Managing Conflict

Conflicts are natural, even necessary, in teams. Through conflicts, team members challenge each other’s way of thinking and behaving. In conflicts, new perspectives and ideas emerge. This makes conflict important for innovation.

Conflicts, however, can also turn unproductive. Instead of helping team members to new perspectives, they lock people in the trenches of war. They can make people feel frustrated, angry and anxious, lead to more irrational decisions, and hamper exchange of information.

There are three core principles behind having a good fight and avoiding getting stuck in conflict escalation.

1. Focus on tasks, not people
2. Work towards the common point of interest
3. Establish a sense of fairness in the process

Focus on tasks, not people

Successful management of conflict focuses on the task instead of people. The goal is to fight over ideas, not personalities; to criticize results, not the people behind the results.

In innovation work that might be easier said than done. Innovation work requires people to get involved, to invest their emotions and to give themselves in.

Facts vs. Assumptions

To keep a cool head, try to separate facts from guesses. You might disagree on many things, but perhaps you can at least agree on what is known (the facts) and what is unknown (the assumptions). If you can agree on that, you can focus the discussion on facts and agree to disagree on the unknown for the time being. Moving on in your project, you will figure out ways to validate important assumptions as soon as possible.

Few vs. Multiple Options

Another thing to do to avoid getting personal is to keep multiple options in the discussion open. If you boil down conflicts to two main options, people easily get stuck in one or the other and find it difficult to agree. By opening up multiple options, you create room for negotiation and creativity. Instead of cornering people to one side, you allow people in your team to keep multiple doors open.

Work towards a common point of interest

The second principle about constructive conflict solving is to work towards a common point of interest.

A common goal

For this to happen, try to find a common goal for the team and the organization. Most people will accept to not get their way if they know that it is for the common good. As a team, you need to break down that “common good” into specific goals around which you can gather.

Use humor

Another way to find unity in the midst of conflict is to add a bit of humor to the process. Maybe not everything needs to be taken dead seriously, and you can afford a little laughter on the way. Try to see what is humorous about the situation you are in and you will find that a good laugh can untie the hardest knots. Of course, avoid mocking or shaming others to create laughter.

Democratic leadership

Democratic leadership does not mean no leadership, but it means that all members of the team get heard and are recognized for their contributions. Democratic leadership is one way of establishing a sense of fairness. The other way is to seek consensus but not to insist on it. In teams with a democratic leadership, conflicts are more productive.

To implement democratic leadership, make sure to gather all relevant points of view and seek consensus if you can. If that proves impossible, however, someone needs to make the decision, accepting the lack of consensus in the group.

Groups that insist on finding consensus often get stuck in haggling. This leads to half-baked compromises and missed deadlines, undermining collaboration over time. As long as they are heard, however, most people can accept that they do not always get their way. They will feel that the decision is just – even if they might think that it is the wrong one.

Focusing on tasks, creating common interests and establishing fairness are three core principles behind constructive solving of conflict. What they ultimately do is to allow a team to have a fight – but then get over it. To disagree, but not dissolve.