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Conflict happens.
It happens when individuals or groups are not getting what they need or want and are seeking their own interests. Like a child, sometimes a person is not even aware of the need and unconsciously acts out. Then there are the people who are very aware of what they want and actively work at getting it. It is That Leaders task to get conflict resolved as quickly as possible for the good of the team.
Unfortunately conflict is bound to happen. It develops because in teams we are dealing with peoples jobs, lives, pride, children, ego, self-concept and sense of purposenothing major. There are early indications of conflict that help us recognize it as it begins. Concrete strategies for resolution are available to That Leader and they do work. While it is going to happen, conflict can be minimalized, diverted and/or resolved.
What are some of the causes that begin a conflict?
Often someone will say something that sets another person off. This sort of poor communication can be seen in many settingsteam, family, friends, at church. Other sorts of poor communication come from a leader who gives unclear instructions or has other kinds of poor communications skills. Team members can also have poor communications skills that result in confusion among the other members. If either the leader or the members have trouble communicating clearly, this can easily escalate into a conflict. A person can be in conflict because he is having emotional problems, anxiety or stress over either the job or elsewhere, which can impact his performance.
Another thing that can cause the beginning of a conflict is a person who is seeking power. If we are dealing with the leader, this person most likely wants approval, if not the job, of her up-line team leader. She might tend to micromanage her team to make sure that things are done in a way that makes the leader look good. She will ignore the fact that she is not making best use of her team. If the person seeking power is on the team, he might undermine the leaders goals; and then he can become the person who saves the project. He also might boss his team members around.
If the team member or members are dissatisfied with the management style of the leader, they may get together and complain among themselves, not telling the leader how they feel. If an individual is dissatisfied, she might consciously or unconsciously sabotage the project by distressing the rest of the team.
It is a possibility that team members are correct in their assessment of the leader. Instead of being That Leader, because of his personality or lack of training, he is a weak leader. Team members, like children, know when the leader is not self-assured. They will take advantage of a situation like this either seizing power for themselves or sabotaging the project. They might not even be conscious of what they are doing.
If the leader does not encourage openness among the team, it will result in serious lack of openness. Team members will probably sneak behind her back and confer with each other on things that the leader apparently doesnt want them to know about each other, their part in the project, their incomes, feelings that someone else is the leaders favorite and so on. Expecting the team to accept a lack of openness is blindness on the part of the leader.
The last thing that can be a cause of the beginnings of conflict is a change in leadership. This kind of team distress is something everyone has felt when we get a new president, a new government leader of any sort, substitute teachers or new preachers. People are used to another person with his ways of doing things. A different leader with a different style is very hard on most people and especially hard on team members who are slow to warm up to change.
These are just some of the beginnings of conflict. There are as many more possibilities as there are leaders and teams. These, however, are the main ones. This is just the beginning of what there is to know to handle conflict. Other topics are Conflict Indicators, ConflictDestructive and Constructive, Techniques Used to Avoid/Resolve Conflict, Courageous Decision Controversies; Resolving Conflict and Reaching Consensus Through Collaboration.
What do you need to know concerning conflict or how it begins?
This information is from Washington State School Directors' Association and found on http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/
[/caption]Conflict happens.
It happens when individuals or groups are not getting what they need or want and are seeking their own interests. Like a child, sometimes a person is not even aware of the need and unconsciously acts out. Then there are the people who are very aware of what they want and actively work at getting it. It is That Leaders task to get conflict resolved as quickly as possible for the good of the team.
Unfortunately conflict is bound to happen. It develops because in teams we are dealing with peoples jobs, lives, pride, children, ego, self-concept and sense of purposenothing major. There are early indications of conflict that help us recognize it as it begins. Concrete strategies for resolution are available to That Leader and they do work. While it is going to happen, conflict can be minimalized, diverted and/or resolved.
What are some of the causes that begin a conflict?
Often someone will say something that sets another person off. This sort of poor communication can be seen in many settingsteam, family, friends, at church. Other sorts of poor communication come from a leader who gives unclear instructions or has other kinds of poor communications skills. Team members can also have poor communications skills that result in confusion among the other members. If either the leader or the members have trouble communicating clearly, this can easily escalate into a conflict. A person can be in conflict because he is having emotional problems, anxiety or stress over either the job or elsewhere, which can impact his performance.
Another thing that can cause the beginning of a conflict is a person who is seeking power. If we are dealing with the leader, this person most likely wants approval, if not the job, of her up-line team leader. She might tend to micromanage her team to make sure that things are done in a way that makes the leader look good. She will ignore the fact that she is not making best use of her team. If the person seeking power is on the team, he might undermine the leaders goals; and then he can become the person who saves the project. He also might boss his team members around.
If the team member or members are dissatisfied with the management style of the leader, they may get together and complain among themselves, not telling the leader how they feel. If an individual is dissatisfied, she might consciously or unconsciously sabotage the project by distressing the rest of the team.
It is a possibility that team members are correct in their assessment of the leader. Instead of being That Leader, because of his personality or lack of training, he is a weak leader. Team members, like children, know when the leader is not self-assured. They will take advantage of a situation like this either seizing power for themselves or sabotaging the project. They might not even be conscious of what they are doing.
If the leader does not encourage openness among the team, it will result in serious lack of openness. Team members will probably sneak behind her back and confer with each other on things that the leader apparently doesnt want them to know about each other, their part in the project, their incomes, feelings that someone else is the leaders favorite and so on. Expecting the team to accept a lack of openness is blindness on the part of the leader.
The last thing that can be a cause of the beginnings of conflict is a change in leadership. This kind of team distress is something everyone has felt when we get a new president, a new government leader of any sort, substitute teachers or new preachers. People are used to another person with his ways of doing things. A different leader with a different style is very hard on most people and especially hard on team members who are slow to warm up to change.
These are just some of the beginnings of conflict. There are as many more possibilities as there are leaders and teams. These, however, are the main ones. This is just the beginning of what there is to know to handle conflict. Other topics are Conflict Indicators, ConflictDestructive and Constructive, Techniques Used to Avoid/Resolve Conflict, Courageous Decision Controversies; Resolving Conflict and Reaching Consensus Through Collaboration.
What do you need to know concerning conflict or how it begins?
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.
Related articles
- There IS an "I" in Team (customerthink.com)
- Handling Conflict at Work: The Leader's Role (linked2leadership.com)