[W1031]World In Conflict Free

1. How do I motivate my staff to want to do more?

2. How do I prevent in-fighting and tension, so I've got more time to focus on getting the job done?

I find managers often talk of feeling frustrated or uncertain about how to deal with conflict or apathy and underperfomance on their team. As a coach, it saddens me that, quite frequently, I'm brought in to coach someone where tension, conflict and disengagement have already reached quite serious levels, and are negatively impacting individual or wider team performance.

It's such a shame - and on many occasions, (if not all), it could actually have been avoided.

How?

First of all, you need to understand what happens when conflict and tension occurs. Take a look at the following diagram:

BAD FEELING = UNMET NEED When people aren't finding their needs are met in the workplace it leads to them feeling bad. It could be they're frustrated in their role; it could be they're struggling to cope with pressure; it could be they have some good ideas but no-one listens. Hundreds of causes - one result: unhappy. So, they

MOAN This is all too often by the water cooler, or in the canteen, and rarely is the moan directed at the person it needs to be directed to! Assuming the manager notices what's going on, effectively defusing the situation would be helpful here - but there may be a tendency to ignore or avoid dealing with the situation at this stage in the hope it will go away. Apathy is probably already setting in.

If there is no opportunity to communicate and the problem continues then this is likely to lead to more overt....

CRITICISM Now staff are more open in their criticism and possibly a little more hostile in their manner. The possibility of comments being made which cause annoyance or anger increase, leading to the....

ROW Always harder to handle, shifting focus from what's really important, and taking up time you don't have, trying to deal with the fall-out.

And now performance has really dropped - with potential ripple effects to others on your staff too. You're a manager fighting fires with a danger it may lead to...

DISPUTE Which can lead to

STRIKE/GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE Which can ultimately lead to

RESIGNATION

Recognise the pattern?

Clearly, the further down the line, the more performance drops, and the harder it becomes to deal with the problem.

Two of the most common responses I see to repair relationships and re-motivate staff are some ad-hoc attempts at team building and one to one communication with individual members of staff as and when the manager has the time.

But such responses, although well-meaning, have little lasting impact and in my experience simply "tinker round the edges" of the problem.

The number one mistake a manager can make?

Burying their head in the sand and only intervene lower down the line - when it's already at the criticism stage or beyond.

By then, of course, it's more tricky to deal with, and you're into "fighting fires" mode.

And the solution?

Have a system in place which supports and encourages open feedback and communication, as well as tools and resources to more effectively develop staff.

Here's three suggestions which can help make a difference and begin to create a "can-do" culture instead of a "moaning" culture.

1. Ensure you know your staff. Familiary does NOT breed contempt; it breeds understanding. The more you know your staff, the more you'll pick up early warning signs of unrest or disengagement.

Research shows the highest performing managers don't actually spend masses of time with each individual member of staff. Most spend no more than around 2 hours over the year, but this is spread out in regular one to one catch ups and is totally informal and separate from meetings scheduled for appraisals or other more formal activities.

These managers know their staff; what motivates them, what frustrates them. They listen, give praise regularly, and seek opportunities to both give and receive feedback.

In return for this small investment of time and genuine interest, they build a positive "relationship bank account" with each individual, which means there is less chance of tensions escalating or apathy setting in.

2. Nip "moans" in the bud. As a manager, you need to have your radar up for signs of unrest. If you've put tip one into action, you'll get the "heads up" about problems early on anyhow. Deal with them immediately - and wherever possible, encourage staff to not just bring their problem to you, but be willing to suggest possible solutions themselves, instead of expecting you to always sort it out.

And don't worry that you always need to find an answer; or that you may not be able to solve every "moan".

In my experience, people want to be heard, more than they want the problem resolved. Often, they know you might not be able to do anything about it, but the fact that you've acknowledged their issue, and genuinely listened will defuse the escalation of criticism, and if they see that, where possible you do take action, they'll accept that sometimes, you can't wave a magic wand!

3. Set up processes and systems to encourage open communication

Ad hoc is no good. Developing strong relationship bank accounts with your staff takes diligence and consistency.

It does not require masses of time - but is more about the way you do things, and setting up processes to support this.

Consider anonymous staff surveys; regular informal one to one meetings; including specific communication skills training on team building days; (particularly those of giving and receiving feedback and conflict handling) and think about how you and your team can better understand and support the differing strengths, talents and motivational drivers of each individual for better team performance.

As the diagram shows, effective managers consider what they need to have in place to work right at the top of the model. The time, energy and money they will save by doing so are well worth the initial effort of putting these processes in place.

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner