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Important Topics on Harnessing the Power of Conflict

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Four Myths That Perpetuate Abrasive Behavior At Work

When we join a company, partnership or team, our expectation is that everyone involved will exhibit professional behavior toward us and each other. Instead, it’s highly possible that we may become one of the more than 60 million adults in the United States who are affected in some way by bullying behavior at work.

What kind of behaviors are we talking about? Our definition is any interpersonal behavior that causes emotional distress in others sufficient enough to impede their productivity or disrupt organizational functioning. It isn’t just a personality conflict — it’s a chronic pattern of disrespectful behavior.

When your business team starts spiraling down

A healthy business team is one with strong relationships and vibrant engagement. It’s a beautiful place to be, where people feel heard and creative ideas bump against each other in an open, constructive way. We call it the Creative Tension Zone and it’s the dream (or should be) of any organization with an aim toward consistent growth.

Teams fall out of this place for various reasons, and the spiral downward can devolve into destructive conflict. It is critical to know where you and your team are on the Conflict Curve in order to make good decisions in “real time” so you can recognize what’s happening and pull your team back from the Conflict Spiral abyss.

The Difference Between HR and Organizational Ombuds Functions

On average an ombuds will see 3-5% of an organization’s members in the course of a year. Our work as organizational ombuds has increased steadily over the last couple of years, where we’re initially called in because someone in leadership is being dogged by a “small” conflict that won’t go away but keeps festering and growing until they can’t sweep it under the rug any longer. (From there, we typically enter a contractual arrangement with clients where we serve as their ongoing go-to ombuds, mediator, and conflict adviser.)

10 Ways an Ombudsman Can Increase Your Workplace Productivity

He could have been sitting in the corner of the conference room where I was convening as Organizational Ombuds for a team that was stuck - there was (emotional) clutter, plenty of discord, and a really difficult situation. Tension was high, people were venting. At any moment (my experience told me) someone could explode with frustration. It was like a freight train approaching the room, about to crash!

Creative Tension in the Workplace: Who needs it? You do!

Creative Tension Zone is where huge ideas emerge, innovation thrives, and empires are built! The most successful workplace teams know how to manage constructive conflict to encourage creative tension. What every leader needs to know about leveraging the power of conflict in a team.

Workplace Conflict: How to Deal with Hot Buttons

Have you ever said: “That person just presses my buttons”? We call these 'conflict hooks', because your reaction to the button-pusher has the potential to feed conflict. Understanding what conflict hooks are can help you and your team make better response choices.

9 Early Warning Signs of Workplace Conflict

Conflict doesn't just appear out of nowhere. There are always signs warning that a conflict is developing. Managers who know what these signs are can be more effective leaders by confronting the problem before it rages out of hand. By resolving conflict in the early stages, the company will run much more smoothly and the overall productivity level will be increased considerably. What are these subtle signs of conflict to look for?...

April 29, 2021

“Time’s Up” on Bad Leadership Behavior: Lessons From Scott Rudin’s Story

April 29, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

The Washington Post headline says it all: “Scott Rudin’s bad behavior was just another Hollywood cliche until a new generation said time’s up.” You may know Scott Rudin as an award-winning film, television and theater producer, whose film successes include No Country for Old Men, Lady Bird, Fences, The Social Network, Clueless, and Broadway shows like The Book of Mormon.

For me as a conflict advisor and Boss Whispering® coach, Scott Rudin is the poster child of the many leaders out there who are poisoning their organizations with their disrespectful, disruptive behavior. And I’m grateful it’s been brought to light for the sake of all those people who have been emotionally harmed by an abrasive leader.

April 22, 2021

Four Reasons Why You Need to Train Your People in Conflict Management

April 22, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

[updated, April, 2018: 5 Reasons to Get Proactive on Conflict Management Training]

The benefits of skillfully managed conflict to an organization’s growth have never been more crucial than in today’s competitive, ever-changing global economy. Conversely, a dispute that is ignored or handled badly can quickly cause distraction, raise stress levels, create barriers to productivity, communications and innovation — and escalate to negative outcomes that cost an organization in measurable ways.

The literature supports conflict-competency benefits and training — but do you believe that there’s ROI on an organization’s investment in training and support for the purpose of developing conflict competency skills and systems before a dispute arises?

April 13, 2021

How to Find Out if Chronic Bad Behavior is Poisoning Your Workplace

April 13, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

“It’s not sweat or revenue that makes companies tick; it’s trust,” says John Hall writing for Forbes.com. “Trust touches every area of business. Research published by Harvard Business Review bears this out: Workers at companies where trust is high report 106% greater energy in the office, 74% lower stress levels, 76% greater engagement, and 50% more productivity than their peers at low-trust businesses.”

Trust is a foundational principle of the work we do with teams at Resologics, which is why we study interpersonal relationship factors in the workplace that either enhance trust or erode trust.

My work with teams and leaders has convinced me that it's a worthy effort to assess individual styles and behaviors and their impact on the level of trust that bring the outcomes you see in the stats above.

