or
makingtheirdispleasureoverworkissuesveryclearly
known.Otherpeoplemayonthesurfaceappearmore
laidbackandtolerantbutwillbegraduallygettingmore
annoyedbyacolleague,theirmanagerorawork
problemuntiltheylosetheirtemperspectacularly,often
oversomethingquiteminorthathasprovedtobethe
laststraw.Someindividualswillsulkandbecome
withdrawnwhentheyhaveagrievance.Thisiswhy
managersshouldtryandgettoknowtheemployeesin
theirteamordepartmentaspeopleandfindwaysto
haveregularinformalconversationstohelpthempick
uponissuesthatarebeginningtofesterawaybeneath
thesurface.
Picking up on squabbles before they lead to
conflict
Manydisputeswillstartoffasinnocuousdisagreements
thatappeartoberesolvedorforgottenstraightaway.
However,wheresuchnigglesrecuronaregularbasis,
managersshouldinterveneandtalktotheindividuals
concernedaboutwhatishappeningandhowto
preventtheproblemoccurringinthefirstplace.
Acknowledging when a team member is causing
stress to others
Itonlytakesonepersontocausedisharmonywithina
teamasaresultoftheirnegativebehaviourorpoor
performance.Examplesofbehaviourandperformance
thatcancreatestressatworkinclude:
• beingoverlycritical
• havingashorttemper
• takingoutpersonalproblemsathomeonpeoplein
theoffice
• makingpersonalremarks
• notsharinginformation
• talkingaboutpeoplebehindtheirback
• avoidingunpopularteamtasks
• poortime-keepingorattendance.
Managersmustbepreparedtostepinandtalktothe
individualassoonasitbecomesobvioustheyare
creatingproblems.Inmanycasestheymaybeunaware
ofhowtheyortheirbehaviourisperceivedbyothersand
willrespondquicklytoaquietword.Whereinformal
attempts,aswellastheuseofformaldisciplinary
procedures,failtoresolveproblems,themanagerin
conjunctionwithHRwillhavetoconsidertakingstepsto
removethemfromtheteam(seepage7).
Acting as a role model
Maintaining professionalism
Managersmustbeseentosetanexamplebybeing
seentofollowtheorganisation’spoliciesand
procedures.Ifmanagersdon’tcomplywithcompany
policyon,forexample,reportingabsence,thenitis
Ahealthcaremanagerdescribeshowshepreventsconflictsfromoccurringinheroffice.
‘I make sure that if I do pick up on anything, because I do get wee squabbles and things sometimes that I
actually pick one out and ask what’s wrong because I can see there’s an atmosphere. I try and get them
through it in the best way without interfering too much. Often, it might be that somebody’s been
particularly not helping with a clinic that day or not training and they’re doing their own thing. You know
it’s silly things sometimes but silly things like somebody looking at the intranet when they should be doing
something else can cause a little bit of you know, a disagreement or something.’
Case study 4: an example of effective conflict management
10 Managingconflictatwork
difficulttoexpectemployeestodothesame. Showing no interest in office politics or gossip
Managersmustalsosetanexamplebybeing Officepoliticsandgossipcanbeasourceofdisputesat
consistentinhowtheydealwiththeteamandnot work,astheycancauseanxiety,uncertaintyand
showingfavouritism.Insocialsituationsmanagers resentment.Acertainlevelofofficegossipisinevitable
mustalsobecarefulnottolettheirhairdowninfront andneednotcauseanyproblems,butmanagersshould
ofthepeopletheymanagetotheextentthatthey avoidaddingfueltothefirebyjoininginandaddingto
regretorareembarrassedbytheirbehaviourwhen anyspeculation.Wheregossipismalicious,managers
theyarebackinaworkenvironment. shouldinterveneandspelloutclearlytothoseinvolved
thatspreadingunsubstantiatedrumoursisunacceptable
Being clear about expectations of team conduct andcouldbeconstruedasbullyingorharassment.
Aswellasspellingoutwhatbehaviourisnottolerated,
managersshouldalsodemonstratewhatpositive Amanagerwhohasareputationasanofficegossipor
behavioursemployeesshouldaspiretobothinterms politicianisunlikelytobetrustedandwillnotbeseen
ofhowtheyinteractwitheachotherandotherpeople assomeoneanemployeecangotodiscussanyhome
intheorganisation,aswellascustomers,clientsand orworkdifficultiestheymaybehaving.
thepublic.
Integrity
Not tolerating backbiting in the team Keeps employee issues private and confidential
Managersshouldalsointervenetopreventemployees Ifmanagersaretocreateaworkingrelationshipwith
fromtalkingaboutotherpeopleintheteamor theindividualsthattheymanagethatisbasedon
departmentbehindtheirbacks.Ignoringthistypeof mutualtrustandrespect,thentheyhavetomake
behaviourwillleadtoresentmentbuilding,cliques surethattheyprotectpeople’sprivacyandrespect
developingandencouragesaworkculturewhere confidentialinformation.Peoplewhotrusttheirline
bullyingismorelikelytooccur.Themanagershould manageraremorelikelytotalktothemiftheyare
establishifthereisagenuineproblemandthendeal havingdifficulties,whetherintheworkplaceorat
withitopenlybytalkingtotheindividualsconcerned. home,thatmightleadtoorcontributetoconflictat
Ahealthcaremanagerdescribesgoingintoadepartmentwheretheemployeeshadbeenbulliedbytheir
previousmanager.
‘And the person who was bullying them actually had control and therefore, me trying to come in and say,
“Actually I’m supportive, I’m nice, I’m fair”, didn’t wash for quite some time. And as part of that we then
ended up with a disciplinary case and allegations of bullying and harassment [against the previous
manager]. That then proceeded with I think 20, nearly 20, 21 or 22 staff being interviewed and out of that
came an awful lot more of the stresses and pressures people had actually taken on board and lived with for
quite a number of years. There were an awful lot of meetings, it was a very very hard time for me in
respect of I was giving an awful lot of emotional support to people. I had pressure on to actually make sure
everything worked out okay for them because they’d put their trust in me. It was through these discussions
and interviews that I actually succeeded in what I needed to.
‘However I also supported the person who the allegations were made against because you’ve got to
ensure you do that in order to get an objective view of what you’re looking at.’
Case study 5: an example of effective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 11
work.Someonewhohassufferedabereavementor
isgoingthrougharelationshipbreakdownmaywell
bemoreemotionalandhavealowertolerancelevelat
workthantheywoulddoundernormalcircumstances.
Likewiseindividualswhosebehaviourisaffectedbya
drinkordrugproblemaremuchmorelikelytoopenup
andtalktoamanagerwhotheytrustandwhothey
knowwillrespectaconfidence.
Managerswhogettoknowthepeopletheymanageas
individualsandhaveanawarenessofissuesintheir
homelivesthatmightaffectthematworkwillbemuch
morelikelytobeabletotalkfranklywiththemabout
problemstheyarehavingwithcolleaguesorthejob.
Treating all employees with the same importance
Managerswhoarenoteven-handedinhowthey
managepeoplewillstruggletobuildworking
relationshipsbasedonmutualtrustandrespect.Any
signoffavouritismisalsolikelytoleadtoresentment
andmaywellbeacauseofconflictinitself.Managers
thatfailtotreatallemployeeswiththesame
importancearealsovulnerabletobeingaccusedof
discrimination–regardlessofthemotivationbehind
theirbehaviour.
Self-report quiz for managers
How do you manage conflict in your team… and
how effectively do you do it?
Thefollowingself-assessmentquiz(Table2)canbeused
tohelpmanagersidentifytheapproachtheytendto
usewhenmanagingconflictandtheareasforfurther
developmenttohelpthembuildtheirconflict
managementskills.
Tointerpretthescoresineachofthethreedimensions,
usethefollowingguidelines:
0–14: Development need: Ascoreinthisrangeisan
indicationthatthisisanareainwhichyouwouldbenefit
fromsomedevelopment.Pleaserefertothecompetency
frameworkinTable1(page5)toseewhichbehaviours
youcoulduseinthefuturetomanageconflict,orwhich
youmayalreadyusethatmaybeprovinglesseffective.
Table2:Managingconflictatwork:self-reportquizformanagers(Pleasetickoneboxonlyineachrow)
Responsescale
Mostof
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes thetime Always
Action orientation
Dealing with issues
Doyoutendtofaceconflictheadon?
Doyouintervenequicklyinconflictsituations?
Doyouopenlyaddressbullyinginyourteam?
Doyouknowthecauseoftheproblembefore
steppingin?
Use of official processes
Doyouuseanofficialprocess…
–todemonstratehowseriouslycomplaintsare
taken?
–toinvestigateincidentsofabuse?
–asatooltodemonstratethesupportavailable
toemployees?
–onlyafterattemptingtoresolvethe
situationlocally?
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor.
Total ‘action orientation’ score (maximum score is 40)
0 2 5
(continued)
12 Managingconflictatwork
Table2:Managingconflictatwork:self-reportquizformanagers(continued)
Responsescale
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes
Mostof
thetime Always
Team focus
Participative approach
Insituationsofconflict,doyou…
–actasamediator? £ £ £
–askforsuggestionsfromteammembersin
howtomoveforward?
