Conflict in the workplace is natural—even necessary. Colleagues who challenge one another’s thinking tend to consider a richer range of options, which ultimately lead to better business decisions. What surprises me though is how quickly disagreement takes on a personal tone. And I think we need to put a stop to it—whether it involves our colleagues or within our other stakeholder groups. How do we do that? Mitigate interpersonal conflict is the key and you can do this in a number of ways—think about these*:
Have a common Vision
Have a common value system
Use humour
Focus on the facts
Multiply the alternatives
Create common goals
Balance the power structure
Seek consensus with qualification—that means someone has to make a decision at some point. The talking can’t go on forever.
Now go find someone to have a good fight with ……..
Want me to talk about any of these in more detail – let me know. Hey come to think about it want me to talk about anything else let me know.
(* With thanks to HBR, 1997 and 2001)
