Providing Feedback: Growing a Team From Conflict

 

One of the fundamental tasks managers are accountable for is to provide employees with a safe, productive, and enjoyable work environment. This responsibility can be rewarding in developing team members to increase individual knowledge bases, build skill, and gain experience, which adds to both effectiveness and job satisfaction.  However, when an individual refuses to perform to specified expectations and/or proves to disrupt the workplace, the manager has an additional (and ethical) responsibility to hold said person accountable for his or her actions up to and including termination of employment.

Conflict is not necessarily bad as a means to refine processes and reduce friction; yet when defined as a “mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands”, then conflict may become detrimental to the team (Unknown, 2012). Typical conflict stages include latent, emerging, escalation, stalemate, negotiation, settlement, and post-conflict peace building (Brahm, 2003).

The team relies on the manager to find a way over, around, or through the obstacle whether real or perceived.  Effective managers strive to identify conflict at the earliest possible stages to minimize environmental disruption and damaged relationships. To promote a cohesive work environment, managers establish performance, communicative, and behavioral expectations at the start of employment. According to Harris and Sherblom, “Among the most important communication rules and expectations to be established in small groups are those surrounding conflict management” (Harris & Sherblom, 2008, p. 95). These expectations are explained and agreed upon along with a clear understanding of the company’s conflict resolution process.

Establishing solid expectations allows a team to achieve new heights in both engagment and performance; however, when an employee disregards these human resource policies or performance expectations (especially concerning behaviors that jeopardize the work environment or team), the manager must follow specific guidelines deigned to provide the offending employee the opportunity to correct his or her performance. These opportunities are accompanied by a coaching session and the appropriate performance improvement process (PIP) documentation to the escalation level such as a) verbal counseling, b) notice of concern, c) written warning, d) final written warning (optional in most states), and e) termination of employment.

When PIP is implemented, employees are given specific expectations for improved behavior and clarification as to why these behaviors are necessary. However, when said employee continues displaying confrontational attitudes, which create a hostile work environment the manager is ethically bound to take action. The morale and safety of the team must not be jeopardized because one individual refuses to treat his or her peers with the respect due others in a civilized society, or because said individual declines to perform assigned tasks.

 

No one wants to be the "bad guy", yet managers must consider the negative effect taking no action will have on team members who perform and interact well. Poor behaviors that go unaddressed, like the ripples in a pond, are not only disruptive but have far reaching effects that include decreased morale, productivity, and employee retention. Individuals who interrupt the workplace with unacceptable behavior (e.g. harrassment or unethical conduct), or fail to perform to satisfactory levels must be held accountable.

When the PIP has run its course, the final conversation should cite the original expectations, dates and content of follow up counseling sessions, along with objective data and first hand observations of the undesirable behavior. The manager should at all times model professionalism and ethical conduct and not allow the conversation to degrade in form or escalate to an uncontrollable emotional level. The individual should be treated with respect, to maintain his or her dignity, and not be made to feel the conversation is in anyway personal but based on objective criteria. Should the individual become emotional, short breaks may be allowed to afford the person the opportunity to collect him or herself, without a complete cessation of the process.

Managers should also revisit former agreements made and broken, such as promises of improved behavior or performance along with stipulated measures and time periods during the final interview to establish grounds for termination. Human resource professionals should be consulted prior to this conversation. These actions are completed to protect the manager and organization from wrongful termination lawsuits and to demonstrate that the offending employee has been given every opportunity to alter his or her work habits to remain a viable member of the team.

When these agreements are not kept, and all other options have been exhausted, the team member is terminated receiving any compensation due at the time of dismissal. Termination paperwork and the employee file should be sent to human resources to complete the process. To maintain discipline, morale, and the integrity of the workplace managers have an ethical responsibility to hold disruptive persons (including vendors and contract staff) accountable for actions up to and including termination of employment. 

Reference

Brahm, E. (2003). Conflict stages. Retrieved on October 3, 2012, from: http://www.beyondintractability.org/bi-essay/conflict-stages

Harris, T. E., & Sherblom, J. C. (2008). Small group and team communication (4^th, Ed.). New York; Pearson Education, Inc.

Unknown, (2012). Conflict. Retrieved on October 3, 2012, from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflict