Team conflict and resolution is one of the most challenging part of managing a virtual assistant team. You have two things against you. First, you are operating from multiple locations thereby making communication issues inevitable. You are also operating with a multicultural workforce, thereby there are sensitivities to watch out for. But whatever the possible problems and complications, one thing is for sure, a quick effective resolution of conflicts is a must, if you want your business to grow sustainably. We have here a three-step process that can help you manage conflicts better and get your organisation on the same page ASAP.

Accept conflict as part of life

Conflict is not something that should be avoided. In fact, it must be welcomed because it can make virtual assistant teams stronger, smarter, and mature. If you have a growing business you need to understand that conflict is inevitable. Depending on how well you are able to resolve issues, conflict can contribute to the longevity and sustainability of your business.

Many organisations try to sweep disagreements under the rug. But this can backfire and can be the cause for the whole team to collapse and for the business to lose momentum and die. Your attitude towards conflict will reflect on how your teams deal with it – if they see it as a situation that will tear them apart, or an opportunity to make them more resilient.

The next time conflict surfaces, the first step is to always acknowledge it and face it head-on.

Clarify the conflicting positions

The worst mistake leaders make in the process of conflict resolutions is to take the sides of people. Positions need to be cleared out. If there are factions already in the team, each faction’s position should be singled out. Doing this will make the resolution more objective. It also creates distance between the identified “sides” and the people that support each side. It must be clear that everybody in the team has an equal say on things. How they perceive a situation must be heard out, each one’s opinion is valuable.

As the positions are cleared out, discussing the surrounding issues at hand become easier. If one group says email marketing is better, for example, while the other says social media should get most of the marketing spend, each position should be processed by both groups, carefully going over their individual justifications.

The objective here is to get to the bottom of things, to get everybody’s take on the problem, and to have everyone involved in coming to terms with facts or figures that should end the debate once and for all.

Go back to what matters

Conflict always come with heightened emotions. When emotions are high, anger and pride is almost always part of the equation. In dealing with conflict, it is best to remind the team that while they have their qualms about the situation and against each other, the desire to be proven right is always about how to help the business achieve its goals.

It is only when people are reunited with the reason why they even try so hard to be right that they will realize why they and the other side argue so much. Getting back to this common ground can help teams go back to what really matters.

Conflict resolution is only successful if the team agrees that the company and its goals are more important than their personal and emotional issues. Unless this is cleared inside virtual assistant teams, the resolution will always fail with the same issues resurfacing in the future again and again.