In many companies today, teams no longer share offices. Instead, screens unite them, even though they may be thousands of kilometers apart. For distributed companies, colleagues' voices are heard through microphones and faces are revealed via pixels. The absence of physical proximity can create many challenges. Conflict resolution in this "virtual" (but very real) world is undoubtedly one of them.
Remote jobs: “do you understand me?”
Physical distance can create misunderstandings and barriers to rapid conflict resolution, for a number of reasons:
Limited non-verbal signals
At a distance, non-verbal signals are inherently less well perceived. Yet facial expressions, intonation and body language tell us a great deal about the exact meaning of the message being conveyed. They are natural complements to language, underlining the meaning of the conversation. Their absence can therefore lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings.
Difficulties in establishing a personal connection
How do you establish a real relationship with your colleagues when, after all, you hardly ever see them physically? This is one of the big questions for people who work from home. Face-to-face interactions, informal exchanges at the coffee machine, all contribute to building strong bonds and strengthening connections on a daily basis. If team members don't know each other well enough, don't know how to anticipate each other's reactions and decipher each other's behavior, this can make it more difficult to resolve potential conflicts.
No boundaries between professional and personal life
In the remote working environment, spatial and temporal boundaries can become blurred. This is an essential point to guard against, if you are to avoid a merging of work and private life. If this is not the case, there is a risk that personal problems will colonize the workplace. Team dynamics can be affected. Conflict management and resolution could become more difficult.
Cultural and linguistic barriers
This is one of the great strengths of online jobs. They enable companies to recruit the best talent from all over the world. At the same time, linguistic and cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations due to differing norms, values or expectations. This can pave the way for conflicts to arise without a possible cause being apparent (at least at first sight).
Seeking solutions
It's almost a truism to say that good communication is the key to managing and resolving conflict. When it comes to remote working, this is perhaps even truer.
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Transparency and clarity
When teams are dispersed, individual and collective objectives need to be explicitly communicated. This also applies to the roles and responsibilities of individual team members. This can be done via shared documents or the use of project management platforms. Transparency also fosters trust. Everyone should feel free to ask questions and seek clarification if necessary.
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Organizing regular meetings
Taking stock at regular intervals is a must. Regular meetings will enable you to discuss the progress of tasks, obstacles encountered and plan the next steps to be taken. Informal conversations are also to be encouraged. It is often through them that a solution to a problem is found. This is also the case in the event of conflict. Last but not least, it is essential to create communication channels that are open and accessible to all, so that misunderstandings or differences of opinion can be quickly resolved.
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Cultural awareness
As seen above, cultural differences can be the source of misunderstandings. As a result, it's a good idea for team members to share moments of discovery about each other's culture and professional practices in each other's countries. First and foremost, this will smooth out any potential misunderstandings. It will also bring them closer, leading to more effective communication.
Managing and resolving conflicts in remote work environments undoubtedly poses specific challenges. But physical distance is not necessarily synonymous with relational distance. Ultimately, it is also an invitation to invent new ways of building solid links and harmonious communication.