Is it just me or has 2016 seen a seismic shift in the political landscape away from the centre ground? Your office may well have been awash with talk of Brexit and then last week from across the Atlantic we have watched Trump win the election. Whilst some are celebrating others have been left really devastated. In some instances, you may have seen your staff in some very heated debates because of their polarised views, perhaps you have even had to step in as tempers have flared. And what about your own office politics, are they driving you to distraction, with you sometimes feeling more like a parent looking after squabbling children?
Conflict management and company culture
As a conflict trained manager I have seen my fair share of how office politics can lead to conflict and drain performance and productivity. Handling conflict between your employees is inevitable. As a leader you have a huge amount of power to influence others through your own attitude and intentions, you are at the core of what drives your company’s values and culture.
Managing conflict
Savvy leaders take a realistic approach to managing workplace politics. Next time one of your staff is complaining about another member of staff, take a step back and really listen to them. Try to understand what is really going on for both of them. When we feel under attack our natural defences go up, this person probably fears losing power or resources, and may feel insecure. Often face to face conversations can resolve a matter much more quickly, rather than a battle of emails. Let each person be heard, this lowers defences and helps to build trust and establish a rapport between each party. Understand each of their goals and try to find common ground. Then agree to a joint course of action to resolve the conflict.
Company and team values
Sometimes office politics are a case of two competitive people fighting for control. Not everyone is going to get along or see things from the same point of view all of the time. But it could be worth examining the company and team values to discover if any changes are required. After all you don’t want a company where the overall culture breeds overly political behaviour, as this can lead to a less cohesive team with game playing and sabotage, which is hardly a healthy working environment or one that you want to encourage. Instead reinforce cooperation, forgiving and tolerant behaviour, and make it worth their while by valuing this type of behaviour.
Connecting with your employees and building trust will help to inspire a culture of trust in the workplace. If you lack integrity, then building relationships with your staff will be more difficult as will building trust with them. This in turn will impact on how effectively you can lead your employees and really know what is going on around you. By being honest and sincere in your working relationships, you will inspire others to have trust and confidence.
Leaders are expected to deliver results, be politically knowledgeable and resolve conflict. Your management team will look to you to lead them on these matters. Make sure that you and your managers are able to deal with politics in the workplace and resolve any conflict that arises from it.
Is the conflict in your workplace more than you can handle? Dakota Blue consultants are trained and certified in conflict management coaching, a seven stage technique that helps people, on a one to one basis, to develop their own skills and capabilities to deal with interpersonal conflict. As they learn to deal with the conflict themselves, this removes the need for a third person, like a manager, to get involved.
If you think this may work for some members of your team why not give us a call to find out more about how it works.