£ £ £
–finditeasytoremainobjective?
£ £ £
–speaktoeveryoneinvolvedindividually?
£ £ £
Monitoring team relationships
Doyouknowhowwellyouremployeesgetonwith
eachother?
£ £ £
Areyouawareoflow-leveltensioninyourteam?
£ £ £
Doyouknowwhenateammemberiscausingstress
toothers?
£ £ £
Doyoupickuponsquabblesbeforetheylead
toconflict?
£ £ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor. 0 2 5
Total ‘team focus’ score (maximum score is 40)
Personal style
Role-modelling behaviour
Doyoukeepoutofofficepoliticsandgossip? £ £ £
Doyouhaveconsistentlygoodrelationshipswith
othermanagers?
£ £ £
Doyoucommunicatetoyourteamwhatconduct
youexpectfromthem?
£ £ £
Doyouappearcalmatwork(evenwhenyoudon’t
feelit!)?
£ £ £
Integrity
Doyouseeallemployeesasequallyimportant? £ £ £
Doyoukeepallemployeeissuesprivateand
confidential?
£ £ £
Doyouaimtogainthetrustofyouremployees?
£ £ £
Doyouprotecttheanonymityofcomplainants?
£ £ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor. 0 2 5
Total ‘personal style’ score (maximum score is 40)
Managingconflictatwork 13
14–28: Reasonable: Ascoreinthisrangeisan
indicationthatyoushowagoodawarenessofthe
behavioursforeffectiveconflictmanagementinthis
area.Itmaybehelpfultousethecompetency
frameworktoseeifthereareanybehavioursyoucould
addtoyourrepertoireinthisareatoincreaseyour
effectivenessinmanagingconflict.
28–40: Effective: Ascoreinthisrangeisanindication
thatyoudemonstratethebehavioursthatareeffective
inmanagingconflictinyourteaminthisparticular
dimension.
Yourmanagingconflictprofile
Areaofbehaviour
Action orientation
Team focus
Personal style
Your managing conflict profile
Fillineachoftheright-handcolumns.Inthe
‘effectiveness’column,add‘developmentneed’,
‘reasonable’or‘effective’.
Ifmanagerswouldlikefeedbackonhowotherssee
them,thisquestionnairecanbegiventotheteamthey
managesotheycanseehowtheyareratedasa
conflictmanager.
Totalscore/40 Effectiveness
14 Managingconflictatwork
Section2Strongmanagement,
healthyconflictandthe
preventionofbullying
Managersarefrequentlythecausesofconflictatwork. designedtohelpmanagerstounderstandthepositive
CIPDresearchshowsthatlinemanagersaremostlikely managementbehavioursthatleadtomoremotivated,
toberesponsibleforbullyingwithinorganisations,and committedandharmoniousteams.Aself-assessment
managementstyleisthenumberonecauseofstressat questionnaireissetoutbelow(Table3).It’sdesignedto
work.Oneofthechallengesfacingmostmanagersis helplinemanagerslookattheirownmanagement
that,inmostcases,theyhavebeenpromotedasaresult behavioursandstyleandhelpthemseethemselvesas
oftheirtechnicalknowledgeorskillratherthanhow theyareseenbythepeoplethattheymanage.
theymanagepeople.Thissectionoftheguideis
Table3:Self-assessmentquestionnaire:managementbehavioursandstyle(Pleasetickoneboxonlyineachrow)
Responsescale
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes
Mostof
thetime Always
People focus
Doyougivepeoplepersonalresponsibility?
£ £ £
Doyouactivelyseekouttheviewsofothers?
£ £ £
Areyoucommittedtoteamdevelopment?
£ £ £
Doyouinstilconfidenceinothers?
£ £ £
Doyouencourageopenfeedbackanddebate?
£ £ £
Personal integrity
Doyoudowhatyousayyou’lldo?
£ £ £
Doyoushowrespecttoeveryone?
£ £ £
Canyousaysorrywhenyou’vemadeamistake?
£ £ £
Areyouopenandhonestaboutyourmistakesand
doyoulearnfromthem?
£ £ £
Areyoufairinallyourdealingswithothers? £ £ £
Visibility
Doyouactivelypromotean‘opendoor’approach?
£ £ £
Doyouchampionacultureofrespectanddignity?
£ £ £
Areyou‘available’tolistentotheviewsofothers?
£ £ £
Areyoupreparedtotalktocustomersandclientsabout
theneedforrespectanddignityatwork?
£ £ £
Haveyouputbuildingacultureofdignityandrespect
onyourmainagenda?
£ £ £
(continued)
Managingconflictatwork 15
Table3:Self-assessmentquestionnaire:managementbehavioursandstyle(continued)
Responsescale
Mostof
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes thetime Always
Promotingstandards
Doyouestablishindividualandteamgoals?
£ £ £
Doyougivepersonalrecognitiontoothers?
£ £ £
Doyouusefeedbackandcoachingconstructively?
£ £ £
Doyouscheduleregulartimeforimprovinginterpersonal
relationships?
£ £ £
Areyouconstantlylookingforopportunitiesforimprovement?
£ £ £
Challengingthestatusquo
Doyouopenlychallengeunacceptablebehaviour?
£ £ £
Doyouseekoutprejudicedattitudes?
£ £ £
Doyoucriticallyexaminepoliciesandprocedurestomakesure
£ £ £
they’refairtoeveryone?
How did you do? Add up the ticks in each column.
Now multiply each column total by the appropriate
weighting factor:
Total score. Maximum total score is 115
0–50: Youdon’tyetunderstandwhatisneededto
createdignityandrespect.
51–75: Youhavesomeawarenessofrequirementsbut
significanteffortisneeded.
76–100: Youhavereasonableskillsincreatingaculture
ofdignityandrespect.
101–115: Youhaveexcellentskillsincreatingaculture
ofdignityandrespect.
Nowaskyourteamtocompletethequestionnaire
anonymouslyandseehowtheyrateyou.
Strong management and bullying
Oftenthoseaccusedofbullyingfinditdifficultto
recognisethemselvesasbehavinginabullyingor
aggressiveway.Conversely,somemanagersare
concernedabouttacklingpoorperformanceandbeing
accusedofbullying.
0 2 5
Whenlinemanagersfindthemselveshavingtodeal
withalow-performingteam,partoftheirroleisto
motivatetheteamtoperformmoreeffectively.The
processofbringingaboutchangesinhowteams
workusuallyinvolvesanumberofareas,including
settingstandards,identifyinganddealingwitherrors
andmistakes,increasingproductivity,greater
flexibilityofroles,changingprioritiesandreducing
unreasonableexpenditure.
Ifthesechangesareintroducedandmanagedcorrectly,
theycanbringaboutthenecessarybusiness
improvementswithlittleornoemployeedistress.
However,ifthelinemanagerfailsintheirhandlingof
thechange,accusationsofbullyingcanoccur.
Table4looksatdifferentwaysoftacklingpoorly-
performingteamsanddistinguishingbetweenstrong
managementandbullyingbehaviour.
Healthy conflict and bullying
Acertainamountofcompetitionisnormaland
importantinworkinglife.However,bullyingisdifferent
16 Managingconflictatwork
Table4
ifferencesbetweenstrongmanagementandbullyingwhentacklingpoorly-performingteams
Addressingpoorperformancein Strongmanagement Bullying
teams
Identifyingtheperformanceissue
Seekingtheviewsoftheteamor
individualtoidentifythecause
oftheunacceptablelevelof
performance
Agreeingnewstandardsof
performancewithallteam
members
Agreeingthemethodandtiming
ofmonitoring/auditingteam
performance
Failuretoachievethestandards
ofperformanceisdealtwithasa
performance-improvementissue
Recognisingpositive
contributions
Involveslookingatallthe
potentialreasonsforpoor
performance,forexample
people,systems,trainingand
equipment
Theteamtakespartinlooking
forthesourceoftheproblems
inperformanceandhelpsthe
managertoidentifysolutionsfor
thewholeteam
Involvessettingandagreeing
standardsofperformance
andbehavioursforeachteam
memberandthemanager
Whereverpossibletheteamor
teammembertakespartinthe
monitoringprocess.Theoutcome
ofthemonitoringisopenly
discussed
Opportunitiesaretakento
identifyindividualswhoare
struggling,andsupportis
provided.Whereindividuals
areunwillingtocomplywith
theagreedperformance-
improvementprocess,disciplinary
actionsmaybetaken
Recognisesandrewards
improvementsinperformance,
attitudesandbehaviours
Noattempttoidentifythe
natureorsourceofthepoor
performance
Nodiscussionofthecause
oftheperformancedeficit,
oropportunitiesfortheteam
memberstodiscusstheir
difficulties
Imposingnewstandardswithout
teamdiscussiononappropriate
standardsofperformanceor
behaviour
Withoutagreeingstandards,the
monitoringcanoccuratanytime
andcaninvolveareasthatare
unexpectedbyteammembers
Individualswhofailtoachieve
thestandardsofperformanceare
putunderpressuretoconform.
