How can small business owners create a conflict-free work culture?

When you fuel collaboration and team spirit--you can create a conflict-free culture in your business. Make it clear that everyone is a valued, important member of the team and their contributions matter. Provide clear, measurable goals and objectives, define responsibilities, instill and promote mutual respect for other team members, and lead by example. Provide a team suggestion box (in person or a unique email address if virtual) for input for consideration. Collaboration fuels cohesiveness and strengthens morale. Encourage discussion of issues and suggestions as needed in a polite, respectful environment with the specific goal to develop the best solution--not to one-up anyone.

This can be difficult to choose as potential employees are normally on their best behaviour during the interview process and will display their full colours once employed.

The worst leadership advice I was given indirectly by one of my first bosses - "Do as I say, not as I do." Let's just say that my approach to leadership became the complete opposite - to the extent that I used to be parachuted in to rescue failing departments in my early 20s! The attitude of YOUR team will reflect... - who YOU are - what YOU do - how YOU view your business. So... make sure that you are always aware of how your behaviour will be mirrored by your team!

Feedback is important and is highly recommended that employees are encouraged to provide feedback on the present culture and how it can be improved. It is important that management recognise the feedback and make improvements where necessary.

While it’s unrealistic to expect that any workplace will be completely conflict-free, it’s how you respond to the conflict that counts. As in all human relationships, practicing patience, kindness and seeking to understand the other person’s perspective is important to enabling resolution. People who avoid conflict enable resentment to fester - which is like carbon monoxide to a workplace. Silent but deadly to your culture.

Professional conflict is the lifeblood of innovation. What we don't want is personal conflict. Professional conflict should be resolved in a logical way, where at the end, all parties accept the outcome. Often times, by narrowing down on the exact lever that is being argued upon, and experiment can be derived in order to gain conclusive results and move forward with the project.