April 06, 2021

Is it time to call in mediation? Advice from the field

April 06, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

Any organization can find itself facing a conflict so entrenched, so ugly, that a key person is paralyzing the productivity of an entire group, a department is chronically unable to come up with a new idea, or leadership is in such disarray that partners aren’t speaking to each other and some are ready to walk.

Negative conflicts like these can literally bring a company to its knees. I’ve witnessed too many conflicts that have become entrenched for so long that the team or partners can’t move forward. The partnership breaks up, contentious separation agreements or lawsuits follow, and hundreds if not thousands of employees are left without jobs.

Conflict is serious business. Mediation is the tool that can help people come to the table, get clear on the issues, sort out their conflicts, and put the company back on track — before it’s too late.

March 23, 2021

The High Costs Of Unmanaged Conflict In Your Organization

March 23, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

Teams conflict can result in positive or negative outcomes, but unmanaged conflict nearly always results in negative outcomes that can be measured in the form of real dollars lost. Conflict is a given, but the outcomes of that conflict are a choice. What are the consequences of choosing to ignore conflict?

Estimating the costs of unmanaged conflict

We have developed a survey tool to help our clients (team leaders, startup partners and other professionals) identify and quantify the likely costs of conflict to their particular organization. Our "Cost of Conflict Calculator" tool estimates costs using averaged industry data and a team's dynamic information. The survey questions are designed to collectively support an estimate of past and future dollar costs of the conflict their team is experiencing.

March 02, 2021

Reorganize Your Workforce For 2021: Three Positive Takeaways From The Pandemic

March 02, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

[Reprinted from Forbes Coaches Council article by Mark Batson Baril, January 25, 2021]

The business response to the crises brought about by the pandemic has created deep changes and unexpected ripple effects throughout the world of teams. In my work as a conflict advisor, I’m seeing many companies struggle with the unintended consequences of shifting roles, relationships and expectations in their workforce.

The traveling sales team came back to the “office” and assignments got shuffled around. Employees working from home had to find new ways of communicating to get things done. Marketing and distribution pivots affected company teamwork on almost every level. Layoffs, furloughs, firings and staffing reassignments caused an undercurrent of uncertainty that hasn’t gone away and has raised questions: Who’s leaving? Who’s staying? How will positions shift? What’s my role now? Will we all still get along?

February 23, 2021

Got Conflict? How to Measure the Dollar Cost of Negative Conflict in Your Workplace

February 23, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

Got Conflict? Is it helping or hurting your team? Find out right now by measuring the dollar costs.

“Show me the money!”

In my work with companies around conflict and its costs, I have heard that iconic statement from many, many people. Business savvy folks want to know what a conflict is actually costing them in real dollars. We set out in 2013 to build a single calculator that would show exactly that, and the result is the Cost of Conflict Calculator™. A few years later and over 2,000 responses (and counting as we continue to successfully offer this tool), that journey has reinforced three major points:

There is a duality to conflict. Conflict will always exist and there are positive and negative outcomes from conflict depending upon how it is managed.
Creativity and innovation are deeply affected by how a work team deals with conflicting ideas and task conflicts.
We are able to measure and put a value on the positive and negative outcome of conflicts.

January 19, 2021

What a Manager Can and Should Do to Stop Bullying Behavior at Work

January 19, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

“All managers should understand the importance of differentiating performance from conduct, and know how to manage both.” ~ Dr. Laura Crawshaw, An EAP Approach to End Workplace Bullying

We have all experienced leaders who rub their coworkers the wrong way, plaguing the workplace with interpersonal friction that harms morale and productivity. In fact, 19% of us may find ourselves in a bullying situation at work, according to a Workplace Bullying Institute survey.

Especially in the high-tension, uncertain environment we’re experiencing lately, you might be having this experience right now. As a conflict advisor and team coach, I’ve worked with abrasive leaders more times than I’d like to admit. Sometimes I can see a conflict situation brewing that is more than a personality clash — it’s chronic behavior that needs addressing before it poisons the entire team or organization.

January 14, 2021

Your Organizational Ombuds: When Abrasive Behavior Enters Your Organization

January 14, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

In my work as an Ombudsman, Mediator and Conflict Resolver, I have encountered thirteen situations to date that have involved a leader with an abrasive leadership style. It’s been hard for me to admit, but it took eight of those cases over several years before I really understood what was going on — and what to do about it.

In most of those cases the teams and organizations worked toward agreements that more or less stuck and the team’s performance improved. Yet, remaining underneath those changes was the abrasive behavior of the leader/individual that had not been addressed in a substantial way.

January 07, 2021

Three Ways To Diagnose Disruptive Behavior That's Hurting Your Company

January 07, 2021/ Mark Batson Baril

When it comes to human behavior (especially predicting and managing it), professionals in the field talk about "measuring the unmeasurable." If you've spent any time in almost any workplace, you can see how "measuring" behavior and its effects could be a thorny effort.

Most leadership assessments I've seen are based on important skills such as executing strategy, hiring, retention, succession, team and change management. However, when the rubber meets the road, it's an individual's personal characteristics and style that can make or break their success as a leader.

