No one likes conflict, but it’s akin to the facets of life we can’t always avoid, such as poor health, change, or annoyingly stubbing your toe. Whether we experience issues in platonic and romantic relationships or in the workplace, gaining the skills to navigate difficult conversations and situations is key to achieving equilibrium. That’s where conflict resolution comes in.
Conflict resolution may seem straightforward—if there’s a problem, then the people involved just talk about it, right? Well, it’s not always that simple. It can be, but more often than not, we can quickly lose sight of the root of the issue in conversations that get derailed by misconstrued feelings, projections, assumptions, or needs.
What is the purpose of conflict resolution?
The technical definition of conflict resolution is a process you use to find a peaceful solution to a dispute, according to Loren Margolis, MSW, CPC, founder of Training & Leadership Success. The human definition, however, is “the most effective and appropriate approach to resolve conflict that works well for you, the other person, your relationship, and the situation.”
Learning conflict resolution skills is important to success at work and in life, says Margolis—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone.
“People even feel conflicted about the word ‘conflict’! It evokes anxiety and fear, so they shy away from learning how to approach resolution,” she notes.
Conflict resolution is also the glue that keeps relationships together successfully, says Alysha Jeney, MA, LMFT, a licensed relationship therapist and co-founder of The Modern Love Box.
No matter how much love two people have for each other, if they don’t know how to effectively resolve conflicts, “they can easily deteriorate their relationship,” Jeney tells mbg. “Conflict resolution serves as a place to build on trust, vulnerability, and clear up any misunderstandings, which all contribute to building more security within the relationship.”
Andrea Ulysse, who works as a human resources manager, and executive coach Sushil Cheema share some key signs and behaviors your colleagues or employees may display that indicate tension or unresolved conflict:
Poor performance
Body language (e.g., standing/sitting with your body turned away from others or crossed arms that close off your body)
Inappropriate comments
Avoiding eye contact
Canceling or avoiding meetings, such as a regularly scheduled 1:1’s
Clique formation
Isolation of people or departments
Rarely smiling
High employee turnover
Emotional reactions or words, especially if they’re out of character
Silence and disengagement during meetings when they’re usually actively engaged
“When a company, especially a human resources department, comes across this type of behavior, a plan should be put in place immediately to mitigate a hostile situation or create a poor company culture,” advises Ulysse.
According to Jeney, recurring arguments are often a sign of ineffective conflict resolution from one or both parties.” But when you and/or your partner avoid the conflict, she says tension is more covert.
Here are a few other signs of conflict she and marriage and family therapist Amelia Flynn, LMFT, say will let you know it’s high time to resolve the issue:
Conversations around a certain topic feel very tense.
Sharing feelings about the issue under the guise of a joke.
Inability to discuss the issue calmly or shutting down quickly.
Your peace of mind and/or the relationship is suffering.
The unresolved issue is affecting how you function in other areas of your life.
It takes you and your partner a long time to recover after discussing the conflict.
Only discussing certain topics when you and/or your partner are intoxicated.
Flynn explains that while it can be difficult to determine another person’s personal limits or boundaries in conflict, abusive behavior should always be avoided entirely. That includes physical violation, intimidation or psychological manipulation, and escalating verbal conflict that includes excessive name-calling, belittling, or threatening language.
As you communicate, keep Cheema’s recommendation in mind: Focus on the specific facts and behaviors that led to the conflict rather than the personality differences that naturally exist between people. You might derail the conversation otherwise.
Conflict isn’t always a clear-cut situation where everyone is aware of their role in the matter. That’s why Margolis suggests you assume positive intent.
“Frequently, conflict arises when someone rubs you the wrong way, and they aren’t even aware that they did something to hurt or negatively impact you,” says Margolis. Rather than add to your stress by assuming malicious intent and blocking the pathways of open communication, she says it’s important to keep an open mindset.
Emotional intelligence is critical to the success of conflict resolution, according to Ulysse. As an HR professional, she ensures all employees are trained on the four key components of emotional intelligence, which are:
Self-awareness
Social awareness
Self-management
Relationship management
“Once employees master [these components], they can resist the feeling of anger or anxiety [from not] understanding or simply not knowing what the core issue is with the other party or themselves.”
In turn, she says they’re able to look at the situation or conflict from a more understanding perspective.
Jeney says successful conflict resolution requires both parties to be self-aware of their frustrations and anger, as well as clear on what change they need from the other person. It also helps significantly when you can both empathize with each other and take accountability for your behavior, even if you have different perspectives of the conflict.
For successful conflict resolution, both parties need to be de-escalated, which Jeney explains is when you’re not in a fight-or-flight mode or ego stance.
