Positive Conflict

I was talking to a friend recently and we discussed a meeting in which there was some obvious friction between the leader of the meeting and some of the participants. Some tough questions were asked; standard non-responsive answers were not accepted. I’m sure we have all been in those meetings.

The individual I was talking with said, “I came out of that meeting thinking ‘what a great meeting, we really pushed the organization forward.’” On the other hand, the person leading the meeting was not quite as thrilled – he felt criticized and attacked.

Managers should keep in mind that people deal with conflict in a number of ways, but – as a leader of a department or company – the manager should create an environment where employees feel comfortable voicing dissent or differing opinions. Jim Collins (Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t) says this:

“Yes, leadership is about vision, but leadership is equally about creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts confronted.”

All of the great managers I have known say nearly the same thing about conflict or disagreements. Like most people, they don’t like or relish conflict. They don’t particularly enjoy criticism any more than you or I. They do, however, see “conflict” as a necessary part of moving an organization forward.

Over the years I have learned that different personality styles will deal with conflict – or change – much differently. In the eyes of certain personality styles, change and conflict are often synonymous! They believe that to attempt to change the way something is currently being done is to criticize the individual who is responsible. Certain personality styles (we frequently use the DiSC profile system in our training) not only dislike change but they will run as fast as possible from even the appearance of conflict.

At the same time, I’m sure you have seen other personality types that are constantly looking to make changes – they see the environment as something to be changed in a constant pursuit of improvement, and they will not hesitate to question the status quo. If this person is an employee and the person described above is the manager, there will likely be problems – unless the manager has come to understand and see change (and conflict) in a different light.

To be an effective manager, and get the most out of the people that you lead, you have to be willing to allow your ideas to be open to examination. Change your perspective on this aspect of your role and see those “conflicts” as a positive force that can move your organization or department forward.