Thismayincluderidicule,
criticism,shouting,withholding
ofbenefits,demotion,teasingor
sarcasm
Withnomonitoring,it’s
impossibletorecognisewhere
therehavebeenpositive
contributions.Rewardsand
recognitionaretherefore
arbitraryandopentoactsof
favouritism
fromnormalconflictsbecauseitinvolvesunfairand leadtobullyingistoidentifythetypeofissueinvolved.
unethicalbehavioursthatcauseextremedistressand Conflictscanberelatedtoanissue,ideaortask,ortoa
disruptiontotheindividual,groupandultimatelythe personalvalueorbelief.Theresolutionofissue-related
wholeorganisation. conflictsisgenerallyeasiertoachievethanthatofa
conflictrelatedtostronglyheldvaluesorbeliefs.
TheWorldHealthOrganisation(2003)produceda
guidetoraiseawarenessofbullyingandpsychological Issue-related conflict
harassmentatworkinwhichtheychartthecontrasts Forexample,aworkgroupmayhaveaconflictin
betweenhealthyconflictsandbullyingsituations(see decidingwhatstrategytopursueorhowtoallocate
Table5onpage18). responsibilities.Theseconflictscanhaveafruitful
outcomeifmanagedcorrectly.Problem-solving
Oneofthemostimportantwaystodistinguishbetween approachesallowparticipantstovigorouslydebatethe
healthyconflictsanddestructivesituationsthatmay issuesinvolvedandcometoacreativesolution.
Managingconflictatwork 17
Table5ifferencesbetweenhealthyconflictandbullyingsituations
Healthyconflicts Bullyingsituations
Clearrolesandtasks Roleambiguity
Collaborativerelations Unco-operativebehaviour/boycott
Commonandsharedobjectives Lackofforesight
Explicitinterpersonalrelations Ambiguousinterpersonalrelations
Healthyorganisations Organisationalflaws
Ethicalbehaviour Unethicalactivities
Occasionalclashesandconfrontation Long-lastingandsystematicdisputes
Openandfrankstrategies Equivocalstrategies
Openconflictanddiscussion Covertactionsanddenialofconflict
Straightforwardcommunication Obliqueandevasivecommunication
Personal conflict
Personalconflictinvolvesissuesthatthreatenthe
individual’sidentityorvaluessystemandare
characterisedbyintenselynegativeinterpersonal
clashes.Thetypesofissueinvolvedinpersonalconflict
arecommonlyviewedasnon-negotiable.Itistherefore
muchmoredifficulttodealwithpersonalconflictthan
issue-relatedconflict.
18 Managingconflictatwork
Conclusion
TheCIPD’s2007Managing Conflict at Work survey
reportfoundthatonaverageorganisationsdevotemore
than350daysinmanagementtimeayearinmanaging
disciplinaryandgrievancecases.Thesurveyalsofound
thatemployersfaceaverageannualcostsassociated
withemploymenttribunalclaimsandhearingsof
£20,000.Thesefindingsshowtheverysignificantcosts
thatorganisationsfaceifdisputesescalatetothepoint
wheretheformaldisciplinaryorgrievanceprocesshas
tobeused.Ofcourseitisnotjustmanagementtime
wastedandfinancialcoststhatemployersmusttake
accountof,butalsothepersonalcostofindividuals
understress,employeeabsence,dysfunctionalteams
anddamagetomoraleandproductivity.Inmanycases
employeeswillsimplyvotewiththeirfeetandleave
organisationsifconflictisnotmanagedeffectively.
However,despitethehugeimpactofconflictatwork,
only38%oforganisationsprovidetrainingfortheirline
managersinmanagingconflictatwork.Andjust29%
ofrespondentsratetheirlinemanagers’abilitiesin
managingconflictinformallyasgood,comparedwith
69%thatratetheirlinemanagersinthisareaas
averageorpoor.IfHRpractitionerswanttotryand
preventconflictatworkissuesincreasinglybeingpassed
ontothemtomanage,thenlinemanagersmustbe
giventhetrainingtoenablethemtofulfilthisrole.
Linemanagersmustbesensitivetohowtheiremployees
areinteracting,aswellastohowtheyarehandlingany
increaseintheirworkloadsororganisationalchange.
Managersmustbeconfidenttointerveneatanearly
stageiftherearesignsthatemployeesareindispute,or
thereisanyhintofbullyingbehaviouremerging,orof
indicationsthatanyoneissufferingfromstress.
Managersarebestplacedtoestablishthecauseofany
problemassoonasitemergesandfindaresolution
beforeattitudeshavehardenedandconfrontational
stanceshavehadtimetodevelop.
Managingconflictatworkforlinemanagersisan
integralpartofgoodpeoplemanagement.Toalarge
degreeitisaboutgoodcommunication,providing
ongoingfeedbackandeffectivecoachingand
development.Itisalsoaboutrecognisinggoodwork
andeffectiveperformancemanagement.
Managingconflictatwork 19
Furtherreadingandreferences
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2004)Managing conflict at work
[online].Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/general/_
mngcnflt04.htm[Accessed14January2008].
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2007)Absence management [online].
Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/
[Accessed14January2008].
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2007)Managing conflict at work
[online].Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/
[Accessed14January2008].
WORLDHEALTHORGANISATION.(2003)
Raising awareness of psychological harassment at work:
advice to health professionals, decision makers,
managers, human resource directors, legal community
and workers.Switzerland:WHO.
20 Managingconflictatwork
Weexploreleading-edgepeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesthroughourresearch.
Ouraimistoshareknowledge,increaselearningandunderstanding,andhelpourmembers
makeinformeddecisionsaboutimprovingpracticeintheirorganisations.
Weproducemanyresourcesonconflictissuesincludingguides,books,practicaltools,surveys
andresearchreports.Wealsoorganiseanumberofconferences,eventsandtrainingcourses.
Pleasevisitwww.cipd.co.uktofindoutmore.
CharteredInstituteofPersonnelandDevelopment
151TheBroadway London SW191JQ
Tel:02086126200 Fax:02086126201
Email:[email protected] Website:www.cipd.co.uk
IncorporatedbyRoyalCharter Registeredcharityno.1079797 I
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doc_913990599.pdf
The introduction of new employment legislation in the last few years has added to the challenges faced by employers.
Guide
Managingcon?ictatwork
Aguideforlinemanagers
Contents
Introduction 2
Section1Managingconflictatwork:acompetencyframeworkforlinemanagers 4
Section2Strongmanagement,healthyconflictandthepreventionofbullying 15
Conclusion 19
Furtherreadingandreferences 20
Managingconflictatwork 1
Introduction
Managingconflictatworkisbecominganincreasing
challengeforemployers.In2006–07thenumberof
individualemploymentdisputesthatresultedin
employmenttribunalapplicationsincreasedto132,577
comparedwith115,039forthepreviousyear.
Thehighnumberofclaimsispartlyexplainedbythe
public’sincreasedawarenessofemploymentrightsand
theirrecoursetolitigation.‘Nowin,nofee’lawyers
provideanavenuefordisgruntledemployeestolodge
claimsagainsttheiremployeratnocosttothemselves.
Inaddition,theintroductionofnewemployment
legislationinthelastfewyearshasaddedtothe
challengesfacedbyemployers.Since2003new
regulationhascomeintoforceprohibiting
discriminationonthebasisofage,sexualorientation
andreligionandbelief,addingtoexistinglaws
outlawingdiscriminationagainstpeopleforreasonof
theirrace,sexordisability.TheProtectionfrom
HarassmentAct1997isalsoincreasinglybeingseenas
anotheravenuebyemployeestomakeclaimsagainst
theiremployerforstressorbullying.
TheCIPDhaswelcomedtheevolvinglegalframework
asameansofpromotingfairtreatmentandequalityof
opportunityatwork.Organisationsthatembracethis
agendawillgainfromclearbusinessbenefitsinterms
oftheiremployerbrandandabilitytoattractand
retaintalent.However,changingingrainedprejudices
andbehavioursisnoteasy,soit’sessentialthat
organisationsdevelopclearpoliciesandprocedures
underpinnedbyappropriatetrainingformanagersand
employees,outliningorganisationalvalues,andthe
rightsandresponsibilitiesofindividuals.
Thechallengesassociatedwithmanagingconflictat
workhavebeenexacerbatedbytheintroductionin
October2004oftheStatutoryDisputeResolution
Regulations,whichintroducedminimumstandard
three-stepdisciplinaryandgrievanceprocedures.The
principlebehindtheintroductionoftheRegulations–
toensurethatemployersandemployeesmadeevery
efforttoresolvedisputesintheworkplace–was
sound,butinpracticethestatutoryprocedureshave
ledtoaformalisationofhowconflictatworkis
managed.TheCIPD2007surveyreportManaging
Conflict at Work showsthatemployersbelievethatthe
Regulationshavegeneratedmoredisciplinaryand
grievanceprocedureswithoutreducingthenumberof
employmenttribunalapplicationsmadebydisgruntled
employees.Italsoshowsthatemployersaremore
likelytorelyonlegaladvicetoresolvedisputessince
theintroductionoftheRegulations.
TheCIPDsurveyfindsthatorganisationsare
increasinglyrelyingontheirHRdepartmentsto
manageconflictasmanagersshyawayfromtackling
disputesincasetheydoorsaysomethingthatmight
beheldagainstthemduringanyformalproceedings.
