The A.C.E. Principle: A smarter way to manage workplace conflict
We all know ACE from cards and tennis. But did you know that in Latin, as means “a unit” or “unity”?
At Manage the Conflict, we developed The A.C.E. Principle as a strategic method to manage conflicts in the workplace. Combined with behavioral profiling, the A.C.E. Principle empowers leaders and teams to address and resolve tensions more effectively.
Why the A.C.E. Principle?
Workplace conflict is common — and costly. It’s more than just an HR issue; it’s a significant financial challenge for organizations of every size.
One of the biggest casualties of workplace conflict: Staff turnover. Recruiting a new employee can cost the equivalent of six months' salary, not to mention indirect expenses: recruitment agencies, onboarding, training, and lost productivity. According to the CPP Global Human Capital Report (2008)
$359 billion is lost annually due to unresolved conflict.
74% of HR leaders reported increased conflict due to reduced work-from-home policies.
72% of organizations lack a formal conflict management or resolution policy.
What fuels workplace conflict?
We all carry our own cultural frameworks: family, organizational, national, religious. But in professional settings, particularly when diversity is encouraged, many feel they must leave their true selves at the door. This means, they cannot behave authentically, this inevitably leads to conflict.
At its core, conflict happens when one person has a need of another and that need isn’t being met.
This can translate in many different ways which make conflicts arise:
Differing communication styles
Competing priorities
Personal stress bleeding into work
Ambiguous Leadership
Cultural Misalignments
Personality Clashes
When conflict arises, it is natural for us to get emotional. That’s not a bad thing: it’s human. There is nothing wrong with getting emotional about something which is either in conflict with our cultural norms, behaviors or with our beliefs and values. However, where things go terribly wrong is when we cannot regulate these emotions and we react to the conflict rather than respond to them.
Organizational impact of unresolved conflict
Here’s how conflict plays out in an organization:
Low morale
Absenteeism
Increased resignations
More mental health days
Decreased productivity
Poor customer service
Stress leave Damaged reputation
Warning Signs
If your teams are unhappy, disengaged, or you’re losing your best people: you’ve got a problem. And that problem won’t resolve itself. Left unchecked, it can destroy productivity and drive-up costs through recruitment, training, and reputational loss.
How do I really understand the problems in my organization?
1. Conduct Exit interviews
Sounds simple, right?
You can ensure that every staff member who departs does has an exit interview. I can confirm however, that I have resigned from positions in my professional life and where I have not had an exit interview. Exit interviews are not only for the HR department to account for. Sometimes, the departing staff member simply does not show up on the last days, week of employment simply because they are already “checked-out” or are so unhappy with their situation that they are just over it, or they do not comfortable to share this information.
It is also important not to have an exit interview too soon after resignation as the departing employee might feel at risk for sharing the truth.
2. Run an audit
Just like there are financial audits, it is possible to have different types of audits: happiness audits, wellbeing audits, risk audits etc. These are conducted by specially prepared questionnaires which are responded to anonymously by the staff – all the staff. Running an audit of your staff is great if you are unaware of the problem or what the problem actually is. It is also important to note that once you run this audit, you must be prepared for what it has to say and also be prepared to do something about it. Inaction here would be further detrimental to the staff morale and also to your leadership.
But be warned:
Only run an audit if you're ready to act on the results.
Do-nothing damages trust even more.
3. Actively address what you find
If you know what’s hurting your people, start healing. Seek guidance and advice from your HR. Refine what the best ways to work, assist and motivate your employees again. But do something!
After the audit: what do I do next?
Like with all audits, once you have identified where fixes are required, it is vital to address these. Do nothing is not an option. Your credibility as a leader is at stake. Trust from your employees is at stake. They are expecting you to do something.
Depending on what the challenges are, and be prepared that there may be several challenges, then look at what is the most urgent to fix. Work with your leadership team to see how you will manage the fixes in short, medium to long term. Often fixes come in the form of training, upskilling and providing tools to manage whatever the problems are. Often also, if the audit questionnaire has been well developed, the staff will let you know what training they require or what skills or tools they think they require.
Ignoring the results undermines your leadership and breaks employee trust.
Ask yourself:
What training is urgently needed?
What’s our training budget?
What outcomes are realistic, given how long the issues have been festering?
Can we train everyone, or do we need to stagger sessions?
Do we need in-person or virtual training?
Will the training be a one-off or ongoing?
Will it produce tangible, usable outcomes?
Choose the right training provider and set your teams up for success.
What happens after training?
What happens post-training is going to depend on the outcomes that you are seeking and how you and your leadership team want to manage it. It is advisable to consult together and with the training organization on how best to monitor and ensure that the training is applied. Therefore, you’ll need champions within the teams and at leadership. It is best to monitor the situation on a quarterly basis, conduct six-monthly surveys and basically, consider doing it the old fashion way. Walk around, talk and engage with the employees.
Take time to feel your way through the various teams, floors, departments. Take time to get to know the employees, even when you feel there are too many to cover in a week or a month and too many names to remember. They will remember and trust me, so will you.
You’ll need:
Internal champions
Quarterly reviews
Biannual staff surveys
Regular, old-school engagement: walking around and talking to people
The power of human connection is real. Even a simple conversation builds trust.
Here are some outcomes following conflict management training.
According to Pollack Peace building Systems (2008):
41% reported improved employee understanding
33% saw stronger relationships
21% noted higher team performance
18% experienced boosted motivation
In a Nutshell
A business is just a building until your people bring it to life. Your people are your greatest asset — your professional family
Hear the whispers before the roar.
