Your manager is facing team conflicts. How can you help them navigate this challenge effectively?

Conflicts, often seen as obstacles, are actually opportunities for transformation and evolution. When facing team conflicts, guide your manager to view these differences not as barriers, but as catalysts for innovation and improvement. Encourage the recognition of different perspectives as a valuable resource for discovering new solutions and strengthening team cohesion. The real magic happens when differences are embraced and used to generate deep insights and drive collective development. This approach not only resolves conflicts, but also fosters an environment where diversity of thought is celebrated and utilized for organizational success.

While team assessment can be done in different ways (e.g. questionnaires/ one-to-one interviews/ surveys or use any of the available team assessment tools such as DISC/ LCP etc), the role of the coach is to initially look at the data and withdraw themes which will shed a light on the specific issues the team is struggling with. If it is conflict, data will help to see what might be contributing factors to the conflict which can then be considered when creating the team coaching plan.

Facilitate Open Communication. Encourage your manager to foster open communication within the team. Conflicts often escalate when team members feel unheard or misunderstood. By promoting a culture of transparency, your manager can help resolve issues before they become bigger problems.

In the midst of team conflict, active listening is a powerful tool. Instruct your manager to hold one-on-one and group sessions where each member can voice their concerns and perspectives without interruption. This approach not only uncovers the root causes of conflict, but it also builds empathy and respect. As an example, consider a product development team where disputes arose between technical and marketing teams. Through active listening, they were able to align expectations and create a collaborative action plan that resulted in a more cohesive and successful product. Active listening transforms conflicts into opportunities for understanding and alignment.

Creating safe space is crucial so that team members feel they can express their thoughts and feelings without retribution. However, co-create team norms is part of a team's journey to creating this safe space in the first place. Usually, by the time a team coach is called; relationships are already fraught and distrust is high. Once team norms are established (e.g. exercising active listening, empathy, demonstrating vulnerability, admitting mistakes etc), which will develop team psychological safety - only then team members will start to feel more comfortable to speak openly without fearing retribution. The manager would need to be supported to develop self-awareness so that candid feedback from the team isn't taken personally.

Team conflict often arises from a lack of alignment around priorities. Work with your manager to implement a proactive consensus process where all team members contribute to setting goals and priorities. A notable example is a team that was struggling with disagreements over deadlines. Through priority-setting workshops, the team not only resolved disagreements but also strengthened commitment to common goals. This process not only resolves conflicts but also fosters a sense of ownership and cohesion within the team.

As a Systems Coach, the first session will always look to Design the Team Alliance for the team coaching journey. This is an agreement the team is committing to follow except that it's a facilitated-discussion where all members contribute to it and it can be amended as required by reviewing the DTA at the start of each session. The team would discuss how they wish to be together during the team coaching journey - not only when things are going well, but also when there are disagreements and conflict. By having this agreement which aims to generate healthy discussion where all views are heard, this exercise provides a great start to showing how difficult conversations do not have to become toxic team conflict.

Establishing clear team norms and expectations is essential for preventing conflicts and fostering a positive team culture. Collaboratively developing these ground rules with input from all team members not only encourages buy-in but also ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding acceptable behavior and communication. By proactively setting these standards, we can create a more harmonious work environment and address potential issues before they escalate. I'm fully on board with supporting this process and helping our manager guide the team toward a more productive and positive dynamic.

Promote a Solution-Oriented Approach. Conflict resolution should focus on finding solutions rather than assigning blame. Help your manager shift the team’s focus towards collaborative problem-solving, where everyone works together to address the root causes of the conflict. Empower Your Manager with Conflict Resolution Tools. Provide your manager with practical tools and strategies for managing conflicts. This could include techniques like active listening, mediation, or even conflict resolution training, which can equip them to handle future challenges more effectively.

In the coaching world, we often emphasize the importance of empowering team members to actively contribute to problem-solving. This approach not only fosters ownership, but also sparks creativity and innovation. By involving the team in shaping solutions, we build a collaborative atmosphere where everyone is genuinely invested in the outcome. As coaches, it's crucial we guide managers to facilitate this process effectively and ensure proposed solutions align with team objectives. By sharing our expertise, we can help them cultivate a solution-focused mindset within their team – fostering collaboration, growth, and success.

Developing collective team Growth Mindset will promote solutions-focused discussions. A skilled Systems Coach will know how to manage those team members who put barriers to the team's ability to move forward proactively. Those would need to be given the space to air their fears and anxieties before the team can move forward. The risk is that by not listening to the 'delaying' voices - those individuals could become scapegoated/ ignored/ blamed instead of recognising they may have very important information to share why they're not ready to move on. Information that could be useful for the team-as-a-whole so that their voices can be part of the solution as opposed to a barrier.

Individual and collective team accountability is crucial to have things move forward. Often, team away days and one-off sessions can be exciting and inspiring; but a sustainable transformational change requires a continuous journey in which the manager and the systems coach regularly review how things are changing and where the team is