Thisapproachiscounterproductive,asbythetimea
disputehasescalatedtothepointwherethe
disciplinaryprocedurehasbeentriggeredoraformal
grievancelodged,opinionsareoftenhardenedand
confrontationalstancesonbothsideshavedeveloped
thatareveryhardtochange.
Topreventthis,itisessentialthatlinemanagershave
theskills,knowledgeandconfidencetoidentifyand
manageworkplacedisagreements,andbullyingand
harassmentatanearlystage.
Linemanagerscanbeboththesolutionto,aswellas
thecauseof,workplacedisputes.TheCIPD2004
Managing Conflict at Work surveyreportfoundthat
linemanagersaremostlikelytobethesourceof
bullyingwithinorganisations.Managementstyleisalso
thenumber-onecauseofstressatworkaccordingto
the2007CIPDAbsence Management surveyreport.
Managersneedtohavetheappropriatepeople
managementskillstoensurethewaythatthey
2 Managingconflictatwork
manageisnotaffectingthehealthandwell-beingof
theindividualswithintheirdepartmentorteam.
Thisguidedrawsonresearchtoidentifythebehaviours
thatwillhelplinemanagersidentifyandmanage
disputesatworkproactively.Italsocoversthepeople
managementskillsneededbylinemanagerssothey
don’tbecomepartoftheproblemratherthanthe
solutiontoworkplaceconflict.
Managingconflictatwork 3
Section1Managingconflictat
work:acompetencyframework
forlinemanagers
Thisguidemakesuseofpreviouslyunpublishedresearch
–jointlysponsoredbytheCIPDandtheHealthand
SafetyExecutive(HSE)–thatidentifiesthepositiveand
negativemanagementbehavioursthatmanageand
mitigateagainstconflictatwork.Itisanoffshootofa
jointCIPDandHSEprojectexploringthelinksbetween
linemanagementbehaviourandstressatwork.Intotal,
369managersandemployeesfromthehealthcare,
finance,educationandlocalandcentralgovernment
sectorswereinterviewedtoidentifythebehavioursthat
influencestressatwork.Thisledtothedevelopmentof
amanagementcompetencyframeworkforpreventing
andreducingstressatwork.
TheCIPDrecognisedthattherewassomeoverlap
betweenthisframeworkandthespecificcompetencies
neededbymanagerstomanageconflictatwork.Asa
result,the‘managingconflictatwork’competency
frameworkwasdeveloped.Thisisbasedon100
behaviouralindicatorsrelevanttomanagingconflictthat
wereidentifiedaspartofthestressmanagement
research(seeTable1).
Thisguidedrawsonthekeymanagementbehaviours
thatwereidentifiedbytheresearchasbeingmost
importantinhelpinglinemanagerspreventandmanage
conflictintheworkplace.
Dealing with issues
CIPDresearchintomanagingconflictatworkin2007
and2004emphasisestheimportanceoflinemanagers
havingtheknowledge,skillsandconfidencetobeable
tointerveneatanearlystagetonipdisputesinthebud
–beforetheyescalate.
ThisisalsoakeyfindingfromthejointCIPDand
HSEresearchintolinemanagementbehaviourand
conflictmanagement.
Intervening quickly in cases of conflict
Managersshouldbesensitivetowhenbanterbecomes
bickeringorwhenteasingstartstohaveahurtfuledge.
Theyshouldbepreparedtostepinandhaveaquiet
wordwiththeteammembersinvolved.Themanager
shouldinformthoseinvolvedthatwhilelivelyinteraction
isencouraged,it’simportantthatthereismutualrespect
andthatcertainstandardsofbehaviourareexpectedat
work.Themanagershouldhavenotedexamplesofthe
typesofbehaviourorlanguagethathavebeenused
thatareinappropriateatworksothatthoseinvolved
willunderstandwhatisunacceptable.
It’smucheasiertohavethisconversationassoonasa
managerstartstohaveconcernsaboutbehaviourorearly
signsofconflict–topreventhabitsfrombeingformed
andtoensurethatthemanageristakenseriously.It’s
muchmoredifficulttoberespectedifamanagerhas
appearedtogivecertainbehaviourstacitapprovalby
lettingasituationdriftonforweeksormonths.
Dealing with conflict head on
Takingactiontomanageconflictcanappearquite
dauntingtosomemanagers,butit’sacorepartoftheir
roleandresponsibilities.Ifmanagersignore
unacceptablebehaviour,problemswillescalateuntilthe
disciplinaryprocesshastobeusedoraformalgrievance
islodged,bywhichtimeitwillbemuchharderto
achieveasuccessfulresolution.
Somepotentialsourcesofconflictatworkareobvious,
suchas:
• excessivepersonaluseoftheInternetoremail
• poorattendanceandtime-keeping
• anyformofbullyingbehaviourorharassment
• anyformofdiscriminatorybehaviour
• unacceptablelanguage
• theft
• drinkordrugproblems.
4 Managingconflictatwork
Table1:Managingconflictatwork:acompetencyframeworkforlinemanagers
Examplesofmanagerbehaviour
Competency Positive Negative
A
c
t
i
o
n
o
r
i
e
n
t
a
t
i
o
n
Dealingwithissues
• interveningquicklyincasesof
conflict
• dealingwithconflictheadon
• protectingemployeesby
removingthemfromconflict
situations
• removingadisruptiveteam
memberwhennecessary
• followinguponconflictsafter
resolution
• avoidingconfrontation
• leavingconflictsbetweenteam
memberstosortthemselvesout
• notaddressingbullying
• allowingasituationtodevelop
beforeintervening
• steppingintointervenein
conflictswithoutunderstanding
theissues
• allowingadisruptiveteam
membertoreturntotheteam
Useofofficial
processes
• communicatingprocedures
andpoliciesavailabletoeach
employee
• useallavailableproceduresto
investigateincidentsofabuse
• usingofficialprocedurestoset
anexampleofhowseriously
complaintsaretaken
• escalatingissuestosenior
managementwhereappropriate
• makingacomplaintofficial
beforeseekingtoresolvelocally
• makingacomplaintofficial
againstthecomplainant’swishes
• notfollowingcorrectprocedure
indealingwithaconflict
• using‘redtape’associated
withproceduretodiscourage
employeesfrommakingofficial
complaints
T
e
a
m
f
o
c
u
s
Participative
approach
• actingasamediatorinconflict
situations
• speakingtoeachparty
individually
• bringingbothsidestogetherto
communicate
• supportingbothsidesina
complaintsprocedure
• gatherideasofhowtoaddress
theissuewiththeteam
• takingsides
• notgivingequaltimetoeachside
oftheconflict
• speakingtoemployeesina
parent/childmanner
• notlisteningtoemployee
complaints
Monitoringteam
relationships
• beingawareoftensionand
keepingitatalowlevel
• pickinguponsquabblesbefore
theyleadtoconflict
• acknowledgingwhenateam
memberiscausingstressto
others
n/a
P
e
r
s
o
n
a
l
s
t
y
l
e
Actingasa
rolemodel
• maintainingprofessionalism
• beingclearaboutexpectationsof
teamconduct
• nottoleratingbackbitinginthe
team
• showingnointerestinoffice
politicsorgossip
• losingtemperwithindiscussions
• deliberatelycreatingconflictin
theteam
• engaginginconflictwithother
managers
• engaginginconflictwith
employees
Integrity
• keepsemployeeissuesprivate
andconfidential
• treatingallemployeeswiththe
sameimportance
• makingpublicwherecomplaints
havecomefrom
• bullyingemployees
• threateningemployeesunfairly
withdisciplinaryaction
Managingconflictatwork 5
However,frequentlyitisthemoresubtlebehaviours
thatovertime,ifnotconfronted,willleadto
workplacedisputes.
Examplesoflessobvioussourcesofdisputeinclude:
• takingcreditforotherpeople’sworkorideas
• talkingoverpeopleinmeetings
• notinvitingteammemberstoteamsocialevenings
orevents
• notcoveringforpeoplewhentheyareoffsick
• nottakingmessagesforpeople
• usingsomeoneelse’scontactsorcustomer/client
informationwithoutpermission
• notincludingpeopleinround-robinemails
• ignoringpeopleorbeingdiscourteous
• poorpersonalhygiene.
Managersshouldnotignoreunderlyingtensionsthat
aredevelopingintheirteams.It’svitalthatline
managershaveregularinformalone-to-one
conversationsandcatch-upswiththepeoplethey
managesothatthesekindsofissuescanbeaired
naturallywherepossible.However,managersmustalso
bepreparedtobeproactiveandinitiateinformal
discussionsiftheythinkaproblemisbrewing.Conflict
atworkcanleadtoabsences,soreturn-to-work
interviewsarealsoagoodopportunityformanagersto
askquestionsaboutanyconflictissuesthatmightbe
botheringemployees.
Alocalgovernmentemployeeistalkingaboutasituationwhenanewtemporarymemberofstaffstarted
workintheinterviewee’soffice.Atthetime,anotherteammember,calledShirley,wasonannualleave.
‘I think one particular day I just sort of said to her, I prefer it if you didn’t sit at that desk because that’s
Shirley’s desk and she’s a bit funny about people using her desk. I said if you could sit at your own desk.
