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Sorting Team Conflict
What sort of conflict is your workplace team experiencing? Getting clarity about what is causing the problems can help you find solutions.
In my teaching and coaching, I share Craig Runde and Tim Flanagan’s useful distinction between good (creative) conflict and bad (emotional) conflict. But I recently came across a more detailed analysis of conflict, which I find even more helpful.
In a Harvard Business Review podcast, Amy Gallo posits four kinds of team conflict: process, task/goal, status, and relationship. Each is different and I believe requires a different analysis and approach.
- Process conflict—Process conflict is disagreement about how to reach a shared goal. It is most akin to creative conflict because you all agree where you want to end up, but have different ideas about how to get there. If the team is open and willing to discuss all the creative ideas, talk through what’s good and what might not work in each approach, and look at some mixing and matching, the team is much more likely to come up with a robust solution than if everyone thinks alike.
- Task—Goal/Objective—If you don’t agree where you’re going or what you want to achieve, it is impossible to get there. The team needs to take a step back and clarify the goal before deciding on a process. If the team can’t agree on this, you need to resolve:
- Status—Who is in charge? Who makes the call? Who has the authority to decide the goal for the team if you don’t all agree? Of course, the person in charge will make a better decision if they listen to concerns, perspectives, and proposals from the team members.
- Relationship—This type of conflict can be the most difficult, because it has little or nothing to do with the process or the task. Runde and Flanagan call this bad/emotional conflict. You are in conflict because of how you feel about someone else. You make assumptions about them, you don’t respect them, you feel disrespected by them or you are holding a grudge, and it bleeds over into (a lack of) teamwork. Many of the clients I coach are trapped in this kind of conflict, and the only way out is to look at those assumptions, resentments, feelings. Then, recognize they are a narrative you are telling yourself and others that isn’t necessarily true. When you can find compassion, make room for multiple stories and start truly listening, the conflict lessens and shifts miraculously.
In real life, of course, conflicts can easily have elements of two or more types, or as Amy Gallo calls it, “a hot mess”. But, detaching from the “heat” and exploring what is actually causing the conflict is an essential step to moving through it and making your team stronger and more effective.
Lorraine Segal has helped over 2000 leaders and others in organizations and corporations communicate more clearly, transform conflicts, and let go of resentments. The goal: to create a more harmonious and productive workplace. Through her business, Conflict Remedy, Lorraine creates customized training and coaching programs for non-profit organizations, corporations, and government agencies and Sonoma State University. She was recently named one of the top 15 coaches in Santa Rosa by Influence Digest. She is a contributing author to the book, Stand Up, Speak Out Against Workplace Bullying. Her latest project, a memoir called: Angels and Earthworms, an unexpected journey to love, joy, and miracles, is about her transformation from miserable self-doubt to self-acceptance, true love, spiritual awareness, and right livelihood. Find out more about the memoir here. Contact Lorraine through ConflictRemedy to request a free consultation for you and your organization or to sign up for her conflict remedy newsletter and blog.
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