Conflicts in the team and their resolution. Psychological discomfort at work. What in the behavior of employees can signal an impending conflict? Is conflict really that terrible?

Today, situations often arise in teams when there are employees, but there is no team. As a rule, the absence of a team is associated with conflicts between people. The topic of interpersonal relationships is one of the most basic, in my opinion. She needs to devote more time and issues related to the conflict are not resolved very quickly. This is long work for the manager and subordinates. Considering that managers are almost always busy with something more global, they sometimes don’t have time to deal with conflict resolution. In this case, a psychologist or conflict specialist hired from outside will not hurt. But still, let's talk about what a leader can do to prevent conflict or resolve disagreements that have arisen to the benefit of everyone.

Conflicts are felt especially acutely during periods of change, restrictions, and changes in usual conditions. And we live in a time when effective relationships in a team are very valuable, since they directly affect the results of the company.

What is conflict?

The first thing that is important to understand is that conflicts are very useful, you should not be afraid of them. If there is a conflict in a team, it means it is “alive”, people are not indifferent to their activities, and they are most likely interested in maintaining their place, in this case there is a chance to create an effective team. In addition, conflict is an excellent channel for the release of accumulated negativity within each employee. As every psychologist knows, you cannot keep negative emotions to yourself. Of course, it’s better not to pour them all out on the victim, but to “talk” them out, for example, first to a psychologist, but if the employee couldn’t resist, then what to do?
First: minimizing the possibility of conflicts.

In general, the first step towards minimizing conflicts is conscious recruitment. A manager should think about what kind of employees he wants to see next to him. Usually, a person’s character and his behavioral tendencies can be revealed during an interview with the help of all sorts of tests and cases. It is also important to understand during the interview whether the employee supports the goals, values, mission and usual work process of the company, so to speak, whether he is on the same wavelength with it. Find out what the employee’s plans are for his service, what he can offer the company for development? How does he see his work in it? How can it be useful? See if your views on the company’s activities and its future development coincide.

It is also important to familiarize the employee with job responsibilities in detail from the very beginning. Any abstraction in an enterprise can lead to conflict. The more clarity there is in the work, the less likely it is.

Second: overcoming barriers

In my opinion, there are two types: communicative and perception.
Communication barriers include: misunderstanding of the goals of related departments or the goals of employees from these departments, and therefore conjecture of non-existent facts about their activities. People do not have the habit of clarifying and finding out what their colleagues are doing, what problems and tasks they are solving, what difficulties there are, and how they can be useful. As a result, information is distorted during its transmission. Also, internal attitudes towards rivalry are often triggered. People forget that they are working towards a common goal and result. Instead of sitting down at the negotiating table, they compete, argue, and conflict.

Perception barriers mean the inability to listen and hear. This is mainly influenced by the psychological characteristics of colleagues, for example, temperament and thinking. There are business-oriented people, it is important for them to be “quick and to the point,” and there are relationship-oriented people, it is important for them to talk and create a warm atmosphere; these two categories speak “different languages.” If these features are not taken into account, it turns out that everyone's basic needs will remain ignored. Social differences, employee education, differences in vocabulary and vocabulary, and different levels of knowledge about the subject of discussion are also taken into account.
Communication barriers are mainly resolved thanks to the leader. Its task is to explain to everyone who is doing what, to clearly define responsibilities, areas of responsibility, etc., to introduce opportunities for collective communication (planning meetings, meetings, feedback, individual meetings, corporate events), to inspire the team to achieve a common goal and achieve a common result. , and finally - material motivation of employees to achieve the goal.
To overcome perception barriers, the role of subordinates is important - their desire to hear and listen to each other. It appears after overcoming communication barriers, where the leader contributed to this.

Third: neutralization of conflicts

If the first stage has been skipped, the team already exists, the barriers have been worked out, but a conflict has arisen, then first you need to understand whether there is a desire and motivation on the part of the employees to resolve the conflict, whether there is a goal for which these relationships are needed - this prerogative remains with As a leader, he shows his team the importance and effectiveness of positive interactions. His task is to unite and inspire them with a common goal and result.
It is also worth taking into account the individual characteristics of individuals; understanding and acceptance of these characteristics by each member of the team and knowledge of “effective approaches” to one’s colleague, subordinate, or manager is a qualitative basis for the conflict to move from a dead point towards resolution.

