Articles
Conflict resolution for business

12 aspects helping to detect hidden conflicts in your company

The 12 aspects related to a company's operations are based on my professional experience working with companies of various sizes, their management, and teams.
I strongly believe that these aspects will serve as a practical tool for any manager to identify hidden conflicts or their causes so that one could prevent a company from further internal conflicts that might have a destructive effect on its operations.

1. Engagement and collaboration

Colloquially, we often call this aspect more simply "team spirit." Its significant decline in a team may indicate the problem of a potential conflict. This aspect is one of the most emotionally noticeable, but more difficult to measure.
For prevention purposes, regularly try to return to these questions:
  • Is there any emotional fatigue or even a drop in your team?
  • Are employees less collaborative, less enthusiastic, or less likely to engage in projects than usual?

2. Operational efficiency and workflow

This is a rational and very precisely measurable aspect that, in my opinion, should not be regarded as an immediate indicator of a hidden conflict. Work efficiency may also depend on other aspects of the company's activities, which are often external and driven by global processes (for example, the influence of cooperation partners and suppliers, changes in market demand, the pace of economic development, etc.).
However, these questions for the purpose of identifying conflicts are also worth asking yourself, as they may indicate hidden tensions in the collective:
  • Has workflow experienced regular disruptions?
  • Are projects running behind schedule?
  • Are there obvious barriers preventing efficient operations?

3. Employee attrition

In my experience, unresolved conflicts, or, as I call them, issues swept under the rug, are a direct driver of staff turnover.
Try to dig deeper and see the connections that drive staff turnover by asking yourself these questions:
  • Do you see a higher rate of employee attrition?
  • Are key personnel departing the company, and if so, what could be causing them to do so?

4. Grievances and complaints

Ask your HR colleagues about the dynamics of this aspect and get clear indications of the situation:
  • Are grievances and complaints common in your company?
  • Is there an increasing prevalence of situations in which employees develop resentment?
  • Do employees complain more often than usual?

5. Interpersonal dynamics

This is another aspect of the emotional category that can indicate hidden relationship tensions. Answering these questions will be difficult if you are not cooperating directly with the company's colleagues on a daily basis.
You can ask the heads of departments or teams for help answering these questions:
  • Has the nature of interpersonal dynamics changed in the team?
  • Are there any obvious conflicts, tense relationships, or cliques developing inside the company?

6. Open communication

The unwillingness of employees to share important information or speak openly may indicate distrust and the presence of possible disputes:
  • Is there a lack of openness among employees?
  • Is it difficult for employees to express their opinions and concerns?

7. Gossip and disinformation

Or, in other words, a "toxic environment" can arise both as a result of actions caused by one individual and exist as an unwritten norm of the working environment, which has been formed in the long term. In each case, different actions should be taken to stop the escalation and prevent further escalation.
  • Do employees regularly gossip and engage in disinformation?
  • Are rumours commonplace?
  • Is gossip promoted by a particular employee, or is it a common company culture that characterizes the work environment?

8. Indicators of performance

  • Are the performance indicators constantly declining?
The company's performance indicators may change. However, the constant presence of such significant indicators as customer satisfaction, sales results, and a general drop in productivity is a warning of the presence of potential hidden conflicts.

9. Whistleblowing and anonymous reports

  • Have whistleblower reports reached you?
  • Have you heard anonymous feedback? What have they been about?
Listen to what those around you have to say. Although this can often be seen as an emotional aspect, whistleblowers' reports are a very important signal (perhaps even one of the most significant) that identifies your company's health status. Often, anonymous messages are the only sure way for employees to report existing problems.
Develop and promote processes so that whistleblowing is possible, understandable, and easily accessible to all employees!

10. Common company goals

The actions of employees contrary to the goals set by the company will almost always testify to the presence of hidden conflicts and tense relations in the company.
  • Do you think that there isn’t enough alignment with corporate goals?
  • Do you notice that a particular employee is severely sabotaging the goals set by the company?
  • Are employees undermining the goals and mission of the company?

11. Persistent unresolved problems

  • Do you feel that, despite the efforts to solve them, certain problems or disagreements continue to appear from time to time?

12. Focus group interviews and employee surveys

  • Have you held focus groups or employee surveys to measure employee satisfaction in different aspects of the organisation?
  • If so, what do the findings suggest?
Follow the dynamics of the results of employee surveys in the long term. It is important to think over the questions of such surveys in such a way that they do not change significantly in the long term and that it is possible to track their dynamics.
Structure survey questions so that employees can not only answer with "yes" or "no," but also encourage engagement with open answers.
Anonymity should be an essential characteristic of these surveys. Include issues that concern not only satisfaction with the organisation as a whole but also the assessment of the direct management of employees and the assessment of cooperation with other departments.
In order to successfully identify conflicts in the company and address all the above-mentioned aspects of the company's activities, the manager must regularly and openly evaluate not only the team but also himself.
It will be easier to achieve an assessment of your personal impact with the involvement of a mentor. But for the structured identification of further problems and a precisely developed plan to eliminate existing conflicts and prevent the emergence or further escalation of conflicts, a professional business mediation expert will help.
2024-01-08 17:17