Anyhow she must have really taken offence to it. The next time I had my supervision, supervision fine,
brilliant, no problem but then my line manager’s manager came in at the end and said that somebody
had expressed the opinion that they thought I was bullying. She filled me in on what it was about and I
said, I asked her not to sit at that desk because I know that that person is quite protective of her own
environment. She just wanted her own desk, she’d got everything just so. I said I wasn’t really nasty
about it at all but she said well we’ve had it reported and we’ve got to mention it to you.’
Thecomplainantwasthenpreparedtoacceptanapologyandsoanapologywasmade.Theinterviewee
goesontodescribetheimpactofthesituationfollowingthis.
‘After that, because of what had been said previously, I was really really paranoid about saying anything
that might offend. When I had the next supervision, it was mentioned that I was very quiet and I wasn’t
talking to anybody, I wasn’t being part of the team and I said I really do feel uncomfortable. I was
disapointed that my line manager felt that she’d had to bring her line manager in to tell me something like
that when really if she had raised the matter with me I’d have just apologised for what I said.’
Thissituationcontinuedwithabadatmosphereintheofficeforthenexttwoorthreemonths.
Case study 1: an example of ineffective conflict management
6 Managingconflictatwork
Protecting employees by removing them from thereisanychanceofmovingtheindividualtoa
conflict situations differentjobroleorteam,whichtheymaybemore
Managersalsoneedtounderstandwhattodoifa suitedto.Anychangewouldhavetofollowfull
conflictdoesblowupintoamajordisagreement.If consultationwiththeindividual.
someonelosestheirtemperthenitisimportantthat
thattheyaretakenoutofthesituationorawayfrom Alternatively,ifanindividual’sbehaviourisconsistently
thepersonorpeoplethatthedisputeiswithuntilthey disruptiveanddoesnotimproveafterattemptshave
calmdown.Ifthisdoesnothappenthenthedangeris beenmadetoresolvemattersinformallythentheline
thatsomeonewilldoorsaysomethingintheheatof managerwillhavetoconsiderusingthedisciplinary
themomentthatcouldbecomeabiggersourceof process.Thedisciplinaryprocesswillensurethatthe
grievancethantheoriginalproblem. individualconcernedunderstandstheseriousnessofthe
situation.Thedisciplinarymeetingwillallowthe
Oncethedisputingpartieshavebeenseparateditwill managerandHRtosetoutclearlythestandardsof
thenbepossibletohaveacalmerandmorerational behaviourandperformancethatareexpectedgoing
conversationaboutwhatsparkedthedisagreementand forward.Ultimately,ifthereisnoimprovementover
starttoconsiderpossibleresolution. timethenharddecisionswillhavetobetakenregarding
possibledismissal–butonlyoncethedisciplinary
Removing a disruptive team member when procedurehasbeenfollowedconsistently.
necessary
Insomecircumstancestheremaybepersonalityclashes Recognisingthepointatwhichinformalapproachesto
thatarehardtoresolveandremainanongoingsource resolvingdisputeshavefailedandwhenformal
oftension,oraparticularmemberofstaffwho disciplinaryactionmustbetakenisanimportant
consistentlycausestensionsandconflict.Ifthisisthe judgementthatlinemanagershavetomake.HRcan
casethenthelinemanagershouldconsiderwhether provideusefuladviceatthispoint.
Acentralgovernmentmanagertalksaboutasituationofconflictemergingfollowinganewmemberof
staffbeingbroughtintotheteamfromanotherdepartment.
‘We knew that this person wasn’t very well thought of, there had been quite a lot of problems with this
person, he’d been caught going off site in the middle of the day, leaving early etc, etc, so we weren’t
very keen to have him. But we decided we would give him a try because it’s quite a nice team of people
that I work with and we thought we would perhaps be able to sort him out, get him motivated and
enjoying the work. But things didn’t work out at all, they just went from bad to worse and personnel
wouldn’t actually believe us that it wasn’t working out and that, you know there were serious problems.
This chap really was having a rough time, and so he was coming into the office looking as if he was
sleeping out of doors, it was really that bad. My senior manager said to me, “Do something about him,
tell him that he can’t dress like that in a public office.”
‘So when I did actually do that, because I felt as if I had to do it for everyone’s sake really, he actually
walked off site and refused to come back to work. He also threatened some of the staff, including me,
with harassment. So it was a horrible stressful thing to happen and in the end after about six months he
actually gave his notice in and so it all just went away.
‘But personnel were very worried that we would be sued and none of my line management supported
me, especially the one who said “do something about him”.’
Case study 2: an example of ineffective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 7
Following up on conflicts after resolution
It’sverytemptingforlinemanagerstohopethat
onceaconflicthasbeenresolved–eitherinformally
oronceadisciplinaryorgrievanceprocedurehasrun
itscourseandappropriatesanctionshavebeentaken
–thattheproblemhasgoneawayforgood.
However,inmanycasesonepartyoranotherwillstill
feelaggrievedtoagreaterorlesserextent.Soit’s
importantthatlinemanagerstalktotheindividuals
involvedduringinformalone-to-onesorduring
discussionsarounddevelopmentorperformance
appraisalstofindoutwhethertheconflictreallyhas
beenresolvedorisbeingmanaged,orifthereare
renewedtensionsorunhappiness.Thedangerwith
oldconflictsisthatiftheydore-occurtherewillbe
noslowbuild-up,asanimosityandresentment
alreadyexists.Thisiswhyit’simportantthatline
managersuse‘temperaturechecks’throughregular
communicationtoensurethatolddisagreementsare
notbrewingagain.
Use of official processes
Ofcourse,althoughalleffortsshouldbemadetoresolve
workplaceconflictinformallyatanearlystage,therewill
bemanyinstanceswhereformaldisciplinaryaction
shouldbetaken.Linemanagersshouldnotshyaway
fromusingthedisciplinaryprocesswhereanindividual’s
misconductorunderperformancedemandsit.
Communicating procedures and policies available
to each employee
Linemanagersshouldensurethatallemployees
understandtheformaldisciplinaryandgrievance
proceduresthatareinplace.Linemanagersshouldalso
emphasisethatwheretherearedisagreements,efforts
shouldbemadetoresolvemattersinformally(wherever
possible)andemployeesshouldbeencouragedto
discussanyproblemsthey’rehavingwiththeirjob,
colleaguesoroutsidework.
Use all available procedures to investigate
incidents
Whereseriousincidentsoccur–suchasalleged
harassment,bullyingorout-of-characteroutburstsof
verbalabuseorphysicalintimidation–theymustbe
dealtwithandtakenseriously.Anyformofgross
misconductmustbeproperlyinvestigatedanddealt
withusingtheformaldisciplinaryandgrievance
procedure.Linemanagersmustbewaryofsecond-
guessingtheresultsofanyinvestigationandmust
ensurethatothermembersoftheteamdon’teither.
Inmanycasesconflictscanbedefusedbyeffectiveearly
interventionbythemanager.However,therewillbesome
situationsthatwillblowupwithverylittlewarning,either
becauseofthepersonalitiesofthoseinvolvedorbecause
ofsomethinghappeninginsomeone’sdomesticlifethat
isputtingthemunderpressurethatthey’rehaving
problemsdealingwith.However,regardlessofthereason,
whereanindividual’sbehaviourleadstoserious
misconduct,theformaldisciplinaryorgrievanceprocedure
mustbeusedsothatthematterisinvestigatedfairlyand
decisionsarenotmadeintheheatofthemoment.
Using official procedures to set an example of
how seriously complaints are taken
Usedproperly,theofficialdisciplinaryandgrievance
procedurecanreassurethoseinvolvedinconflictat
workthatthematterisbeingtakenseriouslyanddealt
withconsistentlyandfairly.
Escalating issues to senior management where
appropriate
Insomecases–particularlywherethelinemanageris
involvedoristhecauseoftheconflict–itmaybe
appropriatetoinvolveaseniormanagerintheformal
disciplinaryorgrievanceproceduretoensurethatthe
processisseentobeobjective.
Linemanagersshouldalsohaveaccesstoasenior
managerorHRpractitionerswhocangivethemadvice
aboutmanagingdifficultsituationsatworkbeforethey
escalatetoconflicts.
Participative approach
Acting as a mediator in conflict situations
Alllinemanagersshouldhaveinformalmediationskills
toallowthemtostepinandattempttoresolve
disputesbeforetheyescalate.Linemanagerscanhelp
individualsindisputeidentifywhatisattherootof
theirdisagreement,whattheyneedtohappento
resolvemattersormoveforwardandanychangesor
compromisesthey’repreparedtomakeintheir
behaviourorattitudes.
Speaking to each party individually
Thestartingpointisforthemanagertohaveinformal
one-to-oneconversationswiththepartiesindisputeto
8 Managingconflictatwork
identifythecruxoftheproblemandhearthedifferent workplaceoncetheformalprocesshasbeencompleted
individualperspectivesonwhatishappeningandthe andanydisciplinarysanctionimposed.
grievancesthattheybear.
