Equipping Human Resource Management Personnel With Conflict Resolution Skills

Conflicts are part of human interactions. Thus, it is not surprising that a conflict may arise at the workplace. Conflicts often arise from differences in perspectives, conflicting opinions, or ineffective communication. Since conflicts are an expected consequence of human interaction, employers must put into place conflict resolution structures, especially in the human resource department, to help employees solve disputes amicably and timely. For this reason, conflict resolution training serves an important capacity-building function for any company as it equips employees with the necessary skills to identify and solve conflicts before they erode the chemistry and comradery in the workplace. Thus, conflict resolution training is essential as it prepares employees in the following ways:

Identifying the Source of the Conflict

The first advantage of conflict resolution training is it prepares professionals to identify various sources of conflicts. Some sources of conflicts can be outright and obvious, while others may be subtle and complex. The first step before beginning the conflict resolution process is identifying the cause of the dispute. Typically, conflicts in the workplace can arise because of poor communication, power struggles, life changes, and relationship changes. A trained conflict resolution expert separates the conflict from the parties in the dispute and objectively examines the cause. Separating the issues from the disputing parties without any bias is an important skill that people acquire from conflict resolution training. Once the parties separate the issues and consider them objectively, they can arrive at an amicable solution, improving the working relationship and environment.

Conflict Resolution Methods

There are various conflict resolution methods and approaches that parties can apply when solving a dispute. Thus, parties to a dispute must identify the most applicable conflict resolution method for effective mediation. Conflict resolution training equips employees with advanced skills to select the best-fit approach depending on the nature of the dispute, the number of parties involved, and the relationship between the conflicting parties. Selecting an appropriate conflict resolution method plays a significant role in determining the success of a conflict resolution process. Thus, having employees who have undergone comprehensive conflict resolution training ensures parties use an effective approach that increases the chances of amicable solving the conflict.

Speedy Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution training equips individuals with vital information that leads to speedy conflict resolution. Conflicts should not drag on for long in the workplace. With conflict resolution training, individuals understand the conflict resolution process, augmenting their facilitation skills. Choosing a conflict resolution method that offers the best success chances and isolating the problem from the people can take a long time. Having a conflict resolution expert identifies the problem and sets the stage for a speedy resolution, allowing employees to continue working together in harmony.


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