[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Cause of Anxiety"]
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We have seen that the three underlying causes of conflict are emotions, anxiety and stress. You would think that differences in values, lack of communication, not understanding the entire project or even power plays would be the causes. But if you look at each of those you will see that beneath each are emotions, anxiety and stress. That Leader is aware of this and understands that some of the resulting conflicts create a few issues that mask them.
One of the controversies is caused by fear of change. Security is the feeling behind the thought that this is the way we have always done things. Change brings on insecurity. However, sometimes the way things were always done has stopped being useful.
For example, a school in the process of expanding utilized portable buildings for certain classes for several years. The fire drill route sent some of the students in a circuitous route around the portables. When the renovations were completed and the portable buildings removed, the route the children took during a fire drill was still around the non-existent buildings for several more years until someone asked why. The answer was that it was the way they always did it. A teacher brought up the portable buildings and the safety committee got a new take on the route. The change that took place was not one anyone had a problem with. The change was good and necessary. They most often are.
Another controversy surrounds notions of fundamental values. That Leader will be aware of how long-time employees may have different ideas of what the company should or shouldn’t do than young people just out of business school. People not familiar with how computers are aiding the spread of information and therefore knowledge about different companies will not see any profit to using social media marketing. That Leader will see that this is a sign of anxiety, fear that the company will not see any return on investment through the new ideas. She will be able to reassure the team member with many examples of how social media marketing has been used successfully in terms of ROI.
Problems arise when there are determined, articulate advocates for every side. Debate is a part of reaching a successful conclusion, but not if it keeps hammering away at the same issues without the conflict ending. That Leader knows that there is never going to be an inch given on either side and he begins the process of agreeing to disagree in order to make progress.
If there is an inability to compromise, That Leader is going to have to know that this stalemate must not continue to disrupt her meeting or her project. She will have to make a courageous decision in a case like this, perhaps even stating that since consensus is not possible, the project will continue as designed without any changes.
That Leader will also have to quell rampant rumors when they stop work from progressing. These rumors could have to do with the project, possible company lay-offs or improper work relationships. Whatever is causing these rumors, That Leader is going to have to decide whether to handle this one-to-one or in a team meeting. The cure for rumors is the truth, no matter how unpleasant that might be. And That Leader knows this.
These are just the major causes of controversies. What have been some of the problems you have experienced in your teams and how did your team leader deal with them? Please comment in the box below.
This information is from Washington State School Directors’ Association and found on http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/
Jaco Grobbelaar, owner of BroadVision Marketing, helps business owners and business professionals put marketing strategies in place that consistently secure new clients. He can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.799.1238. You can “Like” him at www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing or connect with him on www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.
[/caption]We have seen that the three underlying causes of conflict are emotions, anxiety and stress. You would think that differences in values, lack of communication, not understanding the entire project or even power plays would be the causes. But if you look at each of those you will see that beneath each are emotions, anxiety and stress. That Leader is aware of this and understands that some of the resulting conflicts create a few issues that mask them.
One of the controversies is caused by fear of change. Security is the feeling behind the thought that this is the way we have always done things. Change brings on insecurity. However, sometimes the way things were always done has stopped being useful.
For example, a school in the process of expanding utilized portable buildings for certain classes for several years. The fire drill route sent some of the students in a circuitous route around the portables. When the renovations were completed and the portable buildings removed, the route the children took during a fire drill was still around the non-existent buildings for several more years until someone asked why. The answer was that it was the way they always did it. A teacher brought up the portable buildings and the safety committee got a new take on the route. The change that took place was not one anyone had a problem with. The change was good and necessary. They most often are.
Another controversy surrounds notions of fundamental values. That Leader will be aware of how long-time employees may have different ideas of what the company should or shouldn’t do than young people just out of business school. People not familiar with how computers are aiding the spread of information and therefore knowledge about different companies will not see any profit to using social media marketing. That Leader will see that this is a sign of anxiety, fear that the company will not see any return on investment through the new ideas. She will be able to reassure the team member with many examples of how social media marketing has been used successfully in terms of ROI.
Problems arise when there are determined, articulate advocates for every side. Debate is a part of reaching a successful conclusion, but not if it keeps hammering away at the same issues without the conflict ending. That Leader knows that there is never going to be an inch given on either side and he begins the process of agreeing to disagree in order to make progress.
If there is an inability to compromise, That Leader is going to have to know that this stalemate must not continue to disrupt her meeting or her project. She will have to make a courageous decision in a case like this, perhaps even stating that since consensus is not possible, the project will continue as designed without any changes.
That Leader will also have to quell rampant rumors when they stop work from progressing. These rumors could have to do with the project, possible company lay-offs or improper work relationships. Whatever is causing these rumors, That Leader is going to have to decide whether to handle this one-to-one or in a team meeting. The cure for rumors is the truth, no matter how unpleasant that might be. And That Leader knows this.
These are just the major causes of controversies. What have been some of the problems you have experienced in your teams and how did your team leader deal with them? Please comment in the box below.
This information is from Washington State School Directors’ Association and found on http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/
Jaco Grobbelaar, owner of BroadVision Marketing, helps business owners and business professionals put marketing strategies in place that consistently secure new clients. He can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.799.1238. You can “Like” him at www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing or connect with him on www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.
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