Gather ideas of how to address the issue with
Bringing both sides together to communicate the team
Onceamanagerhasaclearunderstandingofthe Insituationswheretherearedisputesthataffectthe
problemandtheindividuals’differentperspectivesonthe wholeteam,forexampleasaresultofthetensionsthat
problem,theycanbringthedisputingpartiestogether arisefrommeetingparticulardeadlinesorchangesto
andactasanobjectivebrokertohelpfindcommon workingpractices,managerscanhelpfindsolutions
groundandchangesthatcanbemadebyeithersideto thatthewholeteamcanbuyintobyhavinganopen
helpfindasolution.Themanagershouldbecarefulnot discussionorbrainstormingmeetingwiththeirteamto
totakesidesinthisprocessbutshouldsimplyassistthe findpossiblesolutions.
individualsindisputetoreachresolution.
Managerscanalsouseone-to-oneswithemployeesto
Supporting both sides in a complaints procedure getaclearpictureofwhatiscreatingteamdisharmony
Whereinformalattemptstoresolveadisputefailand fromdifferentpeople’sperspectives.
mattersdeterioratetothepointwhereoneorbothof
thepartiessubmitaformalgrievance,itisimportant Managerscanhelptoavoidconflictbyhavingregular
thatthemanagerisnotseentotakesides–unlessof consultationwiththeirteamtoensurethattheirviews
coursetheyhaveobjectiveevidencethatisrelevantto aretakenintoaccountbeforemakingchangesthat
thedispute.Takingsideswillnothelpresolvethe affecttheirworkorworkingenvironment.
conflictsuccessfullyandwillcreatetensionsbackinthe
Afinancialemployeedescribesasituationwhenanewmanagercameintotheirteam,atatimeofhigh
conflictandlowmorale.
‘Most of the issues centred around one person and the effect that person had had on the team. There
was lots of arguments, lots of bitching, lots of issues that just were not being addressed and hadn’t been
addressed for a long, long time. This new manager was more or less put into the lions’ den to see how
she would cope with it. So it was pretty unfair to her but, she came through it and she actually turned
the team from being one of the most negative or one of the most unproductive teams to probably being
the best in the department within the space of a couple of months.’
Theemployeegoesontoexplainhowtheythinkthemanagercreatedthisturnaround.
‘I think it was her attitude to the work and it was her attitude to the people. She started with a clean
slate and didn’t listen to the “tittle tattle” that went on before. She came in and she immediately had a
one-to-one with every member of staff and allowed them the opportunity to air their views, get the rant
and rave out and then she sat back and quietly watched the team dynamics, watched the team, watched
how they interacted, and on a couple of occasions she had to maybe move seats, move people’s seating
arrangements. But she did that as a trial and error over a period of time, watched people how they were
at their work and how they interacted with each other. So by her becoming really involved with the
people in the team, she made a real difference.’
Case study 3: an example of effective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 9
Monitoring team relationships
Being aware of tension and keeping it at a low
level
Inanyteamtherewillbetensionsordisagreementsthat
arisefromtimetotime,butlinemanagersshouldbe
awareofsignsthatseriousdisputesaredeveloping.Line
managersshouldalsobeawarethatdifferent
personalitytypeswilldealwithconflictindifferent
ways.Somepeoplewillshowtheirannoyancevery
quicklyandopenly,forexamplebyconfronting
someoneassoonastheirbehaviourbothersthem,or
makingtheirdispleasureoverworkissuesveryclearly
known.Otherpeoplemayonthesurfaceappearmore
laidbackandtolerantbutwillbegraduallygettingmore
annoyedbyacolleague,theirmanagerorawork
problemuntiltheylosetheirtemperspectacularly,often
oversomethingquiteminorthathasprovedtobethe
laststraw.Someindividualswillsulkandbecome
withdrawnwhentheyhaveagrievance.Thisiswhy
managersshouldtryandgettoknowtheemployeesin
theirteamordepartmentaspeopleandfindwaysto
haveregularinformalconversationstohelpthempick
uponissuesthatarebeginningtofesterawaybeneath
thesurface.
Picking up on squabbles before they lead to
conflict
Manydisputeswillstartoffasinnocuousdisagreements
thatappeartoberesolvedorforgottenstraightaway.
However,wheresuchnigglesrecuronaregularbasis,
managersshouldinterveneandtalktotheindividuals
concernedaboutwhatishappeningandhowto
preventtheproblemoccurringinthefirstplace.
Acknowledging when a team member is causing
stress to others
Itonlytakesonepersontocausedisharmonywithina
teamasaresultoftheirnegativebehaviourorpoor
performance.Examplesofbehaviourandperformance
thatcancreatestressatworkinclude:
• beingoverlycritical
• havingashorttemper
• takingoutpersonalproblemsathomeonpeoplein
theoffice
• makingpersonalremarks
• notsharinginformation
• talkingaboutpeoplebehindtheirback
• avoidingunpopularteamtasks
• poortime-keepingorattendance.
Managersmustbepreparedtostepinandtalktothe
individualassoonasitbecomesobvioustheyare
creatingproblems.Inmanycasestheymaybeunaware
ofhowtheyortheirbehaviourisperceivedbyothersand
willrespondquicklytoaquietword.Whereinformal
attempts,aswellastheuseofformaldisciplinary
procedures,failtoresolveproblems,themanagerin
conjunctionwithHRwillhavetoconsidertakingstepsto
removethemfromtheteam(seepage7).
Acting as a role model
Maintaining professionalism
Managersmustbeseentosetanexamplebybeing
seentofollowtheorganisation’spoliciesand
procedures.Ifmanagersdon’tcomplywithcompany
policyon,forexample,reportingabsence,thenitis
Ahealthcaremanagerdescribeshowshepreventsconflictsfromoccurringinheroffice.
‘I make sure that if I do pick up on anything, because I do get wee squabbles and things sometimes that I
actually pick one out and ask what’s wrong because I can see there’s an atmosphere. I try and get them
through it in the best way without interfering too much. Often, it might be that somebody’s been
particularly not helping with a clinic that day or not training and they’re doing their own thing. You know
it’s silly things sometimes but silly things like somebody looking at the intranet when they should be doing
something else can cause a little bit of you know, a disagreement or something.’
Case study 4: an example of effective conflict management
10 Managingconflictatwork
difficulttoexpectemployeestodothesame. Showing no interest in office politics or gossip
Managersmustalsosetanexamplebybeing Officepoliticsandgossipcanbeasourceofdisputesat
consistentinhowtheydealwiththeteamandnot work,astheycancauseanxiety,uncertaintyand
showingfavouritism.Insocialsituationsmanagers resentment.Acertainlevelofofficegossipisinevitable
mustalsobecarefulnottolettheirhairdowninfront andneednotcauseanyproblems,butmanagersshould
ofthepeopletheymanagetotheextentthatthey avoidaddingfueltothefirebyjoininginandaddingto
regretorareembarrassedbytheirbehaviourwhen anyspeculation.Wheregossipismalicious,managers
theyarebackinaworkenvironment. shouldinterveneandspelloutclearlytothoseinvolved
thatspreadingunsubstantiatedrumoursisunacceptable
Being clear about expectations of team conduct andcouldbeconstruedasbullyingorharassment.
Aswellasspellingoutwhatbehaviourisnottolerated,
managersshouldalsodemonstratewhatpositive Amanagerwhohasareputationasanofficegossipor
behavioursemployeesshouldaspiretobothinterms politicianisunlikelytobetrustedandwillnotbeseen
ofhowtheyinteractwitheachotherandotherpeople assomeoneanemployeecangotodiscussanyhome
intheorganisation,aswellascustomers,clientsand orworkdifficultiestheymaybehaving.
thepublic.
Integrity
Not tolerating backbiting in the team Keeps employee issues private and confidential
Managersshouldalsointervenetopreventemployees Ifmanagersaretocreateaworkingrelationshipwith
fromtalkingaboutotherpeopleintheteamor theindividualsthattheymanagethatisbasedon
departmentbehindtheirbacks.Ignoringthistypeof mutualtrustandrespect,thentheyhavetomake
behaviourwillleadtoresentmentbuilding,cliques surethattheyprotectpeople’sprivacyandrespect
developingandencouragesaworkculturewhere confidentialinformation.Peoplewhotrusttheirline
bullyingismorelikelytooccur.Themanagershould manageraremorelikelytotalktothemiftheyare
establishifthereisagenuineproblemandthendeal havingdifficulties,whetherintheworkplaceorat
withitopenlybytalkingtotheindividualsconcerned. home,thatmightleadtoorcontributetoconflictat
Ahealthcaremanagerdescribesgoingintoadepartmentwheretheemployeeshadbeenbulliedbytheir
previousmanager.
‘And the person who was bullying them actually had control and therefore, me trying to come in and say,
“Actually I’m supportive, I’m nice, I’m fair”, didn’t wash for quite some time. And as part of that we then
ended up with a disciplinary case and allegations of bullying and harassment [against the previous
manager]. That then proceeded with I think 20, nearly 20, 21 or 22 staff being interviewed and out of that
came an awful lot more of the stresses and pressures people had actually taken on board and lived with for
quite a number of years. There were an awful lot of meetings, it was a very very hard time for me in
respect of I was giving an awful lot of emotional support to people. I had pressure on to actually make sure
everything worked out okay for them because they’d put their trust in me. It was through these discussions
and interviews that I actually succeeded in what I needed to.
