What do you do if team members in your small business are constantly arguing and causing conflicts?

"Assume Good Intent" + "Suspend Judgement" + "Ask Good Questions" = "Seek First to Understand": I have often found this formula of 3's is an effective conflict resolution tool in any organization. This is easier said than done and often conflict arises from failing in one or many of these areas. Try it and let me know what you think?

In my past, there have been times when an otherwise valuable member of the team would become toxic to the team. This problem was usually easy to identify as the team members would lose tolerance and report to me. The cause of the problem was more difficult to understand. Unfortunately, after investigating, the cause seem to be more typically something negative motivating the individual; insecurities; or some other form of personal distress would spill over into how the person interacted with others. As much as we wish to find and fix causes, there are times when management has to focus on the business objectives over helping individuals with their personal issues. Toxicity around a single individual can result in loss of team members.

With tongue in cheek... (sort of): Talk with each child privately. Tell each child your expectations. Ask their opinion of a best way to handle a disagreement in the future. Send them back into the world for more experience. It may sound pretty juvenile. But truly, it's a good format. Establish yourself as the person in charge. (You ARE!). Have private conversations to hear each person express what's going on. Be sure to explain that it's just between the two of you. Get their perspective on the issues at hand and ask THEM for solution ideas. Finally, send them back into the world to experiment and experience. When people come up with answers - and express them - it's hard for them to deny their own truth.

In my experience, it's important to first understand the main issue that is causing the disagreement. Getting everyone's perspective, individually, can help. It's then important to find common ground, if possible as a starting point, in a structured conversation. It's also important to reiterate the main objective(peaceful work place) and drive conversation towards that, and focusing less on the differences.

In my experience, conflict comes from communication -either the lack of or misunderstanding. We need to seek to understand. Listening, asking questions, and getting clarification from all parties involved. We can resolve conflict without understanding what the real issue is.

Many conflicts can arise due to differences in communication style. Try to anticipate if something you are about to say will annoy or irritate the other person. If so, then always use a disclaimer such as "help me understand why...." or "Im sure you didn't mean this in a negative way but when you said that it made me feel like ........

Foster opportunities for people to get to know each other outside the work place. Most conflicts can be resolved when people see the human aspect of the other party. When they see the other person as a father or mother or brother or sister. When I faced conflicts in my team I found they resolved when we understood how our work was making the lives of each of us and our clients lives better. I am a huge believer in transparency and paying wins forward.

Root cause analysis is vital to understanding any problem. In my experience, the cause of disagreements is often people not understanding their role in the decision-making process. Appropriate inputs based on topic using a decision tree can help to facilitate strong discussions. Additionally, there needs to be basic rules around meetings and decision making...no name calling, no speaking over other people, no yelling, conflict resolution scenarios, etc. Always look to your own gut reaction first. If something someone says in a meeting makes you angry. Analyze why? Are they mirroring something you feel insecure about? You can't change others. Focus on you.

The first place to start is by looking in the mirror. Have you set expectations and defined your company culture properly? Do people know their jobs and responsibilities? Have you hired the right people from the beginning? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you may need to change personnel. That is always hard, but it is easier than consistently managing contracts AND the time wasted in doing so.

Before any intervention, it is best to fully evaluate what the situation actually is. If you bring both people to discuss it at the same time, they will probably just keep arguing. It is best to talk to each of them individually and notice the commonalities and the differences in the stories. Then you can bring them both together, and help them to individually discover the value behind their point. If you Look at the value of the value and keep going to a higher value, they will find common ground. You can then bring that down to a set of actions that will lead to mutual understanding and agreement.

When disagreements arise emotions can be heightened. It’s important to remain calm when speaking and don’t elevate your tone. State the “facts” of the issue and how they make you feel and give the other person time to react to what you said. Do not interrupt what they have to say. Then pose some options for a potential solution. If no solution can be agreed upon, table the discussion until later. Never make the disagreement “personal” or bring up past experiences and unrelated topics. Stick to the issue at hand and work to find common ground for a path forward or a compromise. If still unable to ease the tension, seek guidance from a third party and/or leader to mediate.

When this is happening, the team is stuck. Too often we pretend the conflict or resistance is not there and try to carry on with the business. It doesn’t work, because the team is stuck. Staying in this state of conflict or resistance leads to loss of talent, poor team morale and reduced results. With the proper facilitation, these issues can usually (and quickly) be resolved by simply creating time and safe space to work through to the root cause and collectively align to solution. A mastery of leadership skill set is to continually (and intentionally) create a team culture of clear energy for the team to easily and efficiently flow through to results.

Simple, communication goes a long way. Often, in times of conflict, people are generally trying to simply get their point across. Constructive dialogue, with respectful boundaries, gives everyone a chance to share their opinion. People want to be heard. Of course, there is a conversation about humility, but it is important to allow people to have their voice heard. This is often corrected through a culture that allows people to share their opinions. [The Right] Culture covers a multitude of problems.

When trying to facilitate constructive dialogue, it's important to have all parties involved in determining the structure/guidelines. We all handle conflict differently and having each team member contribute HOW they go through the process, can make for a more seamless process. More often than not, it's our different communication styles that lead to conflict. Being on the same page in understanding (not necessarily in agreement) can really help the situation.

