Conflict Resolution

Conflict is inevitable in any team environment.  Today's project teams bring together a variety of personality and skills, each perceiving tasks and actions is in different ways. This diversity is what gives the team depth and broad range of skills required to successfully achieve the project objectives. Yet, this diversity will inevitably bring conflicts ranging from simple disagreements on task details to fundamental personality clashes. 

Simply stated, Conflict is the discrepancy between what is the perceived reality of the situation and what the is seen as the ideal.

Conflict can be healthy and will allow participants to expand their understanding of issues and tasks.  Applying the appropriate approach to conflict will help manage conflict when it occurs.  Encouraging consensus will allow you to increase buy-in from the client and team members.

Project Managers must consider two aspects of any conflict to successfully mange conflict:

• The affect of conflict on the personal relationship between participants
• The affect conflict will have on the tasks being performed on the project

In order to foster strong relationships between participants and promote the continued progress toward project objectives, Project Managers will need to employ a variety of conflict resolution approaches. Managers will also need to recognize the approach that others are employing in order to identify the common ground between individuals involved in a conflict. 

The following approaches to conflict management were introduced by Mary Parker Follett in her Constructive Conflict publication in 1926.  Despite the 80+ years that have elapsed since then, these approaches are relevant today.  These 5 approaches to conflict each have a time and place, but in most cases the ultimate goal is to achieve a consensus.

Avoidance Approach

Stay out of conflict; remain neutral on issues.  Employed by individuals that do not have enough invested in the issue to see value in the conflict.  Often used when the conflict is not critical or is perceived to be beyond their capacity to manage.

Domination Approach

Remain singularly focused on one resolution to a conflict.  These individuals will not readily yield and often fail to recognize the value of alternatives.

Accommodation Approach

Entirely yielding to the conflicting point of view.  Seeking to preserve personal relationships even when it does benefit project tasks and objectives.

Compromise Approach

Assumes that no solution can be achieved that will yield complete satisfaction for all participants involves. Attempts to balance personal relationships and project success when one or both may be compromised in the conflict.

Mutual agreement and understanding between all conflicting parties.  Leads to project success while simultaneously reinforcing personal relationships.  Is often the lengthiest resolution to a conflict, but produces the most favorable results.

Any group"s goal should be to reach decisions that best reflect the thoughts of all group members. This approach is called "reaching consensus”. However, many people use this phrase without an understanding of its true meaning. It is easy to be confused about what consensus is and is not, so here are some guidelines:

• Consensus Is Not:
  • Finding a proposal acceptable enough that all members can support it; no member opposes it.
  • A Unanimous Vote --- a consensus may not represent everyone"s first priorities.
  • A Majority Vote --- in a majority vote, only the people in the majority gets something they are happy with; people in the minority may get something they don"t want at all, which is not what consensus is all about.
  • Everyone Totally Satisfied.
• Consensus Requires:
  • Time & active participation of all group members
  • Skill in communication: listening, conflict resolution, discussion facilitation
  • Creative thinking and open-mindedness

Tools for Conflict Management

Ultimately, consensus is the best tool for conflict management, and for even moderately important conflicts Project Managers should consider reaching a consensus as opposed to any other approach. So how does one seek to achieve consensus? Below is a set of tools and techniques that will aid project managers in achieving a successful consensus.

Assume the Role of Facilitator

In nearly every situation a facilitator is required to bridge the gaps between participants in a conflict and provide open lines of communications. Even when the conflict is between the Project Manager and other team members or client personnel, the Project Manager can potentially serve as a facilitator, but in some cases it may be more beneficial to call on an outside source to facilitate more serious conflicts.

Identify Common Ground

In most cases, participants in a conflict share common objectives, but do not recognize that others share many of the same ideas and convictions. Conflict may often be over a very isolated detail or subsection of the bigger picture. Start by highlighting where viewpoints are shared and build a foundation of assumptions and objectives that are shared between involved parties. This effort will isolate the points of contention and put them into perspective.

Fully Analyze Each Position

Outline the position of each side to the conflict and systematically discuss resolutions on each point. Consensus can only be achieved when all involved parties are satisfied their thoughts have been understood, and can agree on the resolution to individual points.

About the Author
Mark Hazleton has been active in Information Services delivery for over 16 years. Reach Mark at mark.hazleton@projectmechanics.com