201: Managing Conflict and Promoting Inclusion

Conflicts can be complicated. They can arise from differences in personalities, beliefs, opinions, and expectations; miscommunication, misunderstanding, and confusion; or controversy. It is best practice to work with your admin team to develop a conflict mediation strategy and processes at the start to minimize, manage, and resolve conflicts consistently and constructively. Consider potential conflict situations, agree on the mediation process, and prepare clear responses ahead of time to help your team manage disputes as they arise.

We recommend that you encourage your members to hold each other accountable, and help to monitor and report any arguments to the admin team early so that you can take action to minimise the impact of a conflict situation.

When conflicts do occur, it is best practice for admins to step in quickly to calm the members, ease the tension, and prevent the situation from deteriorating. Consider the following steps when mediating a conflict:

• Remind the members of the community rules – what behavior is unacceptable and the consequences of such behavior;
• Gather information to identify the source or cause of conflict, and understand why the conflict has occurred;
• Listen carefully without judgement and biases to understand each member’s point of view;
• Work with the involved members to resolve the issue, and remind them how they can positively interact with each other.

It is a good idea to adjust group settings to allow only admins to send messages temporarily. This will allow you to control the conversation, and allow the time for the discussion and members to calm down while you consider your next steps.

How to change group privacy settings

A simple misunderstanding can quickly intensify into a full blown argument when members feel threatened or isolated. By reaching out to the members privately, you show them that you care and are here to help. Talking with them individually helps you understand their intention and viewpoint, and helps them realize how they can positively contribute to the community and recover from conflict. Remember that sometimes people need a moment to calm down before talking about what happened and how they feel. Give them time to step back and cool off before discussing the problem.

Explain the rules they may have broken, and take the time to listen to them carefully so that they feel heard and respected. Try to get to the core of the issue so that you can understand their feelings and why the issue arose. Do remember that aggressive people often feel overlooked or undervalued, so be open and empathetic, even when enforcing rules.

However, if mediation isn't working and the members continue to be aggressive, consider removing them from your group and community.

A healthy and thriving community is filled with diverse voices, perspectives, experiences, stories, learnings, and discussions. Use your community rules to inform your members how they are expected to interact with others. This can set the stage for a respectful, inclusive community that welcomes and celebrates differences.

It is important to model the behaviors you wish to see in your community. By ensuring that your admin team has members from various backgrounds who bring different strengths, ideas, and approaches, you can build a strong foundation for diversity and inclusion.

You can promote respectful disagreement and debate without conflict by encouraging understanding and respect for members of different backgrounds and views. Try to create opportunities for members to speak about their experiences, and share their stories or approach to different topics within your community. Learning more about others in the community is a great way to create bonds, and helps members to discover people that they can identify with.

Managing conflicts is stressful and can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. It is important to monitor your own emotional level, and protect yourself from being affected by the negativity. Make sure you are calm and thinking clearly so that you can help resolve problems in the best way possible. If necessary, take a step back and ask your fellow admins for help.

It is a good idea for you to work closely with your admin team to support each other, and share the role of monitoring and managing conflicts in the community. Alert your team when you are dealing with a challenging conflict with difficult members. It is helpful to discuss the situation with your fellow admins to hear other standpoints, discuss potential solutions, and agree on relevant action to take. If you think it makes sense, ask a fellow admin to help you to reach out to the members involved.

You may also benefit from researching strategies and case studies to learn from others who have successfully navigated similar conflicts.