The sweet spot of conflict
Do you ever think the world would be better if everybody agreed with you?
No?
Just me?
Okay, this is awkward now.
But seriously, I know many of you struggle to be in conflict with others. Yet research shows that workplace conflict is on the rise.
As a leader, people look to you for guidance on how to response to conflict. What do you do? What do you say? Do you shut it down or open it up?
What's your default response to conflict?
Yesterday I spent the day with two teams from the Ministry for the Environment who often work with conflict.
One of the models I shared was this one adapted from Managing Conflict by Peter Condliffe. (I've simplified and adapted the language a bit.)
Too little conflict and we're avoiding the real issues. Too much conflict and people go into attack and defence mode. But there's a sweet spot in the middle.
But what's the right amount of conflict? (And who decides that?) And how do you respond when it flares up unexpectedly?
There's lots to unpack here. More than can be done in this email.
If you'd like your team to become more conflict-capable, just flick me an email.
I'd love to train your people to navigate conflict with less stress and more impact.