CONFLICT RESOLUTION
By Anna Garleff - Founder of Garleff Coaching and Consulting Group (GCCG) | The Seeking Veritas Business and Leadership Column is an ongoing collaborative project between SG Productions & GCCG
Written by Anna Garleff for Seeking Veritas on Substack as part of our collaborative partnership with GCCG
Many people in contemporary workplaces feel that, on the whole, there is a lot of conflict avoidance and ‘sugar-coating’ going on; that despite efforts toward ‘radical candor’, that it doesn’t always happen. Many employees feel the need to self-edit to avoid negative stereotypes, and remark on the perception that Canadians generally are ‘not straight-shooters’.
I’ll draw on some research I conducted recently to illustrate the concept of conflict resolution - how it’s perceived, and well … how to do it.
It’s been noted that: “Canadians hedge, couch, pass out gold stars for politeness ... and this is subterfuge, meant to look like consideration.” I’ve heard several frank comments along these lines: “Radical candor sure works easier top-down than bottom-up. It’s difficult within power dynamics.” One interviewee commented: “We say we have radical candor, but we still pick and choose who to do that with. It’s not really practiced outside of our team.” (Garleff 2017)
Critical social psychology attempts to identify how individual identity and a sense of self develop within a complex social matrix. Our relationships with others are embedded in culture, which influences not only what we experience — but how. Even our thoughts and feelings are permeated and constrained by the organization of the society in which we live (Billig 1987).
Human history is characterized by power inequities maintained by different forms of particular social practices and beliefs which undergo constant change and development. Especially in culturally complex organizations, ‘doing conflict’ is even less straightforward. One interviewee explained: “Conflict? We have not learned to deal with that. We just avoid the person because we don’t want to be labelled racist if we don’t like the difference they are emanating.” And from another perspective: “I’ve never worked in a non-white environment. I don’t want to put my foot in it.” And yet another aspect: “What are the ethics of precarious employment? How are people getting paid? Contract or permanent hire — that is going to affect how candid you are actually going to be.” (Garleff 2017)
Present behaviours therefore need to be understood in terms of past events, current power matrices, and innate personality constructs. It would be of great benefit for organizations to explore personality as part of its staff training, insofar as it takes the long view of assessment: providing insight into more successful working relationships by understanding individuals’ motivations, communications styles, blind spots, and preferences.
In fact, an expanded repertoire of cultural representations does not necessarily mean they have superseded previous ones because contemporary ideologies may encompass traditional views. Both Canadians and new immigrants are renowned for being conflict avoidant — and many new employees are still figuring out what this unique corporate culture looks and feels like.
Complacency is a comfortable place to sit, and easy to fall back into, whereas growth requires everyone to become somewhat uncomfortable — hence, courageous — and that is what ‘radical candor’ is all about. However, cautionary tale: pulling people out of their comfort zones without adequate, systematic training, infrastructure and policies, can lead to the opposite of what is intended.
About the Author: Anna Garleff is an Organizational Psychologist and Executive Coaching. She works with C-Suite clients around the world, focusing on scaling up and leading diverse teams through Garleff Coaching & Consulting Group. She has been a ghostwriter for KPMG, Deloitte and PwC; and a former Director of the Open University (UK) operations in Germany.
You can contact Anna at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/garleff-coaching-consulting-group/
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