Can you give an example of how you dealt with conflict in the workplace?

STAR INTERVIEW

Can you give an example of how you dealt with conflict in the workplace?

Yes I can. In my previous job as a User Interface team manager, there was one particular work colleague who seemed to dislike me. She was talking about me in my back that I rejects the idea all the time. And expressed her idea is the best in front of the team members. I decided to tackle the situation in a calm manner. However, before I approached her to discuss the situation, I needed to decide what it was I wanted to achieve from the discussion. I understand we can’t always get on with everyone in a work place environment, but the problem with this type of situation is it can be detrimental to the organization as a whole. On that basis, I wanted to first of all try and see if there was anything I was doing that irritated her, before trying to reach a constructive solution to the problem. Once I had determined my goal, I approached her whilst she was on her own and asked her if we could have a private discussion away from other office workers. We sat down in a room away from everyone else and explained my concerns with regards to how I felt she was treating me. I also asked her if there was anything I was doing that irritated her. Her initial reaction was extremely defensive, but I maintained my position and repeated my feelings with regards to how she was treating me in a calm and non-confrontational manner.