Conflict is not a dirty word

Conflict. It’s a word that puts everyone on edge and brings up all sorts of negative memories. We do our best to minimise it and sweep it under the carpet, but as unpleasant as it is, conflict is also unavoidable. Since we can’t escape it, what if we re-think our approach and view it as something to be harnessed? Yes, dysfunctional conflict has a negative impact on people, but functional conflict can actually improve group satisfaction and performance.

So, what’s the secret to harnessing the positive power of conflict? There are two secrets:

1. It’s not about minimising the amount of conflict but about keeping it to the right type of conflict.
2. It’s not so much about the conflict itself but about the behaviours used to manage it.

An episode of Dr Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast entitled “The Science of Productive Conflict” provides some excellent insights into how you can keep conflict functional. The most important thing: ensure everyone agrees on what the disagreement is actually about. Look deeper to find the root cause of the conflict and resolve that issue.

The right type of conflict goes further than just functional versus dysfunctional. It’s about where the source of the conflict lies. Relationship conflict has overwhelmingly negative impacts on group satisfaction and performance. Not surprising really, and this is the kind of conflict you do work to minimise.

Task conflict, though, can actually increase individual and team performance and group satisfaction levels. Surprising? Yes and no. Without conflict, many of these task-related issues may go unnoticed and necessary changes might never occur. Conflict brings these problems into the open, prompting a search for solutions and encouraging innovation. That’s worth harnessing.

However, this is where secret number two comes in, because the positive effects of conflict are dependent on how the conflict is managed. Passively ignoring conflict is harmful to people and productivity, while actively managing the conflict increases productivity and satisfaction.

Simply put, sweeping your problems under the carpet won’t help—things will just continue to fester. The key is to get on the front foot, identify what the root of the issue is, and work towards the most appropriate solution. Yes, conflict can be scary, but we need not live in fear of it. After all, without a struggle there can be no growth.

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Photograph
Photograph by Yan Krukov from Pexels.