Managers spend 20 percent of their time on average managing team conflict. Through experiences and research the authors have identified four common patterns of team conflict:
- The solo dissenter: conflict surrounds one individual
- The boxing match: two team members disagree
- Warring Factions: two subgroups within a team disagree
- The blame game: the whole team is in disagreement
Source: Harvard Business Review, May 7, 2024. Link. There are two key points managers and team leaders should remember:
- 1st – tackle conflict at its point of origin according to the pattern
- 2nd – take care of the conflict’s “sides.”
. . . when managers take a proactive role in resolving conflict that respects the interests of the whole team, the outcomes can actually be positive and result in increased trust and better decisions that are more likely to be effectively implemented.”
INSIGHTS: The authors say if you intervene smartly as close to the origin of the conflict as you can, you’re more likely to stem its long-term consequences and improve team outcomes.