Conflict Resolution

Conflict is a normal and natural part of any workplace. By learning how to constructively resolve conflict, we can turn a potentially challenging situation into an opportunity for creativity and growth.

Sources of Conflict

There are many causes or reasons for conflict in any work setting. Some of the primary causes are the following:

Poor Communication: different communication styles can lead to misunderstandings between different groups of people
Differing Interests and/or Objectives: conflict can occur when two people or groups of people have differing opinions or goals as it relates to a specific topic.
Personality Clashes: all work environments are made up of different personalities. Unless colleagues understand and accept each other’s approach to work and problem-solving, conflict will occur.
Poor Performance: when one or more individuals are not performing - not working up to potential – and this is not addressed, conflict is inevitable.

Addressing Conflict

In general, people utilize a number of ways that can be utilized to address workplace conflict and some are better than others.

Collaboration: working together to find a mutually beneficial solution.
Compromise: finding the middle ground.
Competing: ‘may the best person win’.
Accommodation: surrendering our own needs and wishes to please the other person.
Avoidance: avoiding the conflict or hoping it will go away.

The Gather Approach

At Gather, we believe that either collaboration or compromise are the most productive forms of addressing conflict because there is not a winner or loser, but rather both parties working together for the best possible solution. In resolving conflict, it is important to make sure you do the following:

Clearly articulate the causes of the conflict – openly acknowledging there will be differing perceptions of the problem(s).

Make a clear statement of why you want the conflict resolved and reasons to work on the conflict.
Communication of how you would like the conflict resolved.
Address the issues face-to-face or with video calls when possible -- notes, emails, Slack, and memos are not a productive way to resolve differences as they have the ability to miss specific communication nuances and cues that might be helpful in resolving conflict.
Take time out if necessary. In the resolution of a conflict, sometimes we need to take a moment or a breather before we can revisit the conflict. If this transpires, take a time-out and resume resolving the conflict at another designated time.

Additional Options

If you have attempted to resolve this issue or conflict directly or feel uncomfortable addressing it directly, you can feel free to reach out to anyone on the leadership or core teams (list below) for guidance on potential next steps. Below are some potential escalation paths that might be helpful pending the context surrounding the conflict:
- If the conflict is related to a specific project or client, you can reach out to the client or project lead.

If the conflict exists with a leader (project or client lead) at Gather, you can reach out to another leader on the leadership team, the HR advisor, or directly with Justin Tobin.

If someone reaches out to you about a conflict that is related to work or performance that is outside of your purview, feel free to reach out to the Community Manager or HR Advisor to help you navigate the next steps and determine the appropriate person(s) that need to be involved in resolving the conflict.

Depending on the nature of the conflict, coaching or counseling will be made available to help alleviate the issue.
Begin a mediation process. If all parties agree, a trained mediation facilitator will be found to help move all parties and the community of Gather through the current conflict. If you are interested in learning more about a potential mediation process, please reach out to the HR Advisor.

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