Ep22: Conflict in the Workplace: How Do You Deal with It?

Conflict in the workplace is not necessarily a bad thing. When managed well, it can lead to learning and improve an organization overall. But when conflict is managed poorly or not at all, it makes for a combative environment where people feel disrespected and can’t do their best work. On this episode of Inside the Lab, our hosts Dr. Lotte Mulder and Ms. Kelly Swails are joined by Dr. Karim E. Sirgi, MD, MBA, FCAP, Founder and CEO of Sirgi Consulting and President of the American Pathology Foundation, Dr. Marissa White, MD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Member of the ASCP Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Mr. Paul Chiou, MPH, SCT(ASCP), Faculty at the Department of Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging Sciences at Rutgers University and a 2015 ASCP 40 Under Forty Honoree, to discuss conflict in the workplace. Our panelists share the most common areas of conflict among pathologists and laboratory professionals, and describe how to distinguish between productive and unproductive or even discriminatory conflict. They weigh in on how diversity can both cause conflict and enhance our learning overall, explaining what microaggressions look like and how they compromise a safe working environment. Listen in for Dr. Sirgi, Dr. White, and Mr. Chiou’s insight on the relationship between conflict and burnout and learn what we can do to foster a healthy competition of ideas while resolving unproductive conflict in the workplace. Topics Covered  · How lack of leadership, communication, transparency and trust lead to conflict among pathologists and laboratory professionals· Why conflict in the workplace or learning environment isn’t always a bad thing· Distinguishing between productive conflict and conflict that is unproductive ordiscriminatory· How diversity both causes conflict and enhances our learning overall· What microaggressions look like and how they compromise a safe working environment· Our panelists’ personal experience with conflict in the laboratory workplace and how they resolved the situation· How chronic unresolved conflict impacts our health and causes burnout· Why knowing people as human beings is the best way to facilitate conflict resolution Connect with ASCPASCPASCP on FacebookASCP on InstagramASCP on Twitter Connect with Dr. Sirgi Sirgi ConsultingDr. Sirgi on Twitter Connect with Dr. White Dr. White at Johns Hopkins Connect with Mr. Chiou Mr. Chiou at RutgersMr. Chiou on LinkedIn Connect with Dr. Mulder & Ms. Swails Dr. Mulder on TwitterMs. Swails on Twitter Resources ASCP Diversity and Inclusion ResourcesInside the Lab in the ASCP Store