There's a pressing need for conflict resolution training

David Woods, 08 October 2008

More than half of the UK workforce haven’t had training in the effective management of conflict – despite the fact conflict costs British business £24 billion each year.

According to research from business psychology firm OPP and the CIPD, more than nine out of 10 HR professionals (94%) said they have to deal with conflict regularly, spending 3.4 hours a week dealing with disagreements among employees.

More than two thirds (68%) of managers have had no formal training in conflict resolution but two thirds (66%) of HR personnel, who had coaching or training on conflict management, believe it helped them achieve positive outcomes when disagreements arose in their workplace.

More than half of those who have been trained (56%) think it helped them see the perspective of both parties during a disagreement and 46% believe it helped them support people to perform better in their current jobs.

Linda Holbeche, director of research and policy at the CIPD, said: "Managers must be able to identify the early signs of conflict and intervene and defuse situations before they escalate if teams are to work productively and harmoniously.

"Just as important, managers must learn to manage in a way that does not create conflict by providing clear objectives, communicating effectively and planning and managing individual and team workloads appropriately."