One aspect of entrepreneurship that’s rarely discussed is how to handle conflict as your business grows. In the early stages of entrepreneurship, you can have your hands in every aspect of the business because it was just you or a small team.
However, as businesses grow and more people join the team, conflict becomes inevitable. The more personalities you add to your team, the more likely you are to have friction. And, if friction isn’t addressed appropriately, it can quickly have an impact on the quality of the service or product you offer.
The more team members you add, the more difficult it becomes for a single point of contact to handle conflicts as they arise. This is why it’s important to build repeatable systems for conflict resolution.
1. Frame Systems
The early stages for most business owners require a bit of trial and error. As your organization and team grow, it can be challenging to align certain job titles with specific roles. Sometimes, team members are asked or expected to do things that aren’t necessarily in their job description.
This is often where we see friction in young organizations. The idea is to get your team to buy into the process of making the company run like a well-oiled machine. When one person is out, it’s up to the others to take up their slack.
The Goal: Constantly review who is doing what and have systems in place to ensure all responsibilities are being met across the organization.
For example, if cleanliness is an issue, having an end-of-day checklist for everyone can help mitigate the problem.
2. Stop Being the “Judge & Jury” For Every Disagreement
It’s not uncommon for the owner to be the immediate point of contact when there’s an issue. Especially during the early stages of the business when the team is small. However, as the organization grows, having to stop and address every minor dispute will ruin your productivity and lead to burnout.
The Goal: You must shift from solving issues to facilitating self-resolution.
If you have the capacity, implement a 3-step escalation process.
a. Direct conversations between staff members using a defined script/framework.
b. Peer intervention if unresolved after 24 hours.
c. Owner/Management intervenes if a resolution hasn’t been met.
3. Establish Clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
When an organization has ambiguous rules, it often leads to conflict. If two team members have different views on how something should be handled, it sets the tone for a clash over expectations.
The Goal: Eliminate ambiguity by documenting standard procedures for common friction areas.
As stated earlier, the early stage of business requires a bit of trial and error. Even though you may have standard rules or systems in place beforehand, sometimes unforeseen events happen that present an opportunity to add a new SOP.
4. Training and Development
Once your business reaches the point where you have others in leadership positions, they must be given the tools and resources to lead effectively. Sometimes new managers avoid conflict and tough conversations because it’s uncomfortable, and the problem comes when they wait until the issue becomes toxic and people start reacting unprofessionally.
The Goal: Teach your managers/leaders to have the foresight and courage to address issues before they reach a boiling point.
Implement ongoing training for leaders where they can learn how to give direct and empathetic feedback as soon as they perceive an issue.
5. Normalize “Repair” in High-Stress Environments
Some professions can be physically and/or emotionally exhausting. In environments where stress can spike easily, it’s not uncommon for team members to occasionally lose their cool or make mistakes under pressure.
The Goal: Teach your team that conflict isn’t always failure; however, failing to repair afterwards is.
It is important to create an environment where quick apologies and debriefs are a part of the culture. Leaders should be at the forefront of creating this environment. They must be willing to openly admit their own mistakes and set the example they expect the rest of the team to follow.
Conclusion
Conflict resolution isn’t about having a “nice personality”; it’s an operational workflow. By building clear communication protocols and establishing standard procedures, owners can step out of daily drama and focus on growing their business.
For nearly 20 years, Apex Virtual Solutions has been helping founders identify operational hurdles, create strong workflows, and build systems that support growth. If ongoing conflicts have been staggering the growth of your organization, give us a call.
