Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble” (John 16:33). If your career is anything like mine, that trouble includes dealing with conflict and wrongdoing at work!
The big question is, as Christians in the workplace, how are we to respond when the inevitable conflicts arise, and coworkers do wrong? How can we be part of the solution instead of the problem?
As soon as Jesus issued the warning that we would have trouble, he went on to say, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus overcame evil, and because of our relationship with Him, we also have the power to overcome evil.
The apostle Paul expressed a similar sentiment with a warning and a solution in his letter to the Romans, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
The warning from Paul is that we should anticipate evil in our lives. The solution for Christians dealing with conflict and wrongdoing at work is to overcome it with good.
In his book, Workplace Discipleship 101, author David Gill describes the basic stance of the Christian overcomer.
Approach with Exhortation not Accusation
Christians have a reputation for being judgmental and self-righteous. It is a reputation that, sometimes, is well-deserved. I don’t know about you, but I was never a fan of someone who pointed their accusing finger at me, telling me how wrong I was. Even if they were right, I didn’t like it or respond well.
Instead of pointing our bony finger of accusation, the Christian overcomer should try exhortation instead. Exhortation is an invitation to a conversation in which a concern is shared humbly yet honestly.
I am much more open to someone who approaches me sharing a concern as they open an encouraging yet corrective dialogue.
Jesus told the disciples they needed to be prepared to confront wrongdoing. The benefit, Jesus said, is that if they listen to you, you will have won them over.
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15)
Jesus, Himself was not bashful about correcting bad behavior or wrongdoing, but in nearly every case, His approach was exhortation, not an accusation.
Correct and Redeem
When dealing with conflict or bad behavior, the temptation is to crush the offender in the vise grips of correction then polish them off with a big helping of revenge.
That’s the temptation of the natural man, but Jesus directs us to take a different path. Jesus said we are not to repay evil with evil or take revenge but to do right and leave room for God to act.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone…Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:17-19).
Our goal as an overcomer is not to simply crush evil and punish the wrongdoer, but to correct bad behavior and redeem the individual. Solomon gave us a good way to approach correcting and redeeming when he said,
“The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness” (Proverbs 16:21).
So, the overcoming Christian needs to be discerning as they take time to diagnose the situation, offer correction, and persuade the offender to change their behavior.
Look for Organizational Causes
So, the Christian overcomer begins by approaching a situation that requires corrective action with exhortation rather than accusation. Our goal is not to crush the offender and exact revenge but rather to correct and redeem the offender.
With that in mind, we now must turn our attention to the organization itself. Conflict and wrongdoing in the workplace are often attributable to organizational issues.
Are there systems and processes that enable or even encourage bad behavior? Are customer complaints the result of sales goals set so high that employees are tempted to mislead customers to close a deal? Are cost controls on the production floor so tight that quality control suffers? Are complaints of sexual harassment the result of locker room talk and off-color jokes that are tolerated?
There are many ways organizational culture can enable or even encourage conflict and bad behavior among employees. The Christian overcomer begins by examining organization controls, processes, and systems to see if they are contributing factors that need to be addressed.
The Christian overcomer must look beyond individual instances of conflict and bad behavior and address contributing underlying situations.
More Articles
I have written several articles on exhortation. You can find them by typing “exhortation” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are some of my favorites.
- #112: A Warning of Judgment from God for all Wannabe Leaders
- #111: 4 Types of Leaders Who Rejected God and Failed
- #029: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How have you dealt with conflict and bad behavior in the workplace? Was your approach successful or not?
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Relationships | Exhortation
We always tried to correct improper behavior in a positive way in the police department. We examined our department culture, and how we may have unwittingly contributed to the problem. But then, sometimes the problem was the employee, and after positive reinforcement and remedial training, the only tool left was progressive discipline and sometimes letting the employee go. Never fun, but one dark heart can become a cancer in an organization.
I think culture is a contributing factor more often than most leaders care to admit! It’s easy to blame the individual, but stronger leaders who have the courage to also consider the organizational factors are worth their weight in gold.