‘However I also supported the person who the allegations were made against because you’ve got to
ensure you do that in order to get an objective view of what you’re looking at.’
Case study 5: an example of effective conflict management
Managingconflictatwork 11
work.Someonewhohassufferedabereavementor
isgoingthrougharelationshipbreakdownmaywell
bemoreemotionalandhavealowertolerancelevelat
workthantheywoulddoundernormalcircumstances.
Likewiseindividualswhosebehaviourisaffectedbya
drinkordrugproblemaremuchmorelikelytoopenup
andtalktoamanagerwhotheytrustandwhothey
knowwillrespectaconfidence.
Managerswhogettoknowthepeopletheymanageas
individualsandhaveanawarenessofissuesintheir
homelivesthatmightaffectthematworkwillbemuch
morelikelytobeabletotalkfranklywiththemabout
problemstheyarehavingwithcolleaguesorthejob.
Treating all employees with the same importance
Managerswhoarenoteven-handedinhowthey
managepeoplewillstruggletobuildworking
relationshipsbasedonmutualtrustandrespect.Any
signoffavouritismisalsolikelytoleadtoresentment
andmaywellbeacauseofconflictinitself.Managers
thatfailtotreatallemployeeswiththesame
importancearealsovulnerabletobeingaccusedof
discrimination–regardlessofthemotivationbehind
theirbehaviour.
Self-report quiz for managers
How do you manage conflict in your team… and
how effectively do you do it?
Thefollowingself-assessmentquiz(Table2)canbeused
tohelpmanagersidentifytheapproachtheytendto
usewhenmanagingconflictandtheareasforfurther
developmenttohelpthembuildtheirconflict
managementskills.
Tointerpretthescoresineachofthethreedimensions,
usethefollowingguidelines:
0–14: Development need: Ascoreinthisrangeisan
indicationthatthisisanareainwhichyouwouldbenefit
fromsomedevelopment.Pleaserefertothecompetency
frameworkinTable1(page5)toseewhichbehaviours
youcoulduseinthefuturetomanageconflict,orwhich
youmayalreadyusethatmaybeprovinglesseffective.
Table2:Managingconflictatwork:self-reportquizformanagers(Pleasetickoneboxonlyineachrow)
Responsescale
Mostof
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes thetime Always
Action orientation
Dealing with issues
Doyoutendtofaceconflictheadon?
Doyouintervenequicklyinconflictsituations?
Doyouopenlyaddressbullyinginyourteam?
Doyouknowthecauseoftheproblembefore
steppingin?
Use of official processes
Doyouuseanofficialprocess…
–todemonstratehowseriouslycomplaintsare
taken?
–toinvestigateincidentsofabuse?
–asatooltodemonstratethesupportavailable
toemployees?
–onlyafterattemptingtoresolvethe
situationlocally?
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
£ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor.
Total ‘action orientation’ score (maximum score is 40)
0 2 5
(continued)
12 Managingconflictatwork
Table2:Managingconflictatwork:self-reportquizformanagers(continued)
Responsescale
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes
Mostof
thetime Always
Team focus
Participative approach
Insituationsofconflict,doyou…
–actasamediator? £ £ £
–askforsuggestionsfromteammembersin
howtomoveforward?
£ £ £
–finditeasytoremainobjective?
£ £ £
–speaktoeveryoneinvolvedindividually?
£ £ £
Monitoring team relationships
Doyouknowhowwellyouremployeesgetonwith
eachother?
£ £ £
Areyouawareoflow-leveltensioninyourteam?
£ £ £
Doyouknowwhenateammemberiscausingstress
toothers?
£ £ £
Doyoupickuponsquabblesbeforetheylead
toconflict?
£ £ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor. 0 2 5
Total ‘team focus’ score (maximum score is 40)
Personal style
Role-modelling behaviour
Doyoukeepoutofofficepoliticsandgossip? £ £ £
Doyouhaveconsistentlygoodrelationshipswith
othermanagers?
£ £ £
Doyoucommunicatetoyourteamwhatconduct
youexpectfromthem?
£ £ £
Doyouappearcalmatwork(evenwhenyoudon’t
feelit!)?
£ £ £
Integrity
Doyouseeallemployeesasequallyimportant? £ £ £
Doyoukeepallemployeeissuesprivateand
confidential?
£ £ £
Doyouaimtogainthetrustofyouremployees?
£ £ £
Doyouprotecttheanonymityofcomplainants?
£ £ £
Now multiply each column total by the weighting factor. 0 2 5
Total ‘personal style’ score (maximum score is 40)
Managingconflictatwork 13
14–28: Reasonable: Ascoreinthisrangeisan
indicationthatyoushowagoodawarenessofthe
behavioursforeffectiveconflictmanagementinthis
area.Itmaybehelpfultousethecompetency
frameworktoseeifthereareanybehavioursyoucould
addtoyourrepertoireinthisareatoincreaseyour
effectivenessinmanagingconflict.
28–40: Effective: Ascoreinthisrangeisanindication
thatyoudemonstratethebehavioursthatareeffective
inmanagingconflictinyourteaminthisparticular
dimension.
Yourmanagingconflictprofile
Areaofbehaviour
Action orientation
Team focus
Personal style
Your managing conflict profile
Fillineachoftheright-handcolumns.Inthe
‘effectiveness’column,add‘developmentneed’,
‘reasonable’or‘effective’.
Ifmanagerswouldlikefeedbackonhowotherssee
them,thisquestionnairecanbegiventotheteamthey
managesotheycanseehowtheyareratedasa
conflictmanager.
Totalscore/40 Effectiveness
14 Managingconflictatwork
Section2Strongmanagement,
healthyconflictandthe
preventionofbullying
Managersarefrequentlythecausesofconflictatwork. designedtohelpmanagerstounderstandthepositive
CIPDresearchshowsthatlinemanagersaremostlikely managementbehavioursthatleadtomoremotivated,
toberesponsibleforbullyingwithinorganisations,and committedandharmoniousteams.Aself-assessment
managementstyleisthenumberonecauseofstressat questionnaireissetoutbelow(Table3).It’sdesignedto
work.Oneofthechallengesfacingmostmanagersis helplinemanagerslookattheirownmanagement
that,inmostcases,theyhavebeenpromotedasaresult behavioursandstyleandhelpthemseethemselvesas
oftheirtechnicalknowledgeorskillratherthanhow theyareseenbythepeoplethattheymanage.
theymanagepeople.Thissectionoftheguideis
Table3:Self-assessmentquestionnaire:managementbehavioursandstyle(Pleasetickoneboxonlyineachrow)
Responsescale
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes
Mostof
thetime Always
People focus
Doyougivepeoplepersonalresponsibility?
£ £ £
Doyouactivelyseekouttheviewsofothers?
£ £ £
Areyoucommittedtoteamdevelopment?
£ £ £
Doyouinstilconfidenceinothers?
£ £ £
Doyouencourageopenfeedbackanddebate?
£ £ £
Personal integrity
Doyoudowhatyousayyou’lldo?
£ £ £
Doyoushowrespecttoeveryone?
£ £ £
Canyousaysorrywhenyou’vemadeamistake?
£ £ £
Areyouopenandhonestaboutyourmistakesand
doyoulearnfromthem?
£ £ £
Areyoufairinallyourdealingswithothers? £ £ £
Visibility
Doyouactivelypromotean‘opendoor’approach?
£ £ £
Doyouchampionacultureofrespectanddignity?
£ £ £
Areyou‘available’tolistentotheviewsofothers?
£ £ £
Areyoupreparedtotalktocustomersandclientsabout
theneedforrespectanddignityatwork?
£ £ £
Haveyouputbuildingacultureofdignityandrespect
onyourmainagenda?
£ £ £
(continued)
Managingconflictatwork 15
Table3:Self-assessmentquestionnaire:managementbehavioursandstyle(continued)
Responsescale
Mostof
Behaviourorcharacteristic
Sometimes thetime Always
Promotingstandards
Doyouestablishindividualandteamgoals?
£ £ £
Doyougivepersonalrecognitiontoothers?
£ £ £
Doyouusefeedbackandcoachingconstructively?
£ £ £
Doyouscheduleregulartimeforimprovinginterpersonal
relationships?
£ £ £
Areyouconstantlylookingforopportunitiesforimprovement?
£ £ £
Challengingthestatusquo
Doyouopenlychallengeunacceptablebehaviour?
£ £ £
Doyouseekoutprejudicedattitudes?
£ £ £
Doyoucriticallyexaminepoliciesandprocedurestomakesure
£ £ £
they’refairtoeveryone?
How did you do? Add up the ticks in each column.
Now multiply each column total by the appropriate
weighting factor:
Total score. Maximum total score is 115
0–50: Youdon’tyetunderstandwhatisneededto
createdignityandrespect.
51–75: Youhavesomeawarenessofrequirementsbut
significanteffortisneeded.
76–100: Youhavereasonableskillsincreatingaculture
ofdignityandrespect.
101–115: Youhaveexcellentskillsincreatingaculture
ofdignityandrespect.
Nowaskyourteamtocompletethequestionnaire
anonymouslyandseehowtheyrateyou.