Until then, don’t force the conversation, says Cheema. Instead, wait until everyone can talk in a calm and professional manner, not to mention respectful. “And if tensions start to rise, take a break—either for a few minutes or even for a few days—until you can regroup with more clarity and objectivity.”
Strategies for resolving conflict in a relationship.
Particularly in romantic relationships, Flynn points out that conflict resolution also involves the management of endless problems—because according to renowned relationship researchers John Gottman, Ph.D., and Julie Gottman, Ph.D., almost 70% of marital conflict centers around perpetual, unsolvable problems.
The resolution, then, is in the management of the problem or dispute rather than a conventional solution. Here’s how you can reduce relationship conflict:
1. Understand your own emotions.
Being able to manage yourself and your emotions is vital to healthy conflict resolution, says Flynn. But this is challenged when conflicts trigger strong emotions we sometimes don’t understand or know how to navigate.
We respond to conflict “from a subjective place not solely based on facts,” she says, adding that our culture and values provide context that affects how we see and assess it. Counseling can be a great place to better understand how your background and past experiences are affecting how you respond to conflict.
“Learning about yourself is the key to starting the process of resolving conflicts with others,” adds Jeney, who says that conflict often happens when we recreate similar patterns in our relationships from childhood. And sometimes, “we don’t even realize we’re projecting our expectations from past unmet needs.”
To effectively manage conflict, Flynn says you have to be comfortable with the inevitable uncomfortable feelings that arise. Working on your tolerance for stress and ability to self-soothe amid conflict will help you push through in a productive way and empower you to have self-control.
3. Share the complaint, not the criticism.
Sometimes trying to communicate about an issue takes a turn from complaint to criticism, according to licensed marriage and family therapist Linda Carroll, M.S., LMFT. For example, you might mean to say, “I’d really appreciate you helping me with the dishes more often,” but what comes out is, “Can you stop being lazy and help out for once?”
“A criticism is an attack on a person’s character, while a complaint is a request for change in a person’s behavior,” she writes at mbg. A complaint is descriptive and specific, she says, and it avoids words such as “always” and “never.” Because this open-minded and blameless communication “includes an invitation to brainstorm about alternatives,” it helps your partner be open to working together and less likely to react defensively.
4. Don’t try to be right.
Resolution isn’t about who’s right or wrong, reminds Flynn. It’s about compromising and sacrificing some wants to find the best path forward. “In any relationship, you are on a team—remember the goal is for the betterment of the team, not just yourself as an individual.”
5. Show each other mutual respect.
In tense or angry moments where you and your partner aren’t hearing each other, you might feel so strongly about your issue that you forget theirs is just as important and you throw productive communication right out the window and resort to immature tactics.
“Mutual respect is crucial to healthy communication skills and thus healthy conflict resolution,” says Flynn. “Respect means, ‘I value your opinion and equity in this relationship even when that may be difficult,'” which will allow more room for reconciliation to occur.
6. Create a safe environment for open communication.
Accessing emotions that foster safety—such as vulnerability, compassion, and empathy—can be tough when you and your partner can’t see eye to eye in a conflict. However, they’re absolutely necessary to achieve conflict resolution that allows both of you to feel seen and heard.
Here are a few ways Carroll says you can create a safe, welcoming environment that encourages you to communicate openly:
Be aware of your emotions and body language.
Check in with your partner about the right moment to resolve the conflict, and don’t rush reconciliation.
Lead the conversation positively by reassuring your partner of your commitment to working together, and maintain a balanced tone and approach.
Be open to your partner’s point of view just like you want them to be open to yours.
Be present as you listen to your partner’s grievances. “Reflect your partner’s words back to them, and let them know you understand their point of view (and that it matters).”
Hurting the people we love sucks—but it’s even worse not to own up to it and take accountability, which is a critical conflict resolution skill. Consider what you contributed to the conflict, and be honest about your missteps.
“You may feel innocent in causing the altercation but perhaps threw some darts that escalated the turmoil. Repair begins with an apology for your part in it, even if you think you’re only responsible for 2% of what happened,” couples’ counselor and sex therapist Deborah J. Fox, MSW, writes.
When you’re ready to apologize to your partner, Fox suggests being genuine and vulnerable, and reminds that “a true apology comes without an explanation.”
Strategies for resolving conflict in the workplace:
1. Know that conflict is normal.
First and foremost, Margolis says the key to conflict resolution is simply expecting it and knowing it’ll happen—because any time you put two people in the same space together, it’s inevitable that conflict will eventually arise.
2. Create a solid conflict resolution policy.
When larger businesses experience conflict in the workplace, Ulysse recommends they attend conflict management training and ensure a conflict resolution policy is in place.
