Making Things Right at Work: Increase Teamwork, Resolve Conflict, and Build Trust

by Gary Chapman, Jennifer M. Thomas, Paul White

Workplace conflict is inevitable. When it happens, how can you get back on track?

Like all relationships, the ones we have at work are subject to stresses—maybe even fractures that can really take a toll on the workplace. Productivity is lost. Time is wasted. Tension mounts. Cooperation is reduced. And the workplace becomes toxic. What’s the solution?

In Making Things Right at Work, Dr. Gary Chapman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages®, is joined by business consultants Dr. Jennifer Thomas and Dr. Paul White to offer the strategies you need to restore harmony at work. You’ll

How to discern the causes of workplace conflictHow to avoid unnecessary disputesHow to repair relationships when you’ve messed upHow to let go of past hurts and rebuild trustDon’t let broken relationships taint your work environment. Take the needed steps to make things right . . . not tomorrow, but today. The success of your career depends on it!

Genres: Nonfiction, Leadership, Psychology

165 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2022

About the author

Gary Demonte Chapman is an American author and radio talk show host. Chapman is most noted for his The Five Love Languages series regarding human relationships.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Chapman's Love Languages concept and this one sort of follows that premise. Basically the importance of understanding peoples difference, communications styles etc. Revolutionary? no. Common sense? mostly. Do people let their emotions overtake them in difficult situations and forget everything? absolutely.

It's always a good reminder that things I think i'm communicating clearly, I just might not be. And that resentment, apologies and anger can be a real thing. I'm lucky to work in non toxic (for me at least) work environment and I have many positive relationships. There are of course always the things to work on, and this gave me a few things worth thinking about.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one for work and it just reminded me to put myself in others' shoes. It's a dry how-to with some real life examples.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors say that the goal of this book is to minimize conflict at work. They acknowledge that conflicts will happen, even in the healthiest of workplaces and even start the book off with common conflicts that happen in the workplace. Some of the conflicts include miscommunication, having different viewpoints or communication styles. They also cover mistakes both intentional and unintentional. And of course, there is the ever popular feeling offended for which there are five languages. Interestingly, if you know the five languages of appreciation, it is often that the person's way of receiving appreciation is the same that they are most easily offended. If you haven't read the five love languages, there is a quick recap of the languages in the second section.
Luckily, the authors include some hints on ways to avoid conflict. Of course, communication is the first up. But the emphasis is on effective communication and there are subcategories for ways to actually be effective.
The third section addresses what in other books is called "The stories we tell ourselves." They talk about the ways that we can clear up misconceptions and ways that we might misperceive others motives or values.
Indirect communication was an interesting issue to me that I haven't seen in other leadership books.The authors highlight it as a symptom of a toxic workplace. Indirect communication includes not saying what you mean, gossiping, going above someone's head: basically, it is any time you don't talk to the person you actually need to address. Any time you do this, you undermine trust which and create more problems.
Other sections talk about deception (even white lies aren't really okay) and making sure that we try to put ourselves in the place of other people.
Of course, they go over what the Seven Guest Service Gold Standards call "Recovery." In this book it's called by its more popular name "apologizing." This is such a big part of making things right at work that there are two long chapters about how to effectively apologize and what to do when an apology isn't enough. There are even parts of an apology outlined (apology languages): expressing regret, accepting responsibility, making restitution, planned change, and asking for forgiveness.
Another section of interest to me was the part about forgiveness or letting things go.
This book would be best for group work rather than self study.

[Mark C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for those in a hurry and trying to rebuild a team's trust. It's a bit light on in-depth content and is derivative of previous work each author has published but it is a solid way to emphasize the steps necessary to heal relationships at work. It is worth the read from my perspective.

[Rick Yvanovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different narrator may have made this more engaging for me.

I also felt too much of an underlying upsell to engage them for their consulting services.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight forward information with practical tools to help sort through challenges. A good refresher.

[Thomas Creedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy one-shot read. An interesting practical little book. Nothing groundbreaking but some useful exercises, checklists and examples. Could imagine using it in a team day setting.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some helpful insight for workplaces -

[Warren Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, but I’d argue, very basic information.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent little book is a wonderful addition to any working professional's library. The three authors draw on their individual strengths in order to present a method for navigating conflict and disparate opinions in your workplace – whether that conflict is with those at, above, or below you in the organizational hierarchy. The suggestions made are practical, empathetic, and useful without being too 'touchy-feely'. My only reservation is that, despite the authors' rebuttals, there are simply some organizations where one's management won't allow productive conversation. I think the methods in this book will always at least help the person trying them out to feel that they are doing their part, and to minimize agitation and direct conflict, but it won't necessarily work to completely change the workplace environment in some cases. Also, I would have loved to see a section about communication involving workers' unions – without this addition, it does feel a bit too inclined toward white collar professionals rather than blue collar.