How To Resolve Conflict in the Workplace

We invest a significant amount of time and energy at work, whether in the office or working virtually (a much more common occurrence in the current pandemic climate and, in some cases, here to stay). We all desire to be in a role where we can express our gifts and talents to their fullest and reap the reward of our investment. If this were the only component to being successful and enjoying our work, the world of work would be much simpler to navigate. 

The workplace gets complicated when we bring together various personalities and their accompanying behavioral expressions. These differences, ideally, are to be used to reach established goals and not the reverse—disrupting the workplace by creating barriers, negative relationship dynamics, frustrations, inefficiencies, low productivity, and contributing toward a higher turnover rate. So how do we prevent these adverse outcomes and resolve conflict in the workplace?

The DiSC® workplace profile offers a starting point by creating a path for knowing ourselves, identifying our differences, their impact, and setting reasonable expectations of one another. Each user will learn their style and how the styles of their team members might influence them. The team building will explore how comfortable people are in making decisions; if the individual works better in a team or alone; how they receive, adapt, and manage change; and how analytical, precise, systematic, and private they are. 

Communication is a key focus in DiSC Training. Identifying various communication styles, the best avenues for approaching one another, providing feedback effectively, and understanding the behaviors evident under stress empower individuals to better manage communication in the work environment. 

The DiSC® profile provides employees with information that enables them to manage the work environment in the most beneficial manner possible by creating, maintaining, or improving relationships. In addition, the profile’s effectiveness is not limited to specific teams or departments. Every staff member on every level can participate and gain insight into themselves and others. 

Team members who have engaged in this process report a significantly higher understanding and believe they can respond more effectively to their coworkers. By sharing what each person values, their priorities, what motivates them, how they react under stress, and learning effective communication styles for addressing those with different profiles, individuals can build a more cohesive and productive team. This process also contributes toward team members recognizing the value other members bring to the team, enabling the organization to achieve organizational goals. 

The DiSC® profile provides a practical resource and is appropriately used between two people, within a department, or across departments. All levels of staff can benefit, whether those on leadership teams, front-line customer service, sales group, or everything in between. When unhealthy conflict is present or communication consistently breaks down, it is possible to quickly get to the heart of the matter and provide resources for moving forward more constructively by using the DiSC® approach. 

The excellent news, engaging in the DiSC® team building event is an enjoyable undertaking for team members and can positively impact the work environment. The organization can repeatedly draw from the DiSC® workplace profile as a resource to influence the work environment in productive and healthy ways. 

Learn more about DiSC Training.

Written by: Amy White, LPC, at the Counseling and Wellness Center of Pittsburgh. Amy was also educated as a DiSC® trainer by Dr. Mimi Hull of Hull and Associates and has been using the DiSC® profile for over twenty years to help organizations improve their hiring process, build strong teams, and facilitate communication and conflict management among staff and leadership.