Resolving Interpersonal Conflicts

Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable since people have to interact with one another when they communicate. However, they may not necessarily be a bad thing. When managed appropriately, these conflicts could strengthen relationships, leading to deeper understanding and mutual respect between the parties involved. In the workplace context, productivity could even increase when the working relationships are positive and healthy.

The interpersonal conflict I am going to share, like many others, is caused by lack of communication. Eddie, a graduate student and Stella, a laboratory assistant worked in a tissue engineering laboratory. Stella was in charge of the administrative matters in the laboratory and had to help Eddie in conducting of the experiments for his project.

One morning, Eddie informed Stella that she had to help him to perform some experiment procedures at 10am and 1pm as he had a meeting during that time. He emphasized that those were the best timings to get the optimal readings from the experiment. However, at 10am, Stella was away on some administrative matters. Not knowing where Stella was, Eddie performed the experiment and missed his meeting. When Stella returned, he approached her.

   Eddie: I've done the experiment, where were you just now? I can't find you.

   Stella: Collecting the kits John had ordered. (It was part of Stella's administrative work)

   Eddie (in a stern tone): You could have informed me. The experiment was really important, you know?

   Stella (seems annoyed): Ok.
 

Eddie noticed Stella's change in her non-verbal expression decided to leave her alone and left.

This was a conflict I witnessed in the laboratory and it jeopardized their work since the project required them to work closely together.

The conflict was caused by the untimely arrival of John’s kit which Stella was obliged to handle as it was part of her job scope. She could have forgotten to inform Eddie about it or she might have felt that she would have sufficient time to get back to perform the experiment at 10. I feel that this conflict could have been resolved or even avoided if both Eddie and Stella could show more empathy to each other. Although Eddie’s work was important, he could have said with a smile, “Could you please inform me next time if you have last minute urgent matters to attend to? It’s so tough on you to have so much work to handle.” This may give Stella the feeling that Eddie was not blaming her but trying to work out a better way to avoid such situations in future. Similarly, Stella could have told Eddie in an apologetic tone that she was sorry but the delivery of the kit came unexpectedly.

When Eddie noticed Stella’s annoyance, he was right to avoid an escalated conflict by walking away. However, this might not be the best solution to resolve this conflict since they always have to work hand-in-hand. What would you propose to resolve such a situation at work?