Disagreements between partners occur in any company. When people work together for a long time, disagreement becomes inevitable. If the differences are not well handled, however, the career of those involved is seriously affected, as well as the productivity of the business as a whole. With this in mind, today we decided to show you how to deal with disagreements between business partners.

Distance the people involved so that they can calm down

Distancing those involved in the conflict is the first step to solving the problem. In some situations, discussions can become real physical assaults – and we want to avoid this. Therefore, as soon as you identify the existence of toxic arguments that will not lead anywhere, intervene in order to mediate, or even with the sole purpose of ending them.

The distance we refer to, in general, is verbal, when just a request for “calm down” is enough. In more extreme cases, however, the members of the dispute must be physically separated. After all, those who are not involved can better see that the discussion has taken unexpected turns and that tempers are already high.

Talk separately with those involved

Once the conflict is interrupted, trying to collectively understand what happened may not be as effective. Emotions are still very high and people will get worked up at any word the other says. For this reason, it is better to talk to the parties separately, listening to each individual without generating further clashes.

Listen to everything that each person has to say, in a respectful and non-judgemental way. This makes it easier to see the situation as a whole and act in a fairer way. In addition, another idea is to wait a few minutes after the discussion to start such conversations: first, instruct those involved to drink some water and stop for a while to calm down. In this way, thoughts will be clearer and more organised when there is time to explain.

Invest in good communication with partners in conflict

Maintaining a healthy dialogue should be an obvious tip, but, unfortunately, many people still have a lot of difficulties communicating well – in fact, that’s exactly why conflicts start. Therefore, besides serving as a prophylactic measure, good communication is also an attitude that prevents confrontations between colleagues.

Good communication can be built with a few behavioural tips:

● listen to what people have to say;
● always try to be flexible;
● avoid ambiguity, using clear and direct language;
● argue by showing empathy – try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes;
● indicate solutions and agreements to the conflict.

With these guidelines, you mediate the situation in a healthier way.

Investigate the causes of the conflict

Investigating the causes of workplace conflicts is also a relevant action, because this way it is possible to find the root of the problem in order to close it. It is necessary to evaluate the behaviour of those involved, to understand if the confrontations are personal or just professional.

Interpret the posture of the conflicting parties, listen to them carefully, and analyse the facts with empathy. All this is important to understand the reason for the discussion. It is worth remembering, however, that – except in more serious cases, such as harassment or aggression – the intention here is not to find a guilty party or someone to penalise. Conflicts are part of human relationships, so it takes assertiveness, welcoming, and professionalism to resolve them.

Seek to establish an agreement between the conflicting parties

Now that you have managed to calm tempers, know the causes of the latent conflict, and have communicated with the stakeholders, it’s time to seek a harmonious solution or an agreement for the specific case. Usually, agreements are necessary when there are disagreements about the service itself, and it is important to emphasise that the decision should not be made unilaterally by you, but from the mutual collaboration of the partners in disagreements.

Encourage direct feedback

To lead the conversation together, a good idea is to encourage a feedback format. Guide those involved to explain their points of view, their annoyances and problems about the other in a professional, respectful, non-insulting and non-offensive manner.

Ask them to try to explain the situation on good grounds, not just with personal criticism and judgements. Also encourage them to listen and try to practise empathy. This is especially effective when the reasons for the conflicts are only professional.

Hire a company specialised in partnership disputes

Now that you already know several ways to avoid and also put an end to disagreements, it is essential that you hire a corporate litigation lawyer specialised in conflict management.

Look for a company such as Mishoura that can provide reliable corporate litigation lawyers/law firms that are renowned in the area, for corporate behavioural training and improvement of organisational performance.