Can Anyone Make Conflict Go Away?

You walk into the office thinking “business as usual” and you enter your AM huddle. Silence abounds, eye contact is lacking and verbal spurring begins with little quips here and there.  You think, “here we go again, I hope this issue resolves it’s self quickly so everyone can settle down”.  Amazingly, by noon people seem to be over it.   Unbeknownst to you the issue has been stuffed in closet for an appearance at a later, even less convenient date. 

Resolving conflict to gain clarity and team effectiveness

In most offices, conflict just seems to be a fact of life. We've all seen situations where different people with different goals and needs come into conflict. And we've all seen the often intense personal animosity that can result if the issue that is creating the conflict is not addressed.

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In last months article we increased your awareness of conflict styles and the opportunity for conflict to be welcomed and used in building team to gain clarity.  We looked at the five styles of conflict to assist us in gaining clarity:  Avoidance, Assertiveness, Collaboration, Competitiveness and Compromising, and reviewed the benefits and weaknesses of each style. In this article we will introduce you to another clarity gaining tool.

The second theory about conflict resolution is commonly referred to as the "Interest-Based Relational (IBR) Approach". This conflict resolution strategy respects individual differences while helping people avoid becoming too entrenched in a fixed position.

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Congratulations! You have just completed a very productive morning schedule. You’re feeling great! Your career in dentistry is just what you dreamed it would be….Or is it? 

You reluctantly walk into a staff meeting (not your favorite part of owning a practice) and “it” begins. You remind your hygienist to take digital photos on recare patients. In a flash, arms go up, eye contact intensifies, her face turns red and she frantically replies, “I don’t have time.” Communication quickly comes to a standstill and you decide that it just isn’t worth spending more time on this issue. You retreat and decide you will do it on your own (or not at all). This recurring breakdown of communication has confirmed to you that staff meetings ARE a waste of time!

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