Once the groundwork has been laid, it is important to look at the root causes of the conflict.

One way to do this is through simple verbal investigation. This involves continuously asking “Why?” to get to the root of the problem. An example:

• I was very upset when Sharon vetoed my idea at the meeting.
• Why <were you upset>?
• I felt that my idea had real value and she didn’t listen to what I had to say.
• Why <didn’t she listen to what you had to say>?
• She has been with the company for a lot longer than I have and I feel that she doesn’t respect me.

Now we have progressed from a single isolated incident to the root cause of the incident itself (and probably many more past and future incidents). Resolving this root cause will provide greater value and satisfaction to all involved.

Paying attention to the wording of the root cause is important, too.

• Watch out for vague verbs.
• Try to keep emotions out of the problem statements.