December 03, 2020

Five Elements Of Creating Conflict-Competent Teams

December 03, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

Building great companies takes building great teams. And I believe building great teams takes conflict.

Wait, what?

For many leaders, this might be a tough concept to stomach. It’s understandable that most of us want to avoid conflict like the plague because it’s typically perceived as negative and disruptive. It can also, in more extreme cases, lead to costly resolutions.

December 01, 2020

Nine Things You Need to Know About Mediation During the Pandemic

December 01, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

[updated from April 2016 article]

Many people think mediation is simply an alternative to a legal suit, but it can be much more. It can create a more empowered and productive workplace environment, including a system in place that addresses conflict early on to avoid costly formal intervention.

Now is a crucial time to learn mediation techniques and have a mediation plan in place before you actually need it! Why?

October 22, 2020

Four Myths That Perpetuate Abrasive Behavior At Work

October 22, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

October 13, 2020

When to Get Help for Workplace Disputes or Conflict

October 13, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

An organization, no matter what size, can find itself facing a conflict so entrenched, so ugly, that a key person is paralyzing the productivity of an entire group, a department is chronically unable to come up with a new idea, or leadership is in such disarray that partners aren’t speaking to each other and some are ready to walk.

Negative conflicts like these can literally bring a company to its knees, particular in the midst of internal or external crises. Mediation is the tool that can help people come to the table, get clear on the issues, sort out their conflicts, and put the company back on track.

October 06, 2020

Organizational Tools: How’s Your Virtual Workplace Doing?

October 06, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

By now you are settling into whatever your particular virtual workplace needs to be for the next several months. You have some organizational shifts in place, the tech up and running to meet virtually and for your people to work from home (WFH), and made pivots to keep your operations and processes running smoothly.

It must feel really different not to be in the physical workplace — not sitting across from each other in a meeting, popping over to the next cubicle for a quick creative confab, or having the casual contact that builds relationships. You might even be (secretly) happy that the usual “water cooler” gossip, interpersonal tiffs, and snarky obstructionist pushbacks you deal with in the office won’t happen anymore.

Hold on….Don’t go there. Conflict still happens.. Your leadership skills are now being called up to keep your virtual team(s) intact, productive, motivated, and conflict competent.

October 01, 2020

The Silent Ones In Your Workforce (And How To Start Listening To Them)

October 01, 2020/ Mark Batson Baril

A 2017 internal study of 164 ombuds offices in the U.S. and Canada found that, on average, 3.2% of an organization’s population used the Office of the Ombuds as a resource to resolve a variety of conflict issues.

What are the implications of this finding? Without an ombuds or similar structure in place, 3% of most organizations’ employees believe they have nowhere to turn to resolve issues within their workplace because their organization does not have an internal system in place to hear them. If you have 100 people in your organization, it’s likely that three of them are dealing with something right now at work that is troubling them, and it could potentially create a negative ripple effect throughout the organization.

October 08, 2019

I’m an Ombuds - What’s in My Toolbox?

October 08, 2019/ Mark Batson Baril

The Organizational Ombuds is being seen more and more as an important service for organizations in a complex world. The profession has existed for centuries yet remains relatively unknown, especially as anything beyond someone to call in for disputes to avoid litigation.

Yes, we do that, but the real and lasting benefit is when we partner with HR leadership to build a workplace culture which is empowered to overcome disputes, conflict and barriers that keep the organization from thriving.

It’s a little like building a house: A reputable contractor brings in experts in different areas such as roofing, masonry, and electrical systems to ensure that the building will be up to code, run efficiently, and for a reasonable amount of time. This foundational expertise is as important as the actual structure itself to create a viable, lasting living space.

August 28, 2018

Workplace Conflict: The Costs of an Abrasive Leader

August 28, 2018/ Mark Batson Baril

If the ingredients of a successful workplace team include trust, open communication, support, respect, cohesiveness, healthy conflict, and fun … what happens when an abrasive leader or “bully boss” is tossed into the mix?

You got it - a recipe for disaster for the whole organization! If that leader’s behavior were to change, would the organization be more successful? The answer is a resounding yes. But how to address what is surely a sticky situation when a power position is in question?

May 08, 2018

Constructive Conflict: Your Most Important Change Management Tool

May 08, 2018/ Mark Batson Baril

Conflict is a natural aspect of any change process, and well-managed constructive conflict will in fact accelerate and enhance success. Or, more to the point, unmanaged negative conflict can create a speed bump that will slow the process to near-stop – or a rocky landslide that causes long-term damage in its wake.

As a leader, which side of conflict do you want to be on?

The leader who sees conflict as a useful tool rather than a negative thing to avoid at all costs, helps increase employee engagement and the vibrant exchange of ideas that take your business on the innovation and growth path.

So how do you start to create the kind of organizational dynamics that harness the power of constructive conflict? Read on…

June 29, 2017

Workplace Conflict: How to Make It Good for Business

June 29, 2017/ Mark Batson Baril

Instead of avoiding conflict which only makes it more destructive, welcome conflict in your workplace as a tool for creative interaction, innovation, and employee engagement. Well-managed conflict is good for business!