The average workplace will have a wide range of employees from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles. This can be great for allowing a magnitude of ideas and perspectives, but no matter what, having a group working together daily will bring conflict. No matter how strong the bonds and relations are between employees and leaders, humans will have conflict.

As a leader, you will experience and have to diffuse various conflicts throughout your career. Here are five that you might run into and how to resolve them.

1. Leadership Conflict

Every leader has their own way of leading their teams, and oftentimes, this might clash with how employees best learn or retain information. Conflict might arise when leadership styles don’t match those of the employees. This is common to occur during coachable moments, meetings, or times of decision-making.

To help resolve this form of conflict, it is important that, as a leader, you are listening and respectful of the needs of your employees. Consider what will help them listen, and don’t assume that your way of communicating will work for everyone.

2. Interdependence Conflict

Interdependence conflict revolves around the workings of two or more people who rely on each other to get a certain job done. Conflict might arise if one person is not holding up their end of the task, runs late constantly, or does not have the same ideas on how to finish the task successfully.

This can be resolved by delegating tasks appropriately to the right people and establishing a clear line of communication for everyone to use. Each role should be clarified and outlined so everyone understands their part and can do it appropriately.

3. Personality Conflict

Everyone comes with their own personality, and in the workplace, these personalities might clash. It can become challenging to work with people you don’t get along with personally, and conflict can easily arise from personal issues that might not have much to do with the work at hand.

To get past these personal issues, it should be noted within teams that everyone should treat each other respectfully and focus on the positive aspects of the relationship at hand. We must be empathetic and try to understand the views of those around us. However, if these conflicts don’t cease, reaching out to further leaders and higher-ups can be beneficial.

4. Work Style Conflict

Everyone has their own working style, whether working alone or with a team or working for long periods rather than short bursts. This is all fine when it comes to working independently, but collaborative projects may become problematic when various working styles are mixed.

Once again, it can be essential to delegate appropriately and take into account how people work and what they need to be the most successful they can be. Creating a clear understanding of what each person is responsible for and having a solid communication set up between the team and the leader is imperative.

5. Creative Conflict

No matter the intricacies of the job, everyone approaches it with their own creative ideas. This can cause conflict when many different people approach the same task with various ways to get it done. Creative conflict can ensue, and people might be stuck in their way of doing the project, not wanting to hear the other options.

Resolving this type of conflict can become a teachable moment for everyone involved as it can be a time for people to stop, listen, and approach a situation in a way they would never think to before. In this circumstance, respect and communication need to be established within the team and leaders to ensure people are being heard.

Conflict is not a brick wall. It is an opportunity to better yourself and your team. If you have questions or want to grow your team and yourself to the best they can be, contact the team at Celerity Coaching.