Managing Conflicts Or Disagreements On A Remote Team!

As understood in PMP Course online

• work relationships may easily become a source of conflict or irritation, particularly as a project progresses through its life cycle. That's why learning how to handle differences, if not outright clashes, can be extremely beneficial to a remote team's performance.

Workplace Conflict Isn’t A New Thing

It may seem contradictory, but workplace conflict isn't a new phenomenon in the COVID-19 age. According to one research from 2019, 28 per cent of those polled have quit a job due to workplace strife.

That's a sobering figure, as it implies many failures among individuals in charge of those businesses and sectors. However, one good lesson is that because this is such a pervasive problem, experts have been exploring — and sharing information on — it in a way that can be applied to any type of collaborative endeavour.

You will almost certainly be in circumstances as a project manager where individuals will approach you with complaints or grievances. These issues might be presented as issues with their own processes, timetables, or responsibilities. However, in many circumstances, this will need the addition of another team member. One bad side effect of this is that when you discuss one person's grievances with another, there's always the risk that it may come across as a personal assault on their person, work ethic, or other characteristics. (While each employee complaint should be treated carefully, there are situations when the issue is far more serious.) In certain cases, taking a neutral posture and respecting the privacy of the team members is very vital.)

Although no two workplace issues are the same, you should follow the same strategy to deal with them. Having a consistent strategy can assist speed the process, whether you're looking into scheduling issues or dealing with arguments on a remote team.

Strategies For Resolving Disagreements

As understood in PMP Course online - the way you approach the individuals involved in the problem, whether it's an explicit "disagreement" or an issue that indirectly impacts a second person, is a good place to start. Start by concentrating on the behaviours or impediments that are the root of the issue when approaching both persons involved &mdash, and you should contact them directly.

"Every time you say or do (insert gripe here)..." may appear to be a logical place to begin the conversation. However, if you generalise your view, it may come out as a personal assault rather than a query about a previous circumstance. The more detailed you can be, the more chance the individual has of isolating the behaviour or incident in the issue. You should also ask a lot of follow-up questions to ensure that you grasp each party's issues and their viewpoint on the problem. The more information you can elicit from them, the more likely you are to arrive to a satisfactory solution...even if it requires asking difficult questions.

In fact, it's one of the most successful strategies to deal with workplace disputes. You'll be able to arrange the topic in a way that provides common ground that everyone can agree on once you grasp both sides of the argument. As both sides strive toward a settlement, this offers a purpose to work for and also re-establishes a sense of teamwork.

Conflict Resolution For Remote Teams

As a project manager, you may already have the majority of the skills — or prior experience — you'll need to deal with a disagreement and assist everyone involved move on. But it's not nearly time to kick back and relax after you've reached that point.

It's time to step back from the discussion and come up with a strategy once you've spoken with both sides and helped them grasp the underlying issues. This is significant for two reasons: first, It tracks progress toward the agreed-upon conclusion and assists both parties in avoiding future or reoccurring problems. Perhaps you need to reorganise the individual’s involver’s duties, modify deadlines or even consider rotating team members. In remote work contexts, where connections might feel impersonal or isolated, these "next steps" are even more critical.

Want to learn more about the same? Enrol in project management courses online today.

Richard Pierce An expert in Pmi and Iiba Certifications.