Conflict Ain’t Convenient

  Communications Management   Lessons Learned   ProjectsAtWork  

Conflict is hard to handle, but letting it go unresolved can be much worse. The post mortem on any project failure often reveals critical information went unaddressed because somebody was afraid to raise it. Here are three reasons we avoid conflict, and tips to overcome them.

Most people don't like conflict. A recent study found that fear of conflict was one of the seven deadly sins leaders won't admit. The problem is, avoiding conflict doesn't reduce tension; if anything, it escalates it. Issues become bigger, resentment grows, people become disengaged and feel powerless to solve their problems.

A reluctance to deal with conflict is hugely detrimental to projects. Good ideas remain unspoken, people create silos, and leaders don't get the information they need because everyone is afraid to bring up potentially contentious issues.

The post mortem on any project failure almost always reveals critical information went unaddressed because somebody was afraid to discuss it. Conflict doesn’t wreak havoc, avoiding it does.

Here are three reasons we avoid conflict and ways to overcome them:

1. False assumptions about surface information. What seems to be a conflict might not be a conflict at all. Just because someone says they want something doesn't mean that you have a full understanding of their goals. Dig for a little more information. …

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