"Open Mouth, Close Career?" by Michael Warshaw Fast Company, December 1998 issue, pages 240-251 by Mary Krentz

Imagine for a moment, what would the perfect workplace be like? Employees would always agree. Conflict never occurred among co-workers. Unfortunately, it is rare to find such a workplace. Have you ever wondered how to address problems or issues at work that no one wants to talk about? How do you stick out you neck without getting your head chopped off? Michael Warshaw, answers these questions as he provides an intriguing look at techniques for confronting workplace conflict head on.

People don't like conflict. In fact, many will avoid it at all costs. Problems at work are often ignored for long periods of time because nobody wants to speak up. People need to stop ignoring a problem and instead become part of its solution, explains Dan Oestreich, co-author of "The Courageous Messenger: How to Successfully Speak Up at Work" and "Driving Fear Out of the Workplace: Creating the High-Trust, High-Performance Organization." Oestreich offers advice on four steps to take toward being an effective messenger.

First it is essential to clearly identify the problem. This will help you to properly convey the intended message. Force people to think outside their comfort zone. If you clearly explain your motivation, people will better understand your reason for bringing up a problem; thus, they will have a reason to care.

Second, carefully consider if you want to be the messenger. Ask yourself, where is the source of the fear? Weighing out the risks involved will help you determine if speaking up will come with risks or rewards. "If you conclude that the wise thing to do is not to go forward-because, say, you don't believe the payoff is big enough-that's fine," Oestreich says. "The big problem comes when people let their fear of speaking up prevent them from even confronting an issue." After reading this article, several people shared similar experiences where problems often go unadvised for years and years. This of course was due to the fact that no one wanted to go out on a limb for fear of losing his or her job or being labeled a complainer.

The third step is to meet face-to-face with the person who needs to hear your message. When meeting the person who needs to hear your message, don't waste time. Be direct with your message. Oestreich believes that within the first minute of the face-to-face meeting you should explain your message. It is important that you make your point and stop. The listener should be given immediate time to react. If the listener isn't given time to process the information they are more likely to cut off the conversation because they can't deal with it. One of my colleagues that read this article plans to confront her boss face-to-face in the future. In the past she always addressed problems over e-mail. She wasn't successful because often her message was interpreted incorrectly.

The final step is to keep the conversation going. Dealing with unknown reactions is part of being a messenger. It is important to follow through by building support for your message. Reactions are not always negative. You may be surprised to learn that your message may be welcomed and positive changes result. The only time you lose is when you continue to sweep problems under the rug causing more anxiety and unhappiness.

Prior to working for the Extension Service, I worked for a short time in retail management. As the store manager, it was my responsibility to deal with employee issues. Fresh out of college, I lacked the necessary experience and skills to deal with conflict. One particular employee was poisoning the morale of her co-workers. She didn't treat customers properly; therefore, the direct sales of the business were also affected. However, she was liked very much by upper management. I would have dealt with the situation much differently if I had taken Oestreich's advice. Ignoring the problem was the easy thing to do at the time.

I'm sure everyone has a similar story. Is there a problem in your current workplace that needs to be addressed? Creating the perfect workplace starts with you!

-- Anonymous, August 19, 1999

Answers

Conflict in the workplace is both unavoidable and necessary. When conflict becomes excessive it will then lead to a decrease in productivity and a disfunctional workplace. There are a number of books that deal with using conflict productively. Workshops help employees to deal with conflict. However, as you mentioned, we do not like to deal with it in our workplaces.

I have worked for an individual who is unwilling to confront her employees if they are doing something wrong. As a result, the poor behavior continues. Others in the organization see that the boss does not do anything about it, and as a result morale decreases.

Confronting the boss about issues can be a very sticy situtation. Tact is the key as well as honesty.

Nice job. Good writing skills.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 1999