101: Team conflicts
Collaboration is so much a part of the business world nowadays, it's unrealistic to think teams always reach goals without any disagreement along the way. Healthy dialogue and exchange of ideas is one thing; a dead standstill in progress due to team members' opposition is another – and will likely hurt your company. As a leader, it's your place to step in and do damage control if differing views are impacting a project.
All conflicts are not created equal.
There is a very big difference between a healthy conflict and a personal conflict, which is toxic to the team and possibly the organization as a whole if not contained. “If the conflicts are personal, conduct a fair, frank discussion with the involved parties and indicate that behavior adjustment is expected immediately. If the conflict continues, eliminate the individuals from the team,” writes Dan McCarthy at TheBalance.com.
Conflict can elevate understanding.
Conflict can reveal important issues and gives team members a chance to communicate and interact in a more high-level way, according to an abstract at InnovativeTeamBuilding.co.uk.com. Conflict can reveal barriers like poor communication, differences in interpretation, or the missing of nonverbal cues. “Conflict can lead to new ideas and approaches to [organizational] processes, and increased interest in dealing with problems. Conflict, in this sense, can be considered positive,” the abstract states, as long as it doesn't develop into a cloud of mistrust and defeat.
Focus on common ground.
With a team, there has to be some. “Make the best of conflict by turning disagreement into a brainstorming session where each member is invited to offer input on solutions,” writes Joan Bunashe and Lindsay Broder at Entrepreneur.com. Ask questions like, “'What can you agree on in this situation?” or, 'What is useful about continuing this discussion?' or, 'What are you hoping will come out of this?'"
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