There are things that are important for both managers and subordinates. This is the ability to get out of conflict, the so-called “paths of reconciliation”:

Accepting responsibility: apologizing, expressing regret for past behavior, accepting personal responsibility for part of the problem.
- Search for a solution: concessions on a controversial issue, offering a compromise, searching for mutually beneficial solutions.
- Accepting the other person's position: expressing understanding of the other's problems, recognizing the legitimacy of the other's point of view, expressing good feelings, asking for honest feedback.
- Explanation of one’s own motives: disclosure of one’s own needs, thoughts, feelings, motives.

Responsibilities of a manager in the event of a conflict:

Call subordinates for a personal conversation and try to objectively assess the cause of the conflict, hear and take into account the point of view of each of the conflicting parties.
- You can try to organize a dialogue between the conflicting parties with the participation of the manager, where all complaints can be expressed in a civilized manner.
- If the conflict is difficult to neutralize, you can delimit areas of responsibility, goals, resources, responsibilities, etc. conflicting.
- Be sure to give the opportunity to express emotions. This can be done directly, or you can use more creative methods: organize a corporate competition format (paintball, bowling, quests, etc.)
- Have a sense of humor and be able to “mirror” any conflict in a positive way, with a dose of irony and wisdom.

It's no secret that we spend most of our time at work. It’s always a pleasure to be at work when there is friendliness, understanding and mutual assistance in the team.

But this does not always happen; the female team is especially different in this regard. Conflicts, gossip, misunderstandings, and envy can very often arise in it.

It’s difficult to be in such a group, but you have to go to work. Still, it is stupid to change your usual well-paid place of work if relationships with colleagues have not gone well.

1. Always be mentally prepared that you will be loaded with unnecessary information; if you are mistaken in something, they will tell you about it more than once, and perhaps in such a tone as if a person’s life depended on it. Don't take it to heart and be calm! This is the most important rule to follow if you want to survive in a women's group;

2. Not a word about his personal life. Even if they ask you and ask you to tell, just answer that you don’t want to talk about it, that it concerns only you, etc. Otherwise, if everything is good with you, then they will constantly envy you and gossip, and if everything is bad, they will gloat. Don't expect mercy!;

3. Be neutral to everyone. In a women's team there is rarely a friendship “for life”. Therefore, try to treat everyone calmly, coolly, and unemotionally. Nothing should set you off!;

4. If they start discussing someone in front of you, say straight out that it is not nice to talk about a person in his absence, let them call you and say it to their faces. Next time this situation will not happen again;

5. Don’t stand out, because this will cause envy, especially if you are younger, more successful, and your personal life is much better than your colleagues;

6. As for corporate events. Few people want to attend such events if there is discord in the team. But in this case, there is no need to neglect company policy. Go to a corporate party!

This is not a favor, but common courtesy. No dancing or photo shoots “a la childhood friends” are needed. Just sit down, sip a glass of champagne and you can go home: “I promised to visit a friend,” “I need to meet relatives,” and similar excuses will help you.

Article “Women's team. How to Survive” is a recommendation for a woman, but if there is a man in such a team, of course the advice will be different. But, as a rule, men have no complaints about this, they are there like in a flower garden.

"They say that ballerinas in white tutus, in the fight for solo parts, put crushed glass in each other's pointe shoes. They say that cardinals in red cassocks, in the fight for church positions, poured poison into each other's glasses, and sometimes even into cutlets. They say that the ancient Russian princes in the struggle for land plots simply - one! - and gouged out each other's eyes. Also a method. But you're lucky. You are like everyone else. You work in o-fi-se..." - writes Jenny ( http://1tvrus.forum24.ru/)

It is indeed difficult sometimes to imagine how far a person weaving intrigues can go, what meanness he can do in order to achieve his goal - to survive the chosen victim from the collective.

Psychologists have identifiedfive types of "schemers"", who manipulate others using different methods:

An all-knowing worker who tries to think intelligently about everything that happens around him. Many people believe this;

Activist. This type stands by hook or by crook for his own project;

Gray cardinal. This type of people usually stands out not due to their own work quality, but more due to their intrigues;

Prophet. Capable of almost anything for what he considers right;

Privy Councilor (reports to his superiors about everything that happens).

