What do you do if your machine learning team is facing internal conflicts?

1. Observe symptoms indicating team conflicts. 2. Note any missed deadlines or productivity drops. 3. Pay attention to the atmosphere in team meetings. 4. Engage with team members individually for insights. 5. Listen actively and without judgment to each perspective. 6. Identify specific issues causing friction. 7. Differentiate between personal and professional disagreements. 8. Gather comprehensive information on the root causes. 9. Approach resolution based on the nature of the conflict. 10. Prioritize open communication to facilitate understanding.

To address conflicts within the team: Identify the main cause, Hold open group meetings for discussion, Collect impartial feedback from all, Set clear boundaries for personal-professional life if necessary, Group members for task handling with deadlines, Seek guidance from experts for solutions , Organize workshops to enhance collaboration, Recognize collective achievements for a positive culture, finally follow up with team and taking personal insights from each and everyone is also important.

Mediating a conflict has a lot of considerations that need to be undertaken: how your participation in mediating the conflict will be seen by both parties, investigating the actual incident to get a transparent view of the issue, balancing resolutions that are fair to each party and are perceived as such by both sides. In a lot of case it is better to invite a third party mediator, however that runs the risk of actually instigating more conflict based on the optics of the invitation. It is always a good idea to collaborate information from both sides and a neutral perspective in order to properly understand the root cause of the conflict and then taking steps accordingly.

Sometimes, conflicts stem from a lack of understanding or trust among team members. If the team is a cross-functional one, it may be due to each function having it's separate goals. Encouraging collaboration is essential for fostering a positive work environment & enhancing productivity. Engage the team in collaborative projects or team-building activities that can improve relationships and enhance mutual respect. I prefer to organize activities that are not necessarily work-related but focus on building camaraderie among team members, such as informal catchups, game time, or knowledge-sharing sessions. You can organise games that require collective problem-solving, which can improve teamwork skills and foster a sense of achievement.