How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace by Liz Kislik WBECS 2018

It’s Day Twelve of my Twenty-One Tools post series! Today, you can download How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace by Liz Kislik

I’m not a big fan of conflict. I know, who is? But, there are some people who just seem to thrive on it. Or, maybe they are just unaware of the conflict they create. They favour a brand of communication that is so direct (and all about them) that they seem oblivious to the impact of their words and actions. Is it that they don’t notice? Or that they don’t care? Perhaps we’ll never know. If you are a manager or a leader, dealing with these issues on a team can be an unwelcome and unsavoury aspect of your role.

Today’s free WBECS download will most certainly come in handy for you. It’s from Liz Kislik, workplace conflict expert and author of the insightful blog Workplace Wisdom. I discovered Liz’s work recently when I attended her session at WBECS this year.

Here is a Tedx talk that she did recently called Why There’s So Much Conflict at Work and What You Can Do About It

Her speaker gift from WBECS this year was one of the first I posted on my blog. It was a very popular download. For that reason, I am posting it again as a part of the twenty-one tools in twenty-one days series. Without further adieu then, I present you with tool number twelve. It is an excellent and in-depth primer on handling conflict in the workplace.

Here’s a quote from Liz’s free WBECS download:

If you haven’t calculated what conflict is costing your business, you’re not alone. But it’s a lot: One large, seminal study1 estimated that U.S. businesses spend $359 billion annually on a combination of time waste, absenteeism, avoidance, and general disengagement caused by workplace conflict.

A smaller, more detailed study of people problems estimated losses of roughly $15,000 per day attributable explicitly to conflict. Finding tools and techniques to reduce this negative impact ought to be highly desirable. But conflict is one of those topics that too many organizations consider just part of workplace life, where people have different needs and expectations. Plus, it can look intimidating to try to take it on.

Conflict may be an inevitable part of life, but it doesn’t have to be so damaging. Instead, it can be harnessed and managed to improve both the workplace and business performance. Conflicts typically arise when individuals approach a situation with different opinions or attitudes, have different interests or needs, or prefer different processes for getting work done.

Two individuals who perceive differences with each other in these areas may not automatically adjust. When they can’t find middle ground, a conflict ensues.

Benefits: How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace

• You don’t have to give up on new opportunities and growth when employees don’t get along!
• Instead of hoping that people will figure out how to work together on their own, you can call a halt to the waste and discomfort that comes from interpersonal conflict on the job.
• In this resource, you’ll get road-tested techniques for recovering damaged relationships, strengthening communication, and changing employees thinking about conflict.

Download the full resource by Liz Kislik

Oh, and you can still register for WBECS 2018. Come join me!

Remember, this is not the only post with a downloadable professional development tool from WBECS 2018. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled. I’ll be posting 21 tools in 21 days. Enjoy!