Psychologists believe that intrigues are mostly carried out by not very capable people who have never been able to satisfy their own ambitions, and therefore engage in such an unworthy business. As a rule, the schemer chooses a weaker victim - a single mother, often on sick leave, a person of pre-retirement age or already of retirement age. It may be that the victim occupies a stronger position in the team, but this is quite rare and difficult to explain... Maybe out of sporting interest, or maybe out of envy or revenge.

There is a wide arsenal of methods that are used by schemers in the struggle for power in the team. Here are a few “dirty” methods - typical examples of dishonest behavior:

Slander and rumors - used quite often. The schemer spreads negative information about the “victim.” At the same time, the schemer turns directly or indirectly to some influential person, to the boss of the intended victim. He cantell him the planned negative information, and not necessarily the truth.

Try to be in good relationship with your boss, then your boss will believe your words more. Also, good relationships with colleagues will help you quickly find out who and what is saying bad things about you. Friends are also needed for your defense: they are the ones who will support and protect you.

Blackmail- this is already from the category of crime. The threat to discover and publicize the victim’s “weak point” if the victim does not do what the blackmailer demands. Such an action is perceived as undignified by most normal people. Many managers consider the fact of blackmail a significant reason for dismissing the blackmailer.
There is no need to show others your weaknesses, personal problems and passions unnecessarily, remember - everything can be used against you.

Fake friendship - using a trusting relationship with you to harm you. The schemer ingratiates himself into your trust, and then carefully sets up his networks. More often it looks like this: someone you consider a friend starts a conversation about your boss and provokes unfavorable statements on your part about him, then passes all this on to your boss, often embellishing and exaggerating, and in this situation you look very unworthy and disloyal.

Therefore, try not to succumb to such provocations and do not talk about your weaknesses, personal problems and mistakes. Unfortunately, such “friends” are not so easy to find. Try to find out the motives for the sudden friendship. It's better to appear incredulous. The schemer will actively provoke you into making erroneous actions in order to triumphantly “expose” you at a convenient moment for him.

The schemer plays on emotions- any excitement or emotional tension that arises in a team is an excellent environment for weaving intrigues. More often, the schemer tries to provoke such a situation himself, involving several people in scandals and insults. Control your feelings, do not get involved in the emotional experiences of other people, try to remain neutral. Don't give him any trump cards. Watch your statements, especially in front of people who have a positive attitude towards the schemer. Do not leave your letters or documents unattended, giving him the opportunity to use them against you.

Collect gossip about him. The most effective way, in my opinion, is to hit him with your own weapon. collect gossip about the schemer. Watch his actions, and when he makes a mistake, take advantage of the moment. We must always be on the alert. Remember, the enemy is standing against you without conscience and honor.

Focus on results - If the organization is aimed at real results and each employee has a clearly defined area of responsibility, then intrigue will be almost impossible. Unfortunately, there are situations when an intriguer, having gained the trust of management, will try to shift his duties and responsibilities onto you. If you are lucky and you have an intelligent and professional leader in your boss, then he will try to separate you into different corners and not give you a reason for conflict. However, it happens that for some reason management benefits from such a tense atmosphere in the team. In this case - peace of mindand only peace, as Winnie the Pooh said.

Be better than him. Strive to earn a positive reputation for yourself as a person and as a person.a professional in the team where you work. The more good things your employees and colleagues know about you, the easier it will be for you to prove that you are right.

Define alliances within the team. San Tzu once said: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” If you have already decided who is putting a spoke in your wheels, the next step is to decide who, if necessary, can take your side. Try to get support. And one more thing... avoid the temptation to involve your superiors in your conflict; perhaps your conflict is already quite boring, annoying or beneficial for them.

Avoid direct conflict. And finally, try to take your mind off the conflict and do your job. If they start asking you about the problem, pretend that you have already forgotten about everything and do not hold a grudge. Firstly, the more you remove yourself from the conflict, the faster it will be resolved or forgotten, or perhaps you will be able to lull the intriguer's vigilance.

