Turn Conflict Into Collaboration

While it is a natural human tendency to avoid uncomfortable conflict with others, that tactic doesn’t work in the long term. Ultimately, conflict is not a bad thing and some of the most effective teams are those in which members feel safe enough to disagree with one another.

As many as 85% of U.S. employees experience conflict at work and these disagreements can be vital ingredients to improving the employee experience. With the right approach, conflict can turn into collaboration and differing opinions can lead to growth and learning.

Set ground rules. Everyone should be treated respectfully.

• Encourage openness

Foster an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing and asking for feedback regularly. If you create an inclusive culture where team members feel safe sharing their opinions and perspectives, then conflict may not occur.

• Support Differences

  Promote a positive and accepting workplace culture by encouraging differing views, lifestyles etc.

• Don’t assume that a single individual is the reason for conflict

  Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, even during an argument. Practice impartiality when attempting to understand conflict and refrain from pointing fingers. Conflict requires context — Ombuds specialize in providing fairness and neutrality in the face of conflict, via a safe channel. An option for leaders looking for tools to help institutionalize this practice within their organization.

Make conflict productive. Even though it may not feel natural, increase the amount and quality of conflict.

• Hire for independent thinking

Seek individuals who know how to construct an argument, who can positively change somebody’s mind, and can be rational. These individuals can ensure that conflict is a part of workplace culture rather than a personal issue. To do that, when interviewing, explore how potential new employees perform in cross-functional teams, or how they handle disagreements. Use behavioral interview questions that determine conflict tolerance and reference-check to get to a complete assessment.

• Examples of the types of questions you may ask:

  • When did you think compromising your opinion was not a good solution”?

  • “When did you think it was imperative to speak out about something?”

  • “Tell me a time when you had to deal with someone’s personality being completely opposite to yours…”

  • “Tell me about a failed approach from you, your team…,”” What did you learn?” “How did you solve it?”

  • “Have you ever had to explain to someone in a superior position that they made a mistake? ‘How did you

    approach it and what were the results?”

• Normalize disagreements and different opinions

  To change team members’ mindsets from conflict-averse to conflict-productive, you should encourage team-members to raise different points of view, to disagree, to demonstrate their own unique value, to represent their stakeholders and to present new ideas. You hire individuals for their expertise and point of view, encourage them to share their approach and reinforce independent thinking.

  • You can set up periodic learning sessions with different tools, such as role playing for exploring positive ways to diverge.

  • You can define what is appropriate language to use in productive conflict.

  • Structure the team’s conversations and decision-making processes to optimize making tension productive, rather than downplaying it.

  • Teach critical thinking, let every person know their perspective is valuable as long as they know how to make the case for their opinions.

• Set boundaries and expectations

  Follow disagreements with a policy that prioritizes respecting the outcome of your team’s decision. According to Michael Seaver, Executive Coach - “You do not have to be right, you have to improve the relationship and come to a conclusion that is beneficial for all parties involved. Balancing courage and consideration is fundamental to real maturity and helping the organization reach new heights”. For example: Amazon’s “Disagree and Commit” philosophy, values a multiplicity in opinions and welcomes them. However, it is every individual’s obligation, once a decision is made, regardless of how they felt about the decision, to go all-in once a decision is made. Have the space to openly discuss different opinions and then work towards making the decided solution a success.

Back to Blog