When the pandemic arose unexpectedly, businesses took their eyes off of typical workplace conflict and placed it on what was urgent. But now that many of us have returned to face-to-face operations, the conflict that we once swept under the rug is, in some cases, bigger than ever. So what is a leader to do? In this episode, host Brandon Laws sits down with Chris Sheesley and Clare Fowler of In-Accord. The three discuss best practices for resolving conflict so that businesses can move forward united by purpose.
GUESTS AT A GLANCE
Chris Sheesley is the President of In-Accord and a seasoned conflict resolution facilitator. He has over 30 years of dispute management experience and has spent over 5,000 hours teaching in the field. Dr. Clare Fowler is a practicing workplace mediator with In-Accord and an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon. She has over 20 years of experience and has mediated over 400 conflict resolution cases.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE
In the midst of the pandemic, businesses found themselves scrambling to adjust to an ever-changing workplace. Whether it was transitioning to hybrid or remote, pivoting on customer relations efforts, or modifying projects to meet changing needs, business owners had a lot to take on all at once— and it was common to see any attempt at conflict resolution fall to the wayside in favor of whatever was most urgent.
Clare Fowler explained that many leaders mistakenly thought, “I’m just going to wait on these issues until we get back to face-to-face operations.” Others assumed — or hoped — that these issues would just “go away.”
Suddenly, though, workers were face to face once again, “and those issues were still there. All of these things that people hadn’t dealt with over the last couple of years not only hadn’t gone away but a lot of them had gotten worse,” Clare said. Luckily, many business leaders are meeting this issue head-on, and with an increase in conflict resolution efforts, they’re also seeing a significant increase in morale.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Recognizing the Burden
Clare Fowler: People are starting to deal with conflict more than they were a couple of years ago, simply because the last couple of years have made us so aware of the importance of our mission. We realized that if we don’t pay attention to it, our mental health actually does start to deteriorate. If we let all of this junk sit on our shoulders, then it does start to weigh us down. And so with the increased understanding of protecting our mental health, […] I do feel like it has led to an increase in people saying, “You know what? I’m not willing to let this destroy my life anymore. I want to deal with this because I deserve that.”
Prioritizing Relationships
Chris Sheesley: I think one of the things we all learned through the pandemic is to humanize each other more and to take that time to check in with each other. And I know with management training in the last couple of years, it’s been about checking in with your employees, asking them how they’re doing, seeing what they’re experiencing, and trying to build a relationship with them, which is even harder to do with us all being remote and only kind of tiptoeing back into face-to-face.
Intent vs. Impact
Chris Sheesley: Email is a classic example of where conflict can become exacerbated because of what we read into the tone and the intent and all of that. And that’s always a big mantra in conflict resolution — what’s the person’s actual intent versus the impact they’re having. And so that dynamic plays out even more in this era that we’re in now. […] Sometimes I’ve thought we could make a full-time living here just by dealing with the conflicts that come out of email.
A New Understanding of Diversity
Clare Fowler: There has been more of an understanding that we need to be more diverse about diversity. That there needs to be more of an appreciation for not just different demographic backgrounds and different cultures, but also an appreciation for neurodiversity, different approaches, and people who excel in qualitative versus quantitative approaches. That also means that it brings its own set of challenges. […] I am so grateful that a lot of workplaces are also understanding the importance of bringing in a conflict resolver early on […] and say, “We have different strengths and weaknesses and backgrounds and approaches. Let’s help you figure out how to play off each other’s strengths and appreciate it.”
More Voices Than Ever
Chris Sheesley: On Diversity Equity Inclusion, there are more voices demanding to be heard, and that’s a good thing. And it’s also creating more confrontation. People are more empowered to share their concerns, to raise issues. So really that’s probably the most dramatic thing we’ve seen in the last few years is people’s willingness to raise the issues and, frankly, others’ willingness to hear those concerns. And that’s not always an easy conversation to have.
A Shift in Mediation
Clare Fowler: I first got into this field, about 20 years ago, […] and at the time, I think the power imbalance in mediation was such that they wanted the mediator to have all the power. People looked up to them like they were judges — someone who was going to make the decision. And I think that’s really changed. I think now the clients are expecting to be impacted. They’re expecting to hear what’s unique about them, to be valued and understood. And they’re not looking for a mediator to come in with a ton of power and make a decision. Instead, they’re looking for a mediator that they can relate to.
Under the Surface
Clare Fowler: If we can help people with self-awareness and to understand their contribution, then we’re not just helping with the immediate problem. We’re helping to prevent it from returning because, chances are, even if you resolve this symptom, if the deeper issues are still there and people don’t realize their contribution to it, then it’s going to come back again.
LEARN MORE
Want to learn more about how to resolve conflict in your workplace? Head over www.inaccordnw.com and connect with Chris and Clare.