With a workforce as diverse as the federal government’s, there are bound to be varying conflict management styles.
Differing opinions, alternate goals, and interpersonal disagreements are an unavoidable part of the workplace. Misunderstanding or the inability to manage conflict can be costly. There’s the wasted time addressing it, lost productivity, employee turnover, absenteeism and health costs, poor decision making and lack of relationships. Positive relationships built on trust allow people to get work done quicker and more creatively.
But that doesn’t mean that conflict has to be something that stresses you out or impedes organizational progress. By learning how you act in conflict, your conflict management styles, and as well as how your peers react, you can better navigate disagreements.
When teams thoughtfully approach conflict, they can often come to agreements that are more beneficial than any one person’s idea or objective. Plus, you can use conflict as a way to learn about your peers – what they want, how they think, and how you can better work with them.
Take GovLoop’s quiz to learn all about your conflict style. Then use these cheat sheets to understand what your conflict style means for you, as well as how to navigate interpersonal conflict with other personalities.
