Cheri Baker over at The Enlightened Manager has a post with great information on dealing with conflict at work: Eight Steps for Workplace Confrontations. The post 
outlines easy to follow steps to help you deal with the conflict situation gracefully, and the probing questions also help you think through the process to ensure you're addressing the right problem at the right time for the right reasons. Here's an excerpt:
One of the challenging things about working in a team environment is that there are times when people behave in ways that we find unproductive, offensive, or hurtful. When we ignore these feelings the relationship can suffer as our resentment festers. Yet fear at confronting others can prevent us from taking positive action. Today's post contains a checklist you can use to determine if a confrontation is appropriate, and if so, how to move forward.
Step One: Ask yourself if the "problem" is a pattern or simply a one-time issue. Sometimes we see the people around us behaving poorly in a repetitive way. Sometimes the behavior is a surprise. If the situation you wish to confront someone on is a one-time thing, not a pattern, ask yourself if a confrontation is really necessary. We all have bad days. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
Step Two: If you have determined you want to move ahead, ask yourself what your reasoning is. Are you confronting the person because your feelings are hurt? Because you are concerned about them? Because you are concerned about the customer? Chances are you may have multiple motivations. But take the time to get crystal clear about your own motives. Sometimes we "say" that we are confronting someone because we are worried about the project, or the customer, but it is really about our own feelings. Step up and own your own motives.
Read the rest here:
http://blog.emergenceconsulting.net/2008/03/eight-steps-for.html?cid=119386496
Definitely worth the read as the realistic and honest approach in the steps force you to think through a conflict situation and allow you to plan your approach and response. Note also that these steps would work well in dealing with personal conflicts as well. Thanks to Cheri for sharing these great tips!
Originally posted at Raven's Brain v1.0. Posting here for completeness.
Tags: Personal Growth, Personal Development, Handling Conflict, Workplace Confrontations
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