How can you improve your team's conflict resolution skills?

1 Assess your team's strengths and weaknesses

Before you can improve your team's conflict resolution skills, you need to have a clear picture of where you are now and where you want to be. One way to do this is to use a self-assessment tool, such as the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), to identify your team's dominant conflict styles and how they affect your interactions. The TKI measures five modes of conflict resolution: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. By understanding your team's strengths and weaknesses in each mode, you can identify areas for improvement and set realistic goals.

2 Create a conflict resolution policy

To improve your team's conflict resolution skills, create a conflict resolution policy that outlines the expectations, procedures, and guidelines for dealing with conflicts. This policy should define what constitutes a conflict and how to recognize it, as well as state the team's values and principles for resolving conflicts. Additionally, it should include a description of the roles and responsibilities of the team members, the team leader, and any third parties involved in the process. A step-by-step procedure for reporting, addressing, and resolving conflicts should also be included, as well as a mechanism for monitoring, evaluating, and learning from the outcomes of conflicts. Having such a policy in place can help your team establish a common ground, prevent escalation, and promote accountability and transparency.

3 Provide training and coaching

To improve your team's conflict resolution skills, you should provide training and coaching opportunities for your team members. Training can be delivered through workshops, webinars, simulations, or case studies, depending on the team's needs and preferences. Coaching can be done by a leader, a peer, or an external expert who can offer feedback and guidance. The topics that training and coaching can cover include effective communication and assertiveness in conflict situations, active listening to different perspectives and emotions, identifying and addressing underlying interests and needs of the parties involved, generating mutually beneficial solutions, and negotiating and compromising in a respectful manner. With this training and coaching, your team members will increase their confidence, competence, and commitment to resolving conflicts.

4 Encourage feedback and reflection

To help your team improve their conflict resolution skills, you should encourage feedback and reflection among your team members. This is key for learning from experiences, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, and celebrating achievements. To do this, create a safe and supportive space for your team to share their opinions and feelings, ask open-ended questions to prompt critical thinking, provide constructive feedback that highlights what was done well and what could be improved, and recognize and reward the efforts of your team. By doing this, you can help your team members continuously develop their skills.