Here are three commonly asked questions with suggested answer about conflict in the workplace and the ability of the interviewee to handle these situations.
1. How do you cope with conflict in the workplace?
I try to anticipate conflict and take steps to resolve this at the earliest possible stage as I know that most of the conflicts can be resolved with just reaching out the people involved and communicating tactfully. However, the fact that there can be a conflict doesn’t mean that you have to not put off making a decision or any activity to avoid conflicts. It is important to be aware to the fact that sometimes there can be conflict in a team for any reason, such as – tension, personality clash, ego, jealousy and frustration and the best bet for you as a team leader is to take the position of a mediator listening to both sides and coming to (suggesting) a solution to the best interest of the organization.
2. Are there any times where you had a conflict with a superior? If yes, how did you handle it and resolve it?
Yes, my past has been involved in some conflicts. Not major ones, however there were some situations wherein a disagreement led to conflict which had to be resolved. From those experiences, I have noticed that the main reason behind the occurrence of a conflict is because of the failure to see the situation’s both sides. Hence, I had to ask the person to present his perspective before me and at the same time I ask him to permit me to explain my perspective fully. That is the point where I would make an effort to work with the person for the sake of finding out if there are any chances for a compromise to be reached. If this was not possible, I would settle down to their decision as they were my superiors. Ultimately, you have to give into the directives of your superiors, even if you eel you are right.
3. Dealing with conflict? Give an instance wherein you had to settle a conflict between two individuals.
In my team, there were two colleagues whose relationship deteriorated to such an extent that the atmosphere they created was terrible. They were far away from resolving it themselves, hence I decided if I could do something about it. Calming them down and taking out the heat from the situation was my first and foremost aim. Thereafter, I arranged for a three-way meeting later in the day in a meeting room away from the section in the hope that there would not be any disturbance. I ensured that I was the in charge all the time of the discussion of the issues and that the aim was to arrive at an agreeable positive way of moving ahead or a compromise. It is very necessary to understand every person’s feelings and standpoints, without having the need to agree with them. It wasn’t that easy at first as both of them just tried to prove themselves right. However, I put my diplomatic skills into the picture and made them realize that there was no future in the present situation and that the only possible solution visible was a compromise. About an hour later, with a shaky compromise, we left the room. However, I ensured that whenever they had to face similar situation, the first thing that would do is to be more civil and later on, be friendlier towards each other in time. The result, I saw an atmosphere of ease and then a normal and work friendly environment.
