{"id":585,"date":"2017-08-02T14:06:52","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T14:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dynamicteamsolutions.org\/?p=585"},"modified":"2017-08-02T14:06:52","modified_gmt":"2017-08-02T14:06:52","slug":"the-big-set-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/2017\/08\/02\/the-big-set-up\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Set-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is your organization concerned about?\u00a0 Retention?\u00a0 Culture?\u00a0 Engagement?\u00a0 These energized talking points may have validity, but they don\u2019t look deep enough into what may be driving your employees to work hard, perform well, and remain loyal.\u00a0 And, they negate the obvious importance that workplace \"\"<\/a>relations play on teamwork, individual and organizational success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, while conflict is a natural occurrence, most businesses pay little attention to how their conflict management efforts may be actively setting their employees up for failure instead of for success.\u00a0 Read on to see if you\u2019re making the right efforts…<\/span><\/p>\n

Top 4 Ways You\u2019re Setting Them Up for Failure<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Waiting \/ Giving it Time<\/u> \u2013 Without a doubt the most common issue interfering with conflict management is the decision to wait on addressing an issue.\u00a0 This not only discounts the value of the person bringing forward a concern, but it willfully allows the tensions or issues to rise.\u00a0 The inaction very clearly says, \u201cLet\u2019s wait for the problem to get worse before we address it.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, \u201cIt isn\u2019t bad enough, yet.\u201d\u00a0 Sure, some issues may self-correct.\u00a0 But, more often than not, this stall tactic allows issues to fester and rise.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0Doubting the Significance of the Issue<\/u> \u2013 Managers, leaders, HR, and other presumed \u201chelpers\u201d are given to interpreting situations and complaints through their own lens.\u00a0 A lens that is open to bias and which taints their perception, thereby yielding a prejudicial response. \u00a0More to the point, if they doubt the virtue of the complainer or the validity of the complaint, they are likely to feel justified in their dismissal of the problem.\u00a0 This unfortunately common occurrence gives way to additional complaints including favoritism, bias, and prejudice, and it erodes trust in the organizations leaders and \u201chelpers\u201d.\u00a0 As if more needs to be said on why this is a set up for failure, consider the most obvious reason:\u00a0 By doubting the significance of the issue, you prevent the issue from being explored and the damage contained.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Sleuthing<\/u> \u2013 This by-product of \u201cwait and see\u201d leads complaining employee(s), or possibly a \u201chelper\u201d manager or supervisor, to begin doing \u201cdetective\u201d work to secure evidence to prove the complaint is justified.\u00a0 The problem with this behavior isn\u2019t simply that it wastes company time, or that it is underhanded, but that it creates a motive for finding information that supports a claim, and a blind spot for information that refutes it.\u00a0 This confirmation bias adds another layer of difficulty when employees believe they have achieved \u201cproof\u201d of another person\u2019s errant behavior and therefore expect action.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Investigations<\/u> \u2013 If an employee conflict is significant enough to warrant an investigation, it means that along the way multiple warning signs and complaints have been ignored.\u00a0 Perhaps the cause was a manager who chose to \u201cwait and see\u201d, or an employee who didn\u2019t speak up or take action because s\/he didn\u2019t know the process, or maybe the affected employee didn\u2019t trust the organization\u2019s management would deal with the problem appropriately.\u00a0 Regardless of the reason things reached this level, an investigation will fuel tensions as they, by nature, look to find a culprit for any unrest.\u00a0 Investigations are not solution oriented \u2013 they are problem driven.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Top 5 Ways to Set Them Up for Success<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Have a Clear Process<\/u> \u2013 Establish and maintain a clear and straightforward policy that attends to conflict management procedures.\u00a0 Educate staff on a regular basis about the process.\u00a0 Provide them with clear direction for how they can resolve their own issues, or get help from managers or HR.\u00a0 Ensure that employees have easy access to these internal solutions and that they are supported in utilizing them.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Train Managers and Leaders<\/u> \u2013 Make sure supervisors know how to recognize tensions and conflict, as well as hold a basic understanding of how to address issues on their team.\u00a0 Have clear standards for how issues will be managed, communicated, and (as appropriate) documented.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Talk About Issues Early On<\/u> \u2013 Create a culture of communication, where employees are encouraged to talk about problems early on, and where managers are active in assisting staff in resolving the issues brought to their attention.\u00a0 Hold regular educational seminars that teach all employees strategies for healthy communication, improving workplace relations, and resolving basic conflicts.\u00a0 An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Trust Your Staff<\/u> \u2013 Rather than judge the significance of an issue, the virtue of the person making a complaint or the subject of that complaint, instead come from a place of trust.\u00a0 Trust means believing in your team and their good intentions.\u00a0 It means taking the time to learn why<\/em> something went wrong, not who<\/em> made the mistake<\/strong>.\u00a0 By engaging in the problem-solving discussion from a place of trust, you can naturally guide the focus into a more positive solution-driven direction.<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Honesty<\/u> – On the flip side of having trust, is the importance of being honest and straightforward when you can no longer trust a member of the team.\u00a0 If an employee has become untrustworthy, it is important that they know this, and the reasons why the trust has been lost.\u00a0 This allows them an opportunity to explain or improve (if possible), while also notifying them of their precarious position if they do not.\u00a0 An employee that is untrustworthy does not belong in your organization at any time or for any reason.\u00a0 Letting them know is both an appropriate step (and precursor to progressive discipline), as well as a positive action that supports forward momentum for resolving the issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      If your organization is interested in establishing or enhancing its conflict management planning, or is looking to develop better strategies for communication or conflict resolution, please reach out<\/a><\/span> to us today.\u00a0 We look forward to working with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What is your organization concerned about?\u00a0 Retention?\u00a0 Culture?\u00a0 Engagement?\u00a0 These […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}