Five Conflict-Winning Strategies from the CEO's Playbook

As the former US president Ronald Reagan used to say:

"Peace is not the absence of conflict. but the ability to handle conflict with peaceful means."

Conflict is something so inducted to our daily life that numbers can speak the truth by their own:

👀 85% of employees experience conflict in the workplace.

👀 Not even an action is taken in response to any conflict in 20% of the employees included.

👀 The average couple has one conflict a week

👀 Only about 25% of people discuss the issue with the other person involved in the conflict.

👀 And over 50% of all employees discuss with their manager, HR or union representative directly about their conflict prior trying to resolve it.

👀 Managers spend from 25% of their time to 40% of it on dealing with conflict.

👀 Non dealing with conflicts costs to U.S. companies an estimated 359 billion dollars annually!

Leadership in conflict resolution requires a profound understanding of various conflict resolution strategies, and the discernment to apply the appropriate technique in different scenarios. Is a Leader-must to know how to handle the different conflict resolution strategies highlighting emotional intelligence, patience, and the ability to remain impartial while facilitating dialogue between conflicting parties. Let's dive into those strategies alongside with an example of them.

The 5 Conflict Resolution Strategies

Either as a CEO or as a normal person like us, you will be part of conflict situations either as a conflict partner or as a conflict "referee". On both cases, you should seek for resolving the conflict, gaining the maximum outcome out of it for every side. The following 5 strategies is all you need to know, to not only survive a conflict but to come out of it stronger, having achieved your desired outcome.

No.1 : Avoidance

You should use avoidance as a strategy, in case you are facing up to a minor conflict, such as, one that could be forgotten by time. That handling mode focuses on ignoring the main interests of the disputants, using indirect means or postpones/neglects reference to the issues itself in dispute.

Example of using Avoidance in Conflict Resolution:
Imagine a small marketing firm where two team members, Alice and Bob, frequently clash over their differing approaches to project management, where Alice is more process driven and Bob acts more flexibly adjusting to changes based on circumstances.
Instead of addressing the conflict head-on, their leader decides to use avoidance as a strategy. She does this, by reassigning Alice and Bob to different projects where their paths rarely cross, but keeps them looped in exchanging perspectives in order to bridge their gaps.

No.2 : Accommodation

Effective strategy to use, if what one side has to lose is significantly smaller compared to what the other side does.
When using it, the one party neglects the interests of the subject to win the other party. Keep in mind that, whoever chooses this way to resolve a conflict, aims to win at a certain point of the conflict and is not willing to sacrifice the personal relationship with the other side. Summing up, is a matter of sacrifice your own needs or goals for the sake of harmony.

Example of using Customisation/Arrangement in Conflict Resolution:
When you pitch an idea for a future project in a meeting, and one of your colleagues says they believe it will have a negative impact, you could resolve the conflict by rescinding your original thought or ask for exploring further/other spaces for implementation.

No.3 : Competing

Effective strategy to implement, in case an immediate decision making and action is needed. The competing style is best used when you care more about winning the disagreement than maintaining the relationship with the other parties. 
During its implementation, the one side is trying to satisfy its own goals, harming the other side, usually defeating it, with arguments, threats, or even by violence acting at extreme times.

Example of using Competitiveness in Conflict Resolution
In a sales company, two top sales representatives, David and Lisa, frequently clash over territory and client assignments. Both are highly ambitious and driven, resulting in a competitive atmosphere that sometimes turns hostile.
Their leader, Tom, recognises the potential to harness their competitive nature in a positive way.
To resolve the conflict and boost overall performance, Tom decides to use competition as a strategy. He implements a competition plan between them, setting up a sales competition with clear rules and incentives.
Tom organises team-based challenges, too. He pairs David and Lisa with other team members to work on specific sales projects, ensuring that sales metrics and standings are updated regularly and displayed transparently.
Throughout the competition, Tom provides regular feedback and support to both David and Lisa. He encourages them to share strategies and learn from each other’s successes and setbacks.

No. 4: Compromise

Best use in cases where time and desire are absent from both parties. This strategy mainly represents partial satisfaction of both parties, through a middle position that represents some sacrifices from both parties. Note, though, that there is a chance that both sides will lose.
Compromising can also be helpful when the parties have equal power and similar goals.

Example of using Compromise
In a advertising agency, two team members, John and Alice, are in conflict over the direction of a new marketing campaign. To resolve the conflict, their leader, Emma, decides to facilitate a compromise. She organises a meeting with John and Sarah to discuss their perspectives and find common ground.
Main attributes to be fostered during those meetings are the open discussion of both sides, identifying common goals and space to work with, defining lead roles and responsibilities of both sides. The main point of compromising plan should be to let both sides lead a different objective and the other should support it.

No.5 : Collaboration

Do both parties have spare time to devote to the conflict and maturity is the main attribute of their relationship? DO not even think about another strategy. Collaboration is a bulls-eye, as the most effective conflict resolution strategy about that kind of conflicts.
Main goal of it is to provide a mutual solution to the problem. A collaborative approach aligns with the process of interest-based or integrative bargaining, which leads parties to seek win-win solutions. Both parties, firstly, inform each other about their goals, and after it, they work together to achieve optimum solution for both.

Example of using Collaboration
During a contract negotiation case, a salesperson and client may work together to negotiate contract terms until both parties find it agreeable. Although, those kind of situations can cross the line very easily.
By using a collaborative approach, a leader could invite both parties, firstly, to openly discuss their concerns and perspectives on the terms of the contract. After that, could help them identify their common goal and a mutual approach to follow, hosting a brief brainstorming meeting. Eventually, both parties could agree on a number of the brainstorming outcome ideas and work them a little bit further together, aiming to agree on some of them and disagree on other, combining the knowledge taken by those and finally agree on a final consolidated contract solution.

Conclusion

Successfully managing conflicts not only prevents escalation but also strengthens trust and collaboration among parties. Emphasising a solution-oriented approach and maintaining respect throughout the process can transform conflicts into opportunities for growth and improved relationships. Ultimately, skilled conflict resolution leader contributes to people personal development and organisational success.