Strong management and bullying
Oftenthoseaccusedofbullyingfinditdifficultto
recognisethemselvesasbehavinginabullyingor
aggressiveway.Conversely,somemanagersare
concernedabouttacklingpoorperformanceandbeing
accusedofbullying.
0 2 5
Whenlinemanagersfindthemselveshavingtodeal
withalow-performingteam,partoftheirroleisto
motivatetheteamtoperformmoreeffectively.The
processofbringingaboutchangesinhowteams
workusuallyinvolvesanumberofareas,including
settingstandards,identifyinganddealingwitherrors
andmistakes,increasingproductivity,greater
flexibilityofroles,changingprioritiesandreducing
unreasonableexpenditure.
Ifthesechangesareintroducedandmanagedcorrectly,
theycanbringaboutthenecessarybusiness
improvementswithlittleornoemployeedistress.
However,ifthelinemanagerfailsintheirhandlingof
thechange,accusationsofbullyingcanoccur.
Table4looksatdifferentwaysoftacklingpoorly-
performingteamsanddistinguishingbetweenstrong
managementandbullyingbehaviour.
Healthy conflict and bullying
Acertainamountofcompetitionisnormaland
importantinworkinglife.However,bullyingisdifferent
16 Managingconflictatwork
Table4
ifferencesbetweenstrongmanagementandbullyingwhentacklingpoorly-performingteamsAddressingpoorperformancein Strongmanagement Bullying
teams
Identifyingtheperformanceissue
Seekingtheviewsoftheteamor
individualtoidentifythecause
oftheunacceptablelevelof
performance
Agreeingnewstandardsof
performancewithallteam
members
Agreeingthemethodandtiming
ofmonitoring/auditingteam
performance
Failuretoachievethestandards
ofperformanceisdealtwithasa
performance-improvementissue
Recognisingpositive
contributions
Involveslookingatallthe
potentialreasonsforpoor
performance,forexample
people,systems,trainingand
equipment
Theteamtakespartinlooking
forthesourceoftheproblems
inperformanceandhelpsthe
managertoidentifysolutionsfor
thewholeteam
Involvessettingandagreeing
standardsofperformance
andbehavioursforeachteam
memberandthemanager
Whereverpossibletheteamor
teammembertakespartinthe
monitoringprocess.Theoutcome
ofthemonitoringisopenly
discussed
Opportunitiesaretakento
identifyindividualswhoare
struggling,andsupportis
provided.Whereindividuals
areunwillingtocomplywith
theagreedperformance-
improvementprocess,disciplinary
actionsmaybetaken
Recognisesandrewards
improvementsinperformance,
attitudesandbehaviours
Noattempttoidentifythe
natureorsourceofthepoor
performance
Nodiscussionofthecause
oftheperformancedeficit,
oropportunitiesfortheteam
memberstodiscusstheir
difficulties
Imposingnewstandardswithout
teamdiscussiononappropriate
standardsofperformanceor
behaviour
Withoutagreeingstandards,the
monitoringcanoccuratanytime
andcaninvolveareasthatare
unexpectedbyteammembers
Individualswhofailtoachieve
thestandardsofperformanceare
putunderpressuretoconform.
Thismayincluderidicule,
criticism,shouting,withholding
ofbenefits,demotion,teasingor
sarcasm
Withnomonitoring,it’s
impossibletorecognisewhere
therehavebeenpositive
contributions.Rewardsand
recognitionaretherefore
arbitraryandopentoactsof
favouritism
fromnormalconflictsbecauseitinvolvesunfairand leadtobullyingistoidentifythetypeofissueinvolved.
unethicalbehavioursthatcauseextremedistressand Conflictscanberelatedtoanissue,ideaortask,ortoa
disruptiontotheindividual,groupandultimatelythe personalvalueorbelief.Theresolutionofissue-related
wholeorganisation. conflictsisgenerallyeasiertoachievethanthatofa
conflictrelatedtostronglyheldvaluesorbeliefs.
TheWorldHealthOrganisation(2003)produceda
guidetoraiseawarenessofbullyingandpsychological Issue-related conflict
harassmentatworkinwhichtheychartthecontrasts Forexample,aworkgroupmayhaveaconflictin
betweenhealthyconflictsandbullyingsituations(see decidingwhatstrategytopursueorhowtoallocate
Table5onpage18). responsibilities.Theseconflictscanhaveafruitful
outcomeifmanagedcorrectly.Problem-solving
Oneofthemostimportantwaystodistinguishbetween approachesallowparticipantstovigorouslydebatethe
healthyconflictsanddestructivesituationsthatmay issuesinvolvedandcometoacreativesolution.
Managingconflictatwork 17
Table5
ifferencesbetweenhealthyconflictandbullyingsituationsHealthyconflicts Bullyingsituations
Clearrolesandtasks Roleambiguity
Collaborativerelations Unco-operativebehaviour/boycott
Commonandsharedobjectives Lackofforesight
Explicitinterpersonalrelations Ambiguousinterpersonalrelations
Healthyorganisations Organisationalflaws
Ethicalbehaviour Unethicalactivities
Occasionalclashesandconfrontation Long-lastingandsystematicdisputes
Openandfrankstrategies Equivocalstrategies
Openconflictanddiscussion Covertactionsanddenialofconflict
Straightforwardcommunication Obliqueandevasivecommunication
Personal conflict
Personalconflictinvolvesissuesthatthreatenthe
individual’sidentityorvaluessystemandare
characterisedbyintenselynegativeinterpersonal
clashes.Thetypesofissueinvolvedinpersonalconflict
arecommonlyviewedasnon-negotiable.Itistherefore
muchmoredifficulttodealwithpersonalconflictthan
issue-relatedconflict.
18 Managingconflictatwork
Conclusion
TheCIPD’s2007Managing Conflict at Work survey
reportfoundthatonaverageorganisationsdevotemore
than350daysinmanagementtimeayearinmanaging
disciplinaryandgrievancecases.Thesurveyalsofound
thatemployersfaceaverageannualcostsassociated
withemploymenttribunalclaimsandhearingsof
£20,000.Thesefindingsshowtheverysignificantcosts
thatorganisationsfaceifdisputesescalatetothepoint
wheretheformaldisciplinaryorgrievanceprocesshas
tobeused.Ofcourseitisnotjustmanagementtime
wastedandfinancialcoststhatemployersmusttake
accountof,butalsothepersonalcostofindividuals
understress,employeeabsence,dysfunctionalteams
anddamagetomoraleandproductivity.Inmanycases
employeeswillsimplyvotewiththeirfeetandleave
organisationsifconflictisnotmanagedeffectively.
However,despitethehugeimpactofconflictatwork,
only38%oforganisationsprovidetrainingfortheirline
managersinmanagingconflictatwork.Andjust29%
ofrespondentsratetheirlinemanagers’abilitiesin
managingconflictinformallyasgood,comparedwith
69%thatratetheirlinemanagersinthisareaas
averageorpoor.IfHRpractitionerswanttotryand
preventconflictatworkissuesincreasinglybeingpassed
ontothemtomanage,thenlinemanagersmustbe
giventhetrainingtoenablethemtofulfilthisrole.
Linemanagersmustbesensitivetohowtheiremployees
areinteracting,aswellastohowtheyarehandlingany
increaseintheirworkloadsororganisationalchange.
Managersmustbeconfidenttointerveneatanearly
stageiftherearesignsthatemployeesareindispute,or
thereisanyhintofbullyingbehaviouremerging,orof
indicationsthatanyoneissufferingfromstress.
Managersarebestplacedtoestablishthecauseofany
problemassoonasitemergesandfindaresolution
beforeattitudeshavehardenedandconfrontational
stanceshavehadtimetodevelop.
Managingconflictatworkforlinemanagersisan
integralpartofgoodpeoplemanagement.Toalarge
degreeitisaboutgoodcommunication,providing
ongoingfeedbackandeffectivecoachingand
development.Itisalsoaboutrecognisinggoodwork
andeffectiveperformancemanagement.
Managingconflictatwork 19
Furtherreadingandreferences
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2004)Managing conflict at work
[online].Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/general/_
mngcnflt04.htm[Accessed14January2008].
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2007)Absence management [online].
Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/
[Accessed14January2008].
CHARTEREDINSTITUTEOFPERSONNELAND
DEVELOPMENT.(2007)Managing conflict at work
[online].Surveyreport.London:CIPD.Availableonlineat:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/
[Accessed14January2008].
WORLDHEALTHORGANISATION.(2003)
Raising awareness of psychological harassment at work:
advice to health professionals, decision makers,
managers, human resource directors, legal community
and workers.Switzerland:WHO.
20 Managingconflictatwork
Weexploreleading-edgepeoplemanagementanddevelopmentissuesthroughourresearch.
Ouraimistoshareknowledge,increaselearningandunderstanding,andhelpourmembers
makeinformeddecisionsaboutimprovingpracticeintheirorganisations.
Weproducemanyresourcesonconflictissuesincludingguides,books,practicaltools,surveys
andresearchreports.Wealsoorganiseanumberofconferences,eventsandtrainingcourses.
Pleasevisitwww.cipd.co.uktofindoutmore.
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Email:[email protected] Website:www.cipd.co.uk
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