Give it to different department at head office. Listen to what people say Watch how they react. Periodicly. Giving them time to process n adapt to their environment

I usually will just talk with my crew. Reinforce that we are a team. Listen to their concerns and give them answers. Positive reinforcement often works well. Only when it doesn't, which is rare do I need to take further action.

The best way to handle any situation is to get everyone together and have a conversation about it. Address the root cause of conflicts immediately through open communication. Facilitate team discussions to understand underlying issues and encourage empathy and mutual respect. Establish clear expectations for behavior and conflict resolution processes. Foster a positive work culture by promoting teamwork and appreciation for diverse perspectives. Provide opportunities for team-building activities to strengthen relationships and trust. Consider mediation or coaching if conflicts persist. A harmonious team dynamic is crucial for small business success.

It is important to build from a strong foundation and working through conflict can strengthen an organization or partnership. Reviewing what we hold in common and focusing on an a mutually expressed and agreed upon goal or destination is where we start. Show appreciation for the diversity of opinion on how we reach that destination gives rise to solutions that individually we would have most likely not seen and therefore missed. Love and respect are key in letting others know they're valued even when there is difference of opinion or methodology. Avoid the short cuts that undermine your foundation and purpose. It's worth it in the end.

The work environment can be a hostile one, especially on a job site. With new deadlines, weather delays and all kinds of supply issues, the stress levels can be through the roof. Make sure you are fostering open communication, give proper break time, and I have found that adding an additional health practice to the benefits of your employees can really help to improve this. Hiring an onsite message therapist for Friday/Monday is a great option, will improve moral, relieve stress and give you some much good will, you couldn't even imagine it.

I hate it when people tell me to calm down. If I'm passionate about my opinion, I am passionate. Again, it's about perspective & how each person sees the 'answer'. Actively listening & really hearing each person's point of view is crucial to the understanding of the conflict. I always ask the question "What Does It Matter". In a professional environment, when each person understands the others' point of view, it makes a difference in the resolution. We want constructive resolutions because #resultsmatter.

I think listening to others and truly understanding their perspective is so important. There are usually unmet needs at play and typically folks have shared values and goals that can be surfaced. When we can see where our views intersect, there can be resolution.

Introspection is the key to win-win resolutions. When each person can understand the others' perspective and see how it works within their own thoughts, compromise can be accomplished. It is when a person is not willing to understand the others' perspective that a resolution may be difficult.

To deal with team conflict and negotiate a win-win solution, I often recommend bringing in a consultant who is equipped to handle conflict. A coach who is skilled at bringing people together using a common language. It can be difficult to find the win-win when you're inside the team; sometimes it takes an outside perspective to help all parties see that the win-win isn't one-sided and that it does benefit everyone.

Within an appropriate culture, people are heard and respected. In this environment, it is important to bring about win-win solutions. People are people, but they need to be heard and respected, and at the end of the day, they need to win. A leader defines the environment, produces the appropriate culture, and creates victory and optimal solutions for everyone. Lead, or get out of the way.

Separate them to start with. If that doesn't work, then you need to find out the root cause of the problem before you can take any other actions.

Conflicts are a lot lot war, nobody wins, not really. It's best to prepare the environment to foster better relationships and prevent conflict then to worry and focus on how to handle it once it arises. With the right environment, even if a conflict arises, it is usually settled quickly and with peace and understanding.

shall put them in challenge about the issues and in this way notice what is problems and can involved in resolved, team conflicts can solved when they in step accept the responsibility

This is a difficult part about conflict resolutions. Many times we forget to monitor our own actions & only monitor the actions of others. This self-righteous behavior is detrimental to the team environment. It takes a strong leader to observe, coach, mentor, and constructively correct team members to get the desired results from the team. The goal is to encourage each person to take responsibility for their own actions & to collaborate with other team members. This takes times and effort on all parties. Holding each person accountable is crucial to the exercise.

I love this part. With understanding & encouragement from leaders, teams are able to work out the conflict & rise above it. We must remember to celebrate the small wins along the way. Most people that I work with shy away from receiving praise. Leaders must learn to say 'great job', 'thank you', etc., and document the good actions in the employees permanent record. It must be reinforced that it is OK to receive praise & to say 'thank you'.

Determine the third person unseen or pretending to be a friend of either side or both, but fueling the argument. There is always someone, the third person creating the conflict between two parties. Further more have the Goal of the organization clearly laid out and make sure this is understood and have all activities align with the goals of the company.

First, write a clear statement detailing the standards of conduct and decorum for team members. Include specific protocols and consequences for 1st, 2nd and no tolerance behaviors. Post the statement in various locations. Bring the team together and provide two printed copies for each member. Read the statement aloud, and clarify any questions. Have each member sign a copy indicating they have received, understand, and accept the standards. Implement and follow that posted policy fairly and consistently!

Engage in a shared activity where each can shine in their brilliance! Focus on outcomes aligned to the values of the Brand and company. Ensure team building training is included in the HR strategy Model the behaviours expected

Observe the obvious. I agree and would contribute to Alain Paul's of Elegapod on discovering the outside party driving the conflict. I would also want to assess the 'culture', mode or tone of the person generating discord. There's more behind someone who stops than another person or groups foul influence. They may be THE seed of discontent "asking" to be culled from the company. My advice: listen, accept, understand intentions. What are they doing and what's the result of what they're doing?

For situation an intention to make conflicts,the way is let out the team through communication and other methods but failed.