Usually, they try to smooth out conflict situations as quickly as possible, and bosses who pit staff against each other are considered tyrants. But in rare cases, competition between individual employees, departments, and even divisions of a company brings undeniable benefits to the business, increasing sales or productivity. Rjob found out who benefits from constant stress and how to manage corporate quarrels.

A struggle of ambition or teamwork?

What could be simpler: organize a competition to see which employee will sell the most, produce the most, or solve the problem with minimal costs. Periodically encourage the competitive spirit with praise for the participants. And colleagues will go to great lengths to prove that they are the best and deserve the title of “the very best”: they will achieve maximum revenue, raise personal efficiency to unprecedented heights, and even reduce expenses. And along the way, they will almost certainly consider everyone around them enemies. This is how our psychology works: the one with whom we compete is the enemy, because our goals are opposite.

But in fact, the company has only one goal - to increase profits, which means that all participants in the competition are fighting for the same thing. And in order to use the “butting heads” mechanism with minimal damage, you need to apply it in practice only with those employees and departments that do not depend on each other and do not act together. For example, this can work with regional branches of a large company, distributors or sales managers if they perform the same type of transactions and work with clients of approximately the same size, without needing each other's help.

Igor Mozharovsky
Leading consultant of the STEP Consulting Center

Competitive attitudes among employees of the same team, as well as departments whose activities are interconnected and subordinated to a common goal, often have a negative effect, as they interfere with productive team interaction. Personal victory turns out to be more important than solving a common problem. Competition within a team contributes to organizational conflicts (everyone thinks only about their own task and does not take into account the interests and difficulties of others), shifting responsibility onto colleagues. Teamwork in such cases is replaced by a “struggle of ambition.”

Who benefits from pitting colleagues against each other?

But sometimes it is the “struggle of ambition” that flourishes in a team. Petty squabbles, envy and gossip have nothing to do with the strategy for business prosperity, but even they are beneficial. The method of pitting staff against each other and developing an unhealthy competitive environment is still extremely popular, despite all the research and achievements in the field of team building and co-creation practices.

Constant quarrels between people at work are beneficial to the manager if he is afraid of competition and “being bullied.” If subordinates do not fight with each other, then they will begin to develop, achieve success and climb the career ladder.

Maryam Tkacheva
business coach, expert in the field of corporate culture, communication and communication psychology at the Russian School of Management

The principle of “divide and conquer” is still relevant in our times, but only when it is aimed at external enemies. If a leader uses it in a team, the question involuntarily arises: What goals does he actually pursue? Internal? Or does he still want to increase his own importance and stay in the chair?

When relying on conflict within the team, the boss must be aware that such tactics will only work if higher management evaluates him not by the results of the team’s work, but by other criteria. After all, a team that is constantly at war with itself will definitely not excel in productivity and innovation.

Conflict is an indicator of a full-fledged team

At first glance, a peaceful environment in which you can simply work, without expecting a catch and without worrying about whether you are the best or not, speaks of the stability of the team and the business as a whole. In fact, there are practically no teams without conflicts. Each professional has special experience, his own worldview and values, and favorite ways of interacting and solving problems. This alone suggests that sooner or later the personal characteristics of one will begin to conflict with the characteristics of the other.

Irina Koroleva
project manager for personnel training and assessment at Mango Telecom

Conflicts will always arise. Isaac Adizes believes that they are inevitable - teams are assembled from different people to perform different roles. Conflicts are caused by discrepancies in the values, interests, psychotypes and expectations of different employees. If there are no discrepancies, the team was selected from similar people, which means they will not be able to complement each other.

Revolution is not possible without conflict

Sometimes companies with a strong corporate environment get contradictory people who destroy the system with their mere presence. They enjoy stressful conditions and achieve maximum personal productivity only under time pressure.

“Their motivation is to be first, to win at any cost,” says Irina Koroleva. - Another category of people are anti-crisis managers. These specialists purposefully learned to work in a conflict environment and initiate changes themselves, understanding that they are associated with the discomfort of other people. But it is impossible to change the system otherwise.”

Professionals of this level are indispensable during revolutionary changes in a company, when it is necessary to urgently and effectively introduce new methods of work, ideas, and reach a new level. Igor Mozharovsky notes that it is extremely difficult to carry out large-scale changes without causing a wave of discontent, especially if stagnation and unanimity reign in the organization. “In this case, the introduction of new people, “troublemakers,” says the expert, “will reveal long-standing problems and bring drive and tension to the work. The “old” employees resist as best they can, and an acute conflict develops in the team - a war “for life and death,” including blackmailing management with dismissal. Unfortunately, it happens that new people can’t stand it and leave the company or the transformation program is curtailed. It is important that leaders, when embarking on organizational change, prepare for the risks of the departure of the “old guard,” including the need to take over exposed areas of work. We need to try to create a critical mass of people committed to new approaches and rules of the game.”

How to control conflict

Sometimes, in order to bring a company to a new stage of development, there is no need to artificially create confrontation among team members. It is enough to observe its natural course and direct it in the right direction. After all, the benefit of quarrels in a team is that they help identify systemic errors in the structure of the company.

If a conflict situation arises in a team, it means that its members have disagreements. Are these disagreements positive: do they provide multiple options for solving design problems? Or are they negative: employees strive for opposite goals? Was the problem due to a lack of resources or trust? The answers to these questions will help you understand what is wrong in the company. Perhaps the corporate culture and personnel adaptation system are lame, which is why employees misunderstand the overall goal. Or the HR department made a mistake when forming a team.

And yet, despite the usefulness of such a management tool as conflict, Igor Mozharovsky advises avoiding provoked clashes, because overcoming them requires additional costs - resources, time - and besides, there is always a risk that an artificial conflict will unfold in an unpredictable and unfavorable way .

It often happens that a person appears in a team who causes discord in the relationships between employees. One such internal pest can disrupt the psychological climate in the team, which will negatively affect work efficiency. The portal’s experts shared how to detect and neutralize it and what methods to use to manage personnel quality.

What influences the atmosphere in the team;
How to recognize a pest in a team;
How to neutralize it.

Many personnel quality management specialists try to formulate requirements for the personal qualities of an employee at the stage of selecting candidates for a position. This approach is justified and has its own background, which is now already laid into the foundation of the formation of a working team. Every person working in a team understands the importance of well-established team relationships. Surely, you have encountered situations where one employee creates trouble and disrupts the required rhythm of work of the whole team. He is the main pest of the work process! Special actions are required in relation to it.

What influences the atmosphere in the team?

The personnel of an organization is one of the main resources, along with material support and the authorized capital of the company. For the effective operation of any enterprise, regardless of the direction and nature of the activity, it is important to maintain a healthy team spirit and each employee. However, relationships in a team cannot always be smooth and calm; the notorious human factor is to blame.

A positive psychological climate in a team is one of the factors that affects the efficiency and coherence of work. This has always been the case, but in the conditions of modern economic activity this aspect is becoming increasingly important. This is due to the fact that modern work systems and algorithms mostly require teamwork. In addition, project management is gaining increasing popularity. It is determined not only by quality, but also by deadlines. With this structure of work, an optimally selected team is the key to successful interaction between specialists of various qualifications and timely completion of the project.

The following factors influence the formation of the atmosphere in a team of employees:

Compatibility of team members– a set of psychophysiological, psychological and social factors that, when combined, create a favorable atmosphere in the team. This category includes such indicators as a combination of employee temperament, type of behavior, and age of employees.
Global macro environment– political, economic, cultural and social situation in society, the level of stability, material and psychological well-being of citizens in general.
Local macro environment- corporate culture and values that are accepted and actively promoted in the organization. This factor also includes the size, prestige, reputation of the company, company policies, methods for resolving disputes and conflict situations, the degree of centralization of management and other internal organizational aspects.
Job satisfaction– a psychological factor that determines how interesting the work is to each member of the team. This point includes an extensive list of details - the opportunity for creative expression, professional growth, material and moral motivation, prospects for the future.
Nature of communications– the degree of awareness of employees about each other, the possibility and desire to communicate. As practice shows, cooperation and mutual understanding are built not only on professional contacts, but also on personal relationships. The higher the barrier between colleagues, the greater the likelihood of conflict and contentious situations, misunderstandings and tension.
Management style– one of the fundamental aspects of forming a friendly team. The democratic leadership style, built on constant feedback, is one of the most promising. In contrast, an authoritarian management system generates hostility and wariness, ingratiation on the part of some team members, and mistrust on the part of others.

In a team, it directly affects the work process, therefore, if regular disagreements and tensions arise between colleagues, it is necessary to establish the cause and neutralize the source. That is, to identify the very person who is sowing discord in the team. American scientists Terence Mitchell and Will Felbs, who dealt with issues and problems of working with personnel, called such employees “rotten apples.” According to their research, outlined in the book “How One Black Sheep Can Spoil the Whole Herd,” one such team member can cause enormous harm to the performance of the entire team. Indeed, if a person goes to work as if he were going to hard labor, then there is no time for productivity.

It is not difficult to understand that problems have arisen in a team of employees. A favorable psychological climate is characterized by the following factors:

Optimism, faith in the future;
Feeling of security and comfort;
Pleasant communication, trust and support;
Interpersonal sympathy and attentive attitude;
Openness in communication and freedom of expression;
Support for professional and creative development;
Generalization of goals in achieving results;
No fear of mistakes.

An unfavorable environment has diametrically opposed characteristics, the main of which are secrecy, mistrust, suspicion, high tension and irritability, lack of mutual understanding, support and common goals in the team, and fear of making a mistake. The result of this situation is often staff turnover, low productivity and performance, and constant interpersonal conflicts.

To understand the reasons for this situation, it is often enough to simply see the situation from the inside. To do this, you need to introduce a new person into the team, preferably with a psychological education or extensive experience in working with personnel.

How to recognize a pest in a team

The biggest problem for a team faced with a pest is that most people prefer to endure and not interfere in conflict situations. Evil is initially more active and aggressive. A person’s individual self-defense kicks in - as long as it doesn’t affect him, in this situation there is no longer talk of collective work.

The task of personnel quality management specialists is to promptly identify the “rotten apple” and take measures to neutralize it. There are several types of pests:

Chatterboxes– harmless at first glance employees, distinguished by excessive talkativeness. They collect and distribute information garbage, happily collecting and transmitting all kinds of rumors. Not only do the professional qualities and productivity of such unfortunate workers leave much to be desired, in addition to this, they constantly disrupt the work process and the psychological climate in the team. By enduring gossip, such a person remains as if he had nothing to do with it; after all, he simply told the rumor, but is not its author.
Whiners– pessimists in clinical manifestations. Such workers sow panic and despondency, because everything is always bad and wrong for them, there are no prospects or hopes for the future. It’s easy to identify a whiner - he can talk for hours about how there is nothing good and cannot be, citing a lot of arguments. Such people themselves do not have the desire to solve problems and take responsibility, and they set others up to be pessimistic.
Critics– workers who are subject to critical evaluation of everything and anything. As a rule, such people are distinguished by intelligence, cunning, sarcasm and cynicism. They will not fail to point out everyone’s mistakes, they can skillfully ridicule anyone (most often behind their back), and at the same time they do not forget to show their own achievements.
Gossip- one of the most harmful and difficult to identify types of employees, who, unlike a talker, does not just spread rumors, he creates them and purposefully spreads them. Gossipers are skilled manipulators who know how to find pain points and weaknesses, and then cleverly use their knowledge by playing on emotions. By creating negativity, they pursue a clearly defined goal and gradually denigrate the chosen victim. Gossipers often use talkers and whiners in their behind-the-scenes games, while remaining in the shadows.

How to neutralize it

The choice of preventive measures for a pest depends on the character of the person and the degree of awareness of his actions. As a rule, talkers and whiners often do not set specific goals for themselves; these are simply the properties of their nature. It is enough to talk to such people, shame them, point out to them their negative impact on the team. On the part of the manager, it is worth reminding such employees of personal responsibility, and, if necessary, threatening them with possible sanctions - transfer to a lower-paid position, deprivation of bonuses.

Critics and gossipers are more difficult to deal with, because they deliberately create a tense work environment in pursuit of their goals. At the initial stage, such employees can be threatened, but as practice shows, this is ineffective. Ideally, in order to improve the quality of personnel management, it is better to simply exclude gossipers and critics from the team.