Conflicts are natural and will occur; therefore, it is essential to have the skills to handle them successfully.

If you want to know important techniques in supervision, consider participating in Supervision Training Course from pdtraining delivered in Adelaide and other cities in Australia.

Identifying Conflicts

To minimise the damage that conflicts can cause, you must be able to identify them quickly. If conflicts are identified early, they can be resolved easier. To identify conflicts, you need to:

• Have good observation
• Be sensitive to people and environment
• Monitor areas that frequently result in conflicts
• Be attentive to grievances or disturbances

Early identification of problems will help you to successfully resolve the conflicts before they begin to grow big and cause more damage to people, resources and/or the company.

Helping to Build Understanding

To prevent and resolve conflicts, you need to build an understanding among your employees. This can be done through sharing. The more we know about one another, the better we understand the reasons behind behaviours and choices. It is important for employees to share their life, culture and preferences with each other, especially if they are working closely. 

Constant interaction increases the risk of conflicts. The more the people interact with each other, the greater is the possibility of misunderstandings and conflicting interests. Therefore, a supervisor must pay more attention to teams that work closely, and that require greater interaction and cooperation.

Change of Perspective

We react to situations based on our understanding of it. Our reactions are based on our limited perspective. When a conflict occurs, a supervisor can resolve it by making those involved in the conflict to understand the perspective of the other person or gaining a larger perspective. 

Altering the perspective of a person is a simple and effective method to resolve conflicts, but you might need to keep working on it if there is a risk of the conflict occurring again.

Converting Negative Emotions into Positive Ones

Conflicts happen because of negativity. If you constantly convert negativity into positivity, then you can prevent many conflicts from happening. You can create a positive work environment by using positive words and encouraging positivity. You can use:

• Humour when dealing with stressful situations
• Positive talk when communicating with employees
• Motivational talks when dealing with challenges
• Techniques to provide feedback positively

Set an example for your employees on how to be positive. It will be reciprocated, leading to the creation of a healthy work environment.

Developing Team Spirit

You need to build team spirit among your employees even if they are not working as a team. Sharing of goals or indulging in fun activities together is a good method to build team spirit. When people are working towards the same goal, they naturally begin to see themselves as companions.

Putting emphasis on the similarities in the employees, respecting the differences, and using methods to enhance cooperation and understanding help to prevent conflicts. In case of stubborn conflicts, assertiveness of authority may also work. Early identification and prevention of conflicts must be practised to build and maintain a positive work environment.

Related Article…

Pdtraining delivers 1000’s of professional development courses each year in Brisbane, Sydney, Parramatta, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth, so you can be assured your training will be delivered by a qualified and experienced trainer.

All public Supervision Training courses include am/pm tea, lunch, printed courseware and a certificate of completion.  Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.