For smaller companies that can’t yet invest in training, she says to create a solid policy with specific guidelines for everyone’s role in a conflict, across all staff levels. (See the Society for Human Resource Management for help!)
Ulysse notes that conflict resolution in the workplace ensures employees and departments can work well together without hostility or bitterness. Plus, both sides can have their unique perspectives heard.
3. Pick the right battle.
“Ironically, not all conflict needs to be resolved,” says Margolis. Before you decide to approach someone at work about a conflict, decide first if you need to fight this battle. The person you’re conflicted with may be an “equal opportunity offender” who frequently stirs up trouble. Margolis suggests asking yourself if the current conflict warrants planning and a difficult discussion, or if it’s best to wait until an impactful incident occurs.
To pick the right conflicts to resolve, evaluate the conflict objectively. Ask yourself four important questions:
What happens if you lose this battle, and how many people will be affected?
What long-term difference will winning this battle make?
If you don’t fight this battle, will you be able to live with yourself?
Will moving on negatively affect your or your team’s work performance?
Realistically, of course, deciding to leave a conflict unresolved doesn’t always come with the peace of mind you need to actually move on. If you’re struggling to disengage from an issue that’s not being resolved to your satisfaction, identify new ways to move forward in ways that serve your individual goals—whether that’s transitioning to a new team or location, finding a new job, or agreeing to disagree.
If you do decide to move forward with a conflict resolution process, pay attention to timing and workplace politics. Calculate whether the timing of crisis resolution is appropriate—because if the other person is experiencing other difficulties in their personal life or at work, Margolis says, “they may not have the emotional or mental bandwidth for a discussion.” If you try to address an issue when not everyone is available to fully engage, you could even worsen the conflict.
5. Pick the right setting.
Once you decide to move forward, Margolis’ do’s and don’ts about the proper conversation format are simple:
Do address the issue privately, either in person or over the phone or Zoom.
Don’t do it via text or email. Body language and vocal tone are critical when resolving conflict, and these mediums eliminate tone and nuance.
6. Ensure everyone is OK.
How can conflict resolution meet everyone’s needs? While there’s no 100% success rate guarantee, there are a few ways to enable an outcome that addresses both your needs.
First, remember you and the other person are on the same team—rather than opponents, you can be allies against the conflict. Presumably, you both want to have a peaceful, friendly, and productive work environment. Once you can acknowledge that shared goal, find common areas of agreement and objectives that also align with organizational goals.
From there, here are a few problem-solving strategies to employ:
Define the problem and acknowledge underlying needs.
Brainstorm a variety of possible solutions that welcome everyone’s perspective.
Reality test the options to ensure they’re actionable and accommodating.
Decide next steps.
Finally, check in with each other. Is anyone passive-aggressively agreeing, or did everyone take a deep, relieving breath? It’s important that all involved parties have their needs met to some degree, so work together to set up achievable expectations that’ll foster balanced resolution.
7. Prioritize intentional listening and hearing.
Because you can easily do the former without the latter, Cheema explains that while listening is crucial, it’s important to distinguish it from hearing.
One way Cheema says you can ensure you understand the situation during conflict resolution is to repeat back what someone says and then ask if you got it right. If not, have them help you clarify. With the right understanding, you can create (and follow through with) an action plan that outlines what a successful resolution will look like.
As you listen, Margolis says to do so without interruption, and by maintaining eye contact and managing your facial expressions. “Despite your desire to set the record straight, if the other person shares something you disagree with, let them finish.”
8. Know when to walk away.
Does the person you’re in conflict with not listen to you? Do they refuse to see your perspective? Are they only in it to win? Do they avoid you and your attempt to have a conversation at all costs?
If you’ve made a few attempts to resolve the conflict but the other person isn’t responsive or willing, Margolis says that’s a cue to throw in the towel and walk away. But don’t see this as giving up. Successful conflict resolution requires two open people who are ready to listen and learn.
If walking away isn’t possible—because this person is your superior or someone you work very closely with, for example—seek an HR professional or outside mediator. A third party who’s equipped to investigate the situation and guide resolution can help determine each person’s responsibilities along the best path forward.
And besides helping you hold each other accountable in resolution, a mediator can advise preventive conflict resolution strategies for the future.
Conflict is necessary and can be a healthy part of any relationship, says Flynn, whether romantic, professional, or otherwise. Despite the discomfort, it presents opportunities for growth and increased trust in relationships.
However, learning resolution takes a lot of time, patience, and realistic expectations, so give yourself and the other person grace along the way. Although relationships may always experience conflict, Jeney says you’ll find healing and peace if all parties involved are committed to working on themselves plus your projections and insecurities, and learning how to effectively communicate them.
