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Coaching Managers to Deal with Conflict

Written by: Michael Heah

Article Overview: Coaching as a strategy for organizational managers to deal with conflict.

Coaching Managers to Deal with Conflict

It is difficult to imagine how an organization can function effectively without a powerful and united team. Outstanding organizations owe much of their success to their abilities to build and strengthen their teams to collectively produce great ideas and breakthrough results. Like a united family, winning teams can only succeed when there is strong leadership at the top to drive it. Weak leaders cannot do much for their teams because they are at a loss themselves, unable to find their own direction, let alone build teams.

What can happen if there is a lack of strong leadership? This question is especially pertinent in an organization where changes are imminent. One of them is conflict! Some common comments in response to change efforts include: "Are you telling me to throw away everythng I have done?", "Are you telling me I have been doing things wrong?"

As a business coach, one thing you should be aware of is that people do not normally use such language to describe how they perceive a situation, unless there are deeper emotional feelings behind what is being said or acted out. You should recognize that emotions play an important role in organizational life and cannot be ignored. When you can solve them, it will lessen the conflict situation and pave the way for more united teams to form. Coaching is one powerful strategy that organizations can use to help managers work out how they can handle the people perceived to be difficult especially in change programs where we cannot disregard their emotional responses. In this context, senior managers will be coached to deal with conflict situations, rather than avoid them. The coaching that individuals receive can greatly strengthen their relationship with the organization and overcome barriers to issues such as change. The focus of the coaching involves changing their mindsets to accept that commitments come when people understand a change, integrate its meaning into the things they do everyday, and willingly take responsibility for the new activities required.

Here is a coaching model that can help managers deal with workplace conflicts better:

(A) Start with the attitude that everyone is entitled to their views and opinions

(B) Learn how to encourage people to articulate for themselves on their issues, through discussions, to help them:

• to express themselves articulately, thereby increasing their self confidence
• to take responsibility for their words
• to see how they may be creating unhelpful impressions of themselves
• reduce the amount of indiscriminate blaming of others

(C) Reconstruct their relationship with employees through regular meetings that are focused on performance and the resolution of practical issues.

Great leadership is about the ability to handle day-to-day issues. Recognize them when they occur; have positive attitude about them, have the courage to act on them, and use the skills to resolve them; thereby, building commitment in people who will collectively support the change process.

Related Articles
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  The Coaching Imperative
  Starting Over Every Day
  Hard Skills Alone Are Not Enough!
  Boot Camp Training for Conflict Resolution Skills

Article Tags: business coach, coaching, coaching managers, coaching model, conflict, leadership, organizational managers, performance



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