Although most people acknowledge the value of teamwork, following the principles of collaboration and mutual support can be harder than it seems, particularly if a team has members with clashing personalities or differing views. Here we look at ways to overcome team conflict and keep a company running smoothly.

When coworkers have a conflict, the disruptions can ripple through the rest of the team or even the entire company, making it important to either prevent workplace squabbling before it starts or swiftly resolve problems before they can hamper team performance. Allowing a dispute between teammates to escalate can cripple a project, cause a disputant to seek a transfer or a new job entirely and can lead to discontent among the other team members.

“Conflict arises from differences, and when individuals come together in teams, their differences in terms of power, values and attitudes contribute to the creation of conflict,” the Team Building Directory explains. “To avoid the negative consequences that can result from disagreements, most methods of resolving conflict stress the importance of dealing with disputes quickly and openly.”

Given the variety of individuals that constitutes a team, each with his or her own opinions and abilities, it is inevitable that conflicts will occur. Yet a conflict can actually improve a team’s cohesion if it is handled properly.

Perhaps, then, it is better to view a teammate dispute as an opportunity for healthy organizational development.

“Many people and organizations view conflict as a negative, or something to be avoided. Yet conflict, differences or disagreements are a natural result of people working together,” the Center for Human Systems notes. “Also, without conflict, teams can become complacent and not perform at optimum levels. The challenge then becomes, how should the team be prepared for this stage of their existence, and how should the team leader facilitate through it?”

It’s important to distinguish between the different types of conflict to know whether a dispute is constructive or destructive. A relationship-related or “affective” conflict usually involves a breakdown of communications and deteriorates a team’s commitment to its work. This kind of conflict must be addressed as promptly as possible. However, there is also task or “cognitive” conflict, which can actually be used to boost productivity.

“When people engage in task conflict, their focus remains on the issue at hand and their efforts revolve around problem-solving rather than finger-pointing,” Inc.com explains. “When teams engage in task conflict, they regularly exhibit higher levels of creativity and innovation. When issues can be debated and ideas vetted, leaders are able to arrive at better quality decisions and team members will be more committed to implementation because they have been active participants in the process.”

Of course, not every dispute will be productive, and both teammates and team leaders should know how to effectively resolve relationship conflicts. The first step is identifying the common sources of these quarrels.

Work mediation resource ACResolution.org outlines some of the typical reasons teammates engage in conflict: the perception that there is only one right way to accomplish a task; fundamental differences in how day-to-day situations are experienced; a misreading of each other’s motives due to too much self-reference; the tendency to judge each other’s differences rather than appreciate them; and the practice of excluding or avoiding team members who are viewed as “troublemakers.”

“Understanding and appreciating the various viewpoints involved in conflict are key factors in its resolution. These are key skills for all team members to develop,” professional development blog MindTools explains. “The important thing is to maintain a healthy balance of constructive difference of opinion, and avoid negative conflict that’s destructive and disruptive.”

Once a conflict has begun, it is paramount for a team leader or other teammates to act swiftly to resolve it. Entrepreneur.com outlines the following steps for achieving an equitable resolution to a team dispute:

1. Recognize that conflict is natural and occurs often in work settings;
2. Emphasize the positive aspects of conflict, as even a relationship conflict can yield better team cohesion if handled correctly;
3. Acknowledge that conflict can lead to personal and professional growth;
4. Encourage team members to talk openly about conflicts or personal differences because letting disputes fester in secret will cause them to erupt later on, often with more damaging results;
5. Try to pinpoint the root cause of the conflict by untangling people’s arguments to see what’s really motivating the dispute;
6. Examine the issue from all sides and try to understand both the positive and negative elements that each party perceives to gain a more comprehensive picture;
7. Compose a complete list of actions that address the issue, incorporating input from both parties to ensure they’ve each had a hand in the final decision;
8. Decide on a particular step that settles the issue while highlighting the involvement of both parties in the decision-making process;
9. Discuss any successive steps that should be taken to make sure the agreed-upon solution is carried out effectively; and
10. Review the process for arriving at a solution to the problem and identify which parts worked and which didn’t so that the right measures can be used the next time conflict rises.

It also helps to view conflict as a stage in a team’s evolution and to respond to it as such. Under this perspective, a team is first formed, then enters a period of conflicting personalities or drives, then an acclimating stage that includes the settling of differences and lastly it begins to perform as it was intended to. A leader’s role should gradually change in each phase of this development process.

“As the team members are getting to know each other in the forming stage, a leader needs to be more directive,” Monster.com explains. “In the storming stage when conflict arises, the leader needs to be both directive and supportive. In the norming stage, as team members work out their differences, the leader needs to be more supportive and less directive. Finally, in the performing stage, when the team is moving easily ahead, the leader should be supportive.”

Earlier

Mediating Employee Conflict

How to Build and Motivate a Team

Resources

Image: ©iStockphoto.com/pixalot

Resolving Conflict in Work Teams
by Carole A. Townsley
Team Building Directory, 2011

Managing Team Conflict
by Cynthia Phillips
Center for Human Systems, 2010

Why Leaders Should Take Conflict Seriously
by Craig E. Runde and Tim Flanagan
Inc.com, July 9, 2008

Team Conflict Resolution
ACResolution.org, 2011

Resolving Team Conflict
MindTools, 2011

Positive Steps for Managing Conflict
by David G. Javitch
Entrepreneur.com, March 11, 2010

Overcome Team Conflict
by Cheri Swales
Monster.com, 2010