Conflict. The very word sends ripples of anxiety through most people. And, yet, our world is fraught with conflict – politically, personally and in our professional lives. For my last blog post in COMM 292, I’ve focused on conflict as it is the biggest challenge for most teams. While each team member shares a common goal of striving for success, differences along the way can often make it almost impossible to succeed creating frustration and anger in its wake. As Kathleen Robertson explains in her blog post, Appreciating the value of teamwork, “Now more than ever, it seems that team-based projects and work are the way to get things done, not necessarily in the most efficient way, but in the most well-rounded and thorough way.” Recognizing that collaboration is key to success, it’s important to acknowledge that no two people think alike, and that therefore conflict is inevitable. Without conflict many important conversations and debates would not take place. Amazing ideas stem from these discussions, which can be invaluable as it ensures the final solution is far better thought out, than if all team members were to immediately agree on everything. It is highly unlikely, as Dr. Rawcliffe has pointed out, for everyone working on a team to see eye to eye on every matter of business. As individuals we all have different ways of approaching projects and finding solutions to problems. The only way to succeed in life is to respect the differing opinions and perspectives of others. In Mike Myatts Forbes article titled 5 keys of dealing with workplace conflict, he highlights that leadership and conflict go hand-in-hand and that there are many successful approaches to resolving conflict. These include:

1. Defining acceptable behaviour, we did something similar to this with our group contracts, promising to act in a professional and supportive manner.
2. Hit conflict head on, meaning be proactive, have the difficult conversations ahead of time.
3. What’s in it for me factor; to be a successful leader one must be able to help others pursue their objectives.
4. The importance factor: don’t let things slide that are of real importance to you; if it will constantly impact your effort and performance in the future, have an open conversation with your team members.
5. View conflict as an opportunity. Why is this? Because as you have all heard a million times conflict provides a fantastic learning opportunity. “Smart leaders look for the upside in all differing opinions.”

We need to take these lessons to heart. Embrace conflict as an opportunity to learn and grow; to make our ideas better and and our solutions stronger.

Word count : 435
References :

Article : https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/02/22/5-keys-to-dealing-with-workplace-conflict/#207709e71e95

Image links : http://www.actioncoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/meeting_high_five-iStock_000005449269Large.jpg, http://www.skipprichard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/bigstock-Team-of-five-colleagues-meetin-85492604.jpg