April 4, 2016
Resolving Conflicts Within Teams
In most cases, conflict is unavoidable. At best, all one can do is attempt to delay addressing the conflict head-on. Any big decision, and many small decisions too, will most likely be met with some level of opposition or resistance. In a team atmosphere, where different people bring different points of view, conflicts should be expected. Fortunately, there are many resources and methods that can be applied to resolve these conflicts quickly, and even address them before they grow to a size larger than simply two people in disagreement. In order for a team to succeed and stay on course, conflict management is a skill that must be embraced by its leaders.
The Foundation Coalition defines conflict as such: “Conflict may be defined as a struggle or contest between people with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals. Conflict on teams is inevitable; however, the results of conflict are not predetermined.” (2016). It is interesting to note that what makes a team strong (a diverse group of personalities and strengths) is also something that can create instability within the team. Conflict can lead to two separate outcomes: either it can grow out of control and lead to counter productivity and subpar results, or it can be resolved to the benefit of all parties involved and produce a higher-quality final product (Foundation Coalition, 2016). These two outcomes are the result of either negative or positive conflict, respectively.
When most people hear the word conflict, the common connotation is to associate it with negativity. While most conflicts do stem from a place of negativity or opposition, they don’t have to end there. A conflict can be used to enhance a team for the better, which I will address later. A recent example of negative conflict I experienced was in my workplace this past week. One manager turned in her letter of resignation. Our store leader took this news in stride, and wished her the best in her future endeavors. At least, that’s what he told her to her face. In the days since, the store leader has done nothing but express his disappointment and frustration to other employees. He’s even gone so far as to lessen her character and the quality of her work to his superiors in several emails he failed to delete from our store’s shared email server. All these actions have done is create conflict within the workplace due to poor leadership, as most employees have sided with the resigning manager. The store leader has lost the trust of his team. According to Lencioni (2002), a lack of teamwork is the result of five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results (p. 188). The example I have given above has started this workplace team down this path of dysfunction by creating a situation where the team can no longer trust their leader. In order to avoid future conflicts, the team will no longer feel safe expressing their true thoughts and opinions for fear of going through the same conflict they are experiencing now.
Not every conflict is a negative one. A conflict can also reveal positive outcomes. Leigh Richards (2016) states: “conflict can be good for organizations because it encourages open-mindedness and helps avoid the tendency toward group think that many organizations fall prey to.” A team that approaches every situation with an open mind and is ready to listen will achieve results of a much higher quality rather than a team that resorts to simply agreeing for the sake of avoiding conflict altogether. Richards also presents several ways conflict can bring about positive results: it encourages new thinking, it raises questions, builds relationships, opens minds, and beats stagnation (2016). It has been my experience that when a team approaches conflicts with these mindsets, the results are worth the extra time and effort, and conflicts can be welcomed as opportunities to grow rather than events that destroy. In my marriage, how we handle money is a common conflict we face. By choosing to listen and work together, we’ve turned what could have been a potential setback into a healthy discussion that we both benefit from. I’m more of a spender while my wife is a saver. By being open minded, we’ve both grown to a point where I am more prone to save before I spend, and she doesn’t feel as bad about buying a new outfit, for example. We’ve both been challenged to think in ways we haven’t before, we’ve grown closer as we tackle problems together, and we’ve overcome stagnation by looking for different ways to spend time together by spending less money. Had we simply chosen to avoid these conflicts, I doubt we’d be as happy as we are. We would be grumbling and complaining to ourselves rather than working towards solutions together.
When it comes to addressing and resolving conflict, there is no more valuable resource than God’s Word. One verse above all others, in my mind, holds the key to avoiding conflict: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). If everyone on a team was able to follow this guide and just slow down, conflicts would be few and far between. In those situations when conflict is unavoidable, God also provides us with knowledge we should put into practice in Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” In my example of negative conflict, if only the store leader had decided to avoid corrupt words and instead devoted his energy to building up his team that is losing a valuable person, the conflict could have been avoided and resolved before it was allowed to grow roots.
Conflicts do not have to be destructive events. They should not be avoided out of fear, but should instead be expected and used as opportunities to grow. A team that approaches conflict with courage and an open mind will achieve high-quality results and will be stronger for the next conflict that arises.
References
Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Richards, L. (2016). How can conflict be good for an organization? Houston Chronicle.
Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/can-conflict-good-organization-741.html
The Foundation Coalition. (2016). Understanding conflict and conflict management.
Retrieved from
http://www.foundationcoalition.org/publications/brochures/conflict.pdf