Five Signs Conflict is Escalating in your Workplace

We continue to live in an unprecedented period of change, transition and uncertainty.  Adapting to constant change and uncertainty is challenging and stressful for everyone. This stress impacts behaviours and can create friction in working relationships, showing up in the form of conflict in our workplaces.

We all like to think that conflict will go away or improve if we let it be.  Unfortunately, this rarely happens.  Failing to manage conflict early has negative impacts and can create an entirely new spin-off of difficult issues such as deteriorating trust and broken working relationships.

Healthy conflict should be welcome in our workplaces.  It should be constructive and not turn unproductive with no resolution. Discussing differing ideas allows us to share information, collaborate with others and find the best solution. Engaging in respectful dialogue to reach a creative solution is the hopeful outcome of resolving conflict.

If a disagreement cannot be resolved productively, conflict can escalate creating negative outcomes.  Here are some warning signs that conflict is escalating in your workplace;

1. The focus shifts from the problem to becoming personal.  ‘Jack is being unreasonable with his expectation that we can meet this deadline’
2. People become discouraged (frustrated) with on-going dialogue and become reluctant to discuss the issue.  ‘What’s the use of having another meeting, we can’t get anywhere with this’
3. Camps or coalitions are formed and those involved persuade others to join their side.  ‘Don’t you agree that our team lead is taking us down the wrong path?’
4. Extensive time and effort are spent protecting the group and their opinions (ideology).  Team members become distracted and spend time in small group discussions or behind closed doors.  This can sometimes be viewed as gossiping.
5. People become openly hostile or isolate themselves.  Hostility may be expressed through inappropriate behaviours such as negative remarks, shouting, or leaving meetings abruptly.  Isolation may look like avoiding discussions and interactions with team members, requesting to be moved from their location or working from home more often.

The Danish Center for Conflict Resolution shares a graphical representation of conflict escalation that is captured here:

Letting conflict escalate makes resolution more difficult and can create a psychologically unsafe working environment. If you are noticing these signs in your workplace its time to address the issue by creating a safe space for dialogue.  Ensure all parties have an opportunity to be heard and acknowledged and take time to build understanding before brainstorming solutions for resolution.

You can find more information on how to address the issue here:

Conflict & Working Relationships: https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/conflict-working-relationships/

Nine Strategies for Resolving Conflict – https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/nine-strategies-managing-conflict/

Why Empathy will get Workplaces through COVID https://workplacefairnesswest.ca/why-empathy-will-get-workplaces-through-covid/

The Workplace Fairness Institute works to support organizations and employees in conflict through workplace restoration, conflict coaching, facilitation, mediation, and training.

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