Positive Conflict: 4 Benefits of Positive Conflict in the Workplace

A positive conflict is a conflict that resolves productively and constructively. Positive conflict management can help companies navigate workplace conflict. When there is a disagreement, instead of one side winning and another losing, both sides can come to a greater understanding with a net positive outcome for the organization. Positive conflicts can prompt employees to think differently about issues, ultimately improving workflow and workplace practices.

Resolving interpersonal conflict in the workplace can lead to negative or positive results. Consider these conflict resolution results:

1. 1. Positive conflict: Positive conflict resolution, also known as healthy conflict, occurs when people at odds exchange their differing views in a productive, constructive way. Each side acknowledges the differences and attempts to understand where the other is coming from. In this type of conflict, a collaborative process leads to resolution.
2. 2. Negative conflict: A negative conflict resolution leaves the organization and the sides of the conflict worse than they started. In negative conflict resolution, differing sides ignore each other’s point of view and do not seek greater clarity or understanding. Instead of making a good faith attempt at problem-solving, the parties of a hostile conflict simply want to win, even if that means adverse outcomes for the other or the organization.

When a company implements a positive conflict resolution approach, it can expect to see improvement in the overall business performance and the satisfaction of team members. Consider the following workplace benefits:

1. 1. Efficiency: It can require a lot of effort to turn a negative conflict positive, but the overall effect of positive conflict management can save time and energy in the long run. Positive conflict resolution seeks real, lasting solutions to conflict, rather than letting resentments or misunderstandings persist.
2. 2. Trust: When employees know their voices are heard, they are more likely to feel more secure about their role in the organization. This can, in turn, foster more creative thinking, productive brainstorming, clear communication, and a greater sense of well-being in the workplace.
3. 3. Emotional intelligence: Positive conflict management can help all team members develop emotional intelligence. This can have an overall effect on the company culture, attracting and retaining top talent.
4. 4. Alignment: When a win-win approach is taken to workplace conflict, the company offers better opportunities for widespread alignment over common goals and plans for implementation. The more common ground there is in a work environment, the better its chances are of success in the marketplace.

Negotiating conflict positively takes some practice, but the benefits to the overall business, and the team members, are worth the effort. Follow these steps to develop a positive conflict resolution strategy:

1. 1. Listen first. Always enter a conflict resolution session looking to first hear your adversary out. It’s important to have strong active listening skills and stay engaged with other disputants so that everyone feels heard. By entering with a listen-first mentality, you may realize that some of your preconceptions about what the other person wants may, in fact, be wrong.
2. 2. Use “I” statements. When you keep your assertions and observations in the first person, you avoid pointing fingers and don’t presume to speak for anyone else. Using “I” statements can help prevent someone on the other side of an issue from feeling that they are being treated in a dishonest or disrespectful way.
3. 3. Look for the root cause. Finding the causes of conflict requires you to trace the dispute back to the root of the problem. As best you can, build a timeline with disputants to see if you can work your way back towards the origin of a conflict. Isolating the cause of a dispute can often simplify the resolution process.
4. 4. Agree on facts. It’s important to establish ground rules and build consensus by agreeing on the basic facts of a conflict. If you can be methodical about agreeing to the basic components of a conflict, working toward a mutual solution is a much easier process.
5. 5. Offer compliments. It may seem counterintuitive in the moment, but offering compliments can help defuse a tense situation and also increase your leverage during the resolution of conflict. Praising an adversary, such as noting the positive aspects of their case, can help build trust that you can work toward a mutually beneficial resolution.
6. 6. Try to find a compromise. Work toward a win-win solution where both parties feel heard. An acceptable, positive conflict solution often requires both disputants to compromise and offer concessions to each other. Remember that workplace conflicts are not a zero-sum game and that win-win resolutions are almost always possible.

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