Conflict - Avoidance or Management ?

This week the CIPD issued their latest report on Managing Conflict in the Workplace.  (The report can be seen <here>.)

There are a number of very interesting observations in the report which shows that between 2007 (when their previous survey was completed) and 2010 most respondents are saying that there have been sharp rises in the use of disciplinary action, grievance procedures and the use of mediation measures.  The data also shows significant rise in the time taken to prepare Line Managers to handle conflict situations and time taken by HR professionals in helping to troubleshoot in conflict situations.

It is perhaps not entirely surprising that these results coincide with one of the most difficult trading periods that most companies have seen for more than a generation.  The requirement to tighten belts in many organisations has lead to reduced tolerance of poor performance (and corresponding rise in disciplinary action) and also many a hastily implemented organisational change leading to unhappy employees and a rise in grievances.

One very interesting point of note is organisations suggesting an increase of "vexatious claims", people adding on a (false) accusation of discrimination in order to strengthen their grievance or tribunal claim and there is, in fact, little to stop employees doing this and potentially large benefits to be gained if a tribunal can be convinced to find in their favour.  There are strong parallels in Lord Young's report "Common Sense - Common Safety" issued last year in which he suggested a link between the rise in "No Win - No Fee" type litigation as being a driver for more and more companies and organisations to hide behind Health and Safety red tape.

Lord Young's executive summary states "Today accident victims are given the impression that they may be entitled to handsome rewards just for making a claim regardless of any personal responsibility – adding to a real sense that we live in an increasingly litigious society."

The CIPD report also discusses arbitration as a measure to help manage workplace conflict and whilst this has a place I believe that the report focuses too heavily on retrospective measures.....things to be done AFTER a conflict has arisen.  What can companies do to AVOID conflict ?  Even in difficult times, the likelihood of conflict within an organisation becoming a significant issue can be minimised by good leadership that includes active employee communication and engagement.  I do not suggest that good leaders can turn bad news into good, but they can ensure that the impact of bad news is effectively managed such that the negative impact is controlled and minimised.

Are your managers ready for this challenge ?