#Teams365 #1191: Teamwork: Conflict In Teams - Questions to Consider

Conflict in teams:
One of the areas which teams tend to struggle with across the board is in the area of conflict management. This can be due to a variety of factors including:

• Our perceived level of safety in being able to raise tricky issues in the team, without fear of consequence or reprisal
• How open the team leader is to addressing issues of conflict. Some leaders and teams have a tendency to sweep issues under the rug, and let them fester
• How open the team leader and members are to divergent views. How are you welcoming and leveraging alternative view points?
• The skill and confidence level in the team for working across differences and addressing conflict
• What common ground team members are able to find around issues where they are in conflict.

​Conflict in teams may take many roads to resolution. Dialogue is a key part of the resolution process. Here are some areas to start the conversation around conflict:

• How do we each approach conflict?
• What is the culture of our team around conflict? Is there space to rais difficult issues?
• What can we do to find the common ground across the team, even if it is only 2% that we agree upon?
• What consequences have we created when things do not go right
• What tools and frameworks do we have for working through conflict?

When conflict is occurring it may also be useful to explore or be in dialogue around these questions:

• What’s at stake for not addressing this issue?
• What is the common end result we are all aiming towards?
• Why is it important to address this issue?
• What is it going to take to address this issue?
• If we do not address this issue what is important?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

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Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326