If it is so Expensive, Let’s Fix it!

[Take three minutes and check out a free resource on how much money your organization is losing to unaddressed conflict: www.conflictcalculator.com]

Conflict costs thousands to millions to hundreds of millions depending on the size of your business, organization, or school system. Having spent the last 20 years working on supporting leaders, professionals and organizations to increase wellness and revenue by addressing conflict management issues I still ponder something. Even with post 911, pre/post-Covid, presidential elections, “cancel culture” and the very nature of human beings to be in conflict…organizations still do not want to to stop banging their heads against the wall with conflict costs. So I was wondering, why is this? And, what does knowing this information show us about our own organizational gaps that can be filled if appropriate, valuable intervention is taken.

What do you think about these 20 reasons your organization, business or school is not taking action on the obvious while at the same time not realizing training and other interventions are far cheaper that the status quo.

Reasons why some leaders may not prioritize conflict management:

1. Belief that conflicts will resolve themselves naturally without interference.
2. Belief that conflict management is an unnecessary expense.
3. Lack of trust in conflict management experts or consultants.
4. Perception that conflict management training is too abstract and not practical.
5. Lack of knowledge about the importance of conflict management skills.
6. Fear of confrontation and avoidance of conflict.
7. Belief that acknowledging conflict is a sign of weakness or failure.
8. Time constraints and prioritizing other business activities.
9. Economic constraints and limited resources for conflict management training.
10. Lack of awareness of effective conflict management strategies.
11. Belief that conflict management is the sole responsibility of HR.
12. Negative past experiences with conflict management interventions.
13. Belief that conflict management is a soft skill that is less important than technical skills.
14. Lack of appreciation for the potential costs of unmanaged conflicts in terms of employee morale and productivity.
15. Concerns about legal responsibility and potential complaints arising from conflict management interventions.
16. Belief that conflicts are inherent in any workplace and should be recognized as such.
17. Perception that conflict management is only necessary in larger organizations and not relevant to small businesses.
18. Cultural or social norms that deter open discussion of conflicts.
19. Opposition to change and fear of disrupting the status quo.
20. Opinion that conflict management is not relevant to their specific industry or department.

When you look at your own organization, what is holding them back from taking action to improve wellness and the quality of work for everyone?

Always happy to discuss solutions, just send over an SOS…or a regular email and we can discuss what you need.

All the best and much love!

Dave