Project Team Development Constructive Conflict Resolution Based on material made available by John Bennedict, Bell South

Characteristics of a High- Performing Team Commitment to a common goal Clear roles and work assignments Informality Participation Civilized Disagreement Consensus Decisions Mutual Accountability

Characteristics (continued) Honest communications Active listening Shared leadership Good external relations Diversity - style and technical capability Self assessment Appreciation of individual and team efforts

Barriers to Team Performance Team leadership limitations Goal ambiguity Lack of team rewards and recognition Poor interpersonal dynamics Lack of good communication

Sources of Conflict Conflicts arise from differences in goals, facts, values, and methods Major sources of conflict in teams include –Schedules –Priorities –Resources –Personalities

Five Modes of Handling Conflict Competing (Forcing) Avoiding (Withdrawing) Accommodating (Smoothing) Collaborating (Confronting) Compromising

Competing (Forcing) Assertive and uncooperative - pursuing your own concerns at another’s expense Power oriented Useful when –unpopular actions needed on important issues –pressing on issues when you know you are right –decisive action required (emergencies) –needing to protect yourself and others

Competing (Forcing) continued Can be harmful if you –Alienate the other party –Stalemate the conflict and not come to any agreement by insisting on your own particular outcome –Feel remorse later and regret having pushed to much for your own point of view –Cause the other party to fell remorseful about the concessions that they felt pressured to give

Competing (Forcing) continued Can be harmful if you (continued) –Miss hearing other issues or points of view at the moment that might have proven useful –Lose sight of your overall goals by locking into one point of view –Lose emotional control and run the risk of permanently damaging the relationship –Risk alienating your own team members who do no share your point of view

Avoiding (Withdrawing) Unassertive and uncooperative - neither pursuing you own nor another’s concerns Uses behaviors such as sidestepping, postponing, or withdrawing Is useful when –Issue is trivial or symptomatic of another larger issue or there is no chance of winning –Others can resolve issue more effectively, more data are needed, or people need to calm down

Avoiding (Withdrawing) continued Can hinder the conflict resolution process if you –Persist in avoiding an important issue for the long term –Miss a time window in resolving the issue –Shut down or lose your connections with others –Are seen as being unwilling to cooperate –Risk alienation

Accommodating (Smoothing) Unassertive and cooperative - pursuing another’s concerns and sacrificing your own Is useful –When you are wrong or when the issue is more important to others than to yourself –When used to demonstrate open-mindedness, preserve harmony, or accumulate social credits –When competing would damage your own cause

Accommodating (Smoothing) continued Can be harmful if you –Fail to achieve your goals –Lose respect in the other party’s eyes –Are viewed as weak or wishy-washy –Are seen as ineffectual by people within your own organization or team –Bankrupt your organization –Anger or alienate those you represent

Collaborating (Confronting) Assertive and cooperative - pursuing your own and another’s concerns Is likely to lead to the most lasting solutions Is useful in –Determining an integrative solution when both parties’ concerns are equally important –Gaining commitment from others –Resolving interpersonal hostilities –Merging insights from people with different perspectives

Collaborating (Confronting) continued Can be harmful if you –Sell out some “have to have’s” for the sake of a win-win solution –Fail to be an advocate when it is necessary –Become too close with the other party and lose your objectivity –Downgrade your goals to reach agreement –Become remorseful that you did not push hard enough for your own particular outcomes

Compromising Partially assertive and cooperative - pursuing a solution that satisfies some concerns of both people Is useful –When used to achieve temporary solutions or arrive at agreement quickly –When both parties are strongly committed to mutually exclusive positions –When goals are moderately important

Compromising (continued) Can be harmful if you –Are seen as an “easy touch” –Are seen as too gullible –Give up something that you will later regret –Lead the conflict to a mediocre outcome –Trade off a more valuable concession for a less valuable one –End up not getting what you really want

Key Messages Successful teams should be committed to a common purpose and performance goals, committed to a common approach, and have mutual accountability Conflicts will occur in projects and arise from differences in goals, opinions, facts, values, and methods

Key Messages (continued) It is recognized that conflict is healthy and should be managed to the mutual benefit of all concerned. The management of conflict determines it goodness or badness When the inevitable conflict occurs, failure to manage it properly can result in many types of negative consequences

Key Messages (continued) There are five modes of handling conflict: –competing or forcing –avoiding or withdrawing –accommodating or smoothing –collaborating or confronting –compromising Each mode is useful and is harmful in certain ways