Managing Conflict Situations at Work in German – Useful Words and Phrases

A situation that almost none of business German books covers in depth is managing conflict. This is very surprising, as conflicts are the inevitable part of every job that requires cooperation between employees or customers. If managed correctly, conflict can be a source of progress and innovation. But if managed in a wrong way, it can very severely impact the outcomes of any task.

When conflict arises, communication is the key. This is why it is so important to have the right set of vocabulary and phrases to manage it, especially if you are using a foreign language, such as German. Stress and time pressure are difficult enough to manage – not knowing the right words can make things even worse. 

Make sure to master the words and sentences provided in this blog post to face any conflict situation at work with ease, and to convert it into a positive outcome.

How to solve conflict at work – in German

First, let us start with some guidance on how to approach conflict at work. Whatever the source of the misalignment, there are three main strategies to choose from:

• Durchsetzen – asserting – politely and clearly representing one’s position on the issue in question
• Nachgeben – yielding – in the case of minor issues or when clarification through conversation is very difficult, you can consciously adapt to the situation and avoid conflict
• Kompromiss – compromise – in this case the parties involved try to find a common solution

More information about why conflict at work may arise and how to handle it can be found in this article in German.

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Corporate German – vocabulary for managing conflict

In the table below you will find a comprehensive list of words around this exact topic. How many of them do you already know? Of course there is so much more to business German, but this is a good start!

🇬🇧 conflict	🇩🇪 Konflikt
🇬🇧 candid	🇩🇪 ehrlich
🇬🇧 to blame	🇩🇪 beschuldigen
🇬🇧 to be aware	🇩🇪 bewusst sein
🇬🇧 respectful	🇩🇪 respektvoll
🇬🇧 reluctant	🇩🇪 widerstrebend
🇬🇧 an open dialogue	🇩🇪 ein offener Dialog
🇬🇧 to list	🇩🇪 auflisten
🇬🇧 constructive	🇩🇪 konstruktiv
🇬🇧 to collaborate	🇩🇪 zusammenarbeiten
🇬🇧 correctly	🇩🇪 korrekt
🇬🇧 stress	🇩🇪 Stress
🇬🇧 perspective	🇩🇪 Perspektive
🇬🇧 to interrupt	🇩🇪 unterbrechen
🇬🇧 to clarify	🇩🇪 klären
🇬🇧 conclusion	🇩🇪 Schlussfolgerung
🇬🇧 solution	🇩🇪 Lösung
🇬🇧 input	🇩🇪 Eingabe
🇬🇧 correctly	🇩🇪 richtig
🇬🇧 idea	🇩🇪 Idee
🇬🇧 to lead to	🇩🇪 führen zu
🇬🇧 upset	🇩🇪 verärgert
🇬🇧 to yell	🇩🇪 schreien
🇬🇧 progress	🇩🇪 Fortschritt
🇬🇧 to disagree	🇩🇪 nicht zustimmen
🇬🇧 to rephrase	🇩🇪 umformulieren
🇬🇧 to mean	🇩🇪 meinen
🇬🇧 particular	🇩🇪 besonders
🇬🇧 reaction	🇩🇪 Reaktion
🇬🇧 to prevent	🇩🇪 verhindern
🇬🇧 interpretation	🇩🇪 Interpretation
🇬🇧 appropriate	🇩🇪 angemessen
🇬🇧 to speak up	🇩🇪 aussprechen
🇬🇧 to overreact	🇩🇪 überreagieren
🇬🇧 to deal	🇩🇪 zu handeln
🇬🇧 disrespectful	🇩🇪 respektlos
🇬🇧 irrevocable	🇩🇪 endgültig
🇬🇧 rumour	🇩🇪 Gerücht
🇬🇧 harassment	🇩🇪 Belästigung
🇬🇧 gossip	🇩🇪 Klatsch und Tratsch
🇬🇧 opposing	🇩🇪 gegensätzlich
🇬🇧 to be aligned	🇩🇪 gleichgeschaltet sein
🇬🇧 to tolerate	🇩🇪 dulden
🇬🇧 confrontation	🇩🇪 Konfrontation
🇬🇧 cause	🇩🇪 Ursache
🇬🇧 attitude	🇩🇪 Verhalten
🇬🇧 personality	🇩🇪 Persönlichkeit
🇬🇧 unrealistic	🇩🇪 unrealistisch
🇬🇧 passionate	🇩🇪 leidenschaftlich
🇬🇧 transparent	🇩🇪 transparent
🇬🇧 to address	🇩🇪 ansprechen

Wirtschaftsdeutsch – phrases for resolving conflict at work

How about some ready to use sentences to put the vocabulary in practice? Make sure to write them down and keep them at hand for when the need arises!

🇬🇧 Open communication is the first step to conflict resolution.	🇩🇪 Der erste Schritt zur Konfliktlösung ist offene Kommunikation.
🇬🇧 Thank you for being so candid on that.	🇩🇪 Danke, dass du das so offen gesagt hast.
🇬🇧 He constantly blames me for his own mistakes.	🇩🇪 Er gibt mir ständig die Schuld für seine eigenen Fehler.
🇬🇧 I wasn’t aware of this problem. Please explain it to me in more detail.	🇩🇪 Mir war dieses Problem nicht bewusst. Bitte erkläre es mir genauer.
🇬🇧 I would like us to have an honest, respectful discussion.	🇩🇪 Ich möchte, dass wir ein ehrliches, respektvolles Gespräch führen.
🇬🇧 I feel that you are quite reluctant to this idea. I would like to understand why.	🇩🇪 Ich habe das Gefühl, dass du dieser Idee sehr zurückhaltend gegenüber stehst. Ich würde gerne verstehen, warum.
🇬🇧 A mediator can facilitate an open dialogue within the team.	🇩🇪 Ein Mediator kann einen offenen Dialog innerhalb des Teams erleichtern.
🇬🇧 Let’s start with a quick brainstorming session and list all possible solutions to this problem.	🇩🇪 Lasst uns mit einem kurzen Brainstorming beginnen und alle möglichen Lösungen für dieses Problem auflisten.
🇬🇧 I do appreciate constructive feedback, but this is unacceptable.	🇩🇪 Ich weiß konstruktives Feedback sehr wohl zu schätzen, aber das ist inakzeptabel.
🇬🇧 We won’t be able to solve it unless we start collaborating with each other.	🇩🇪 Wir werden das Problem erst lösen können, wenn wir anfangen, zusammenzuarbeiten.

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