Play (and Work) Nice: Managing Team Conflict
One of the toughest thing to deal with as a manager isn't projects, politics, or deadlines -- it's people. Moderating the interpersonal dynamics of your team is a difficult skill to master, and nothing's worse for morale and productivity than dissension in the ranks.
But there's a silver lining, says Barbara Bulleit; handled correctly, conflict can be both healthy and productive. Here's her four-point plan for to dealing with conflict issues.
- Assess the symptoms of conflict (missed deadlines? Absenteeism? Passive-aggressive behavior? Outright hostility? Finger pointing?) and deciding whether the problem warrants low-key investigation or a full-on intervention
- Figure out what's causing the conflicts. For example, the root of the problem could be poor communication, personality conflicts, lack of engagement, or ineffective leadership.
- Generate a plan to deal with the conflict. Define the problem; gather and analyze the data; choose the best solution, then implement it and continue to refine it over time.
- Use a variety of tools and approaches to facilitate resolution. These may include attacking the problem, not the person; focus on what can -- instead of what can't -- be done; and taking ownership as the manager, when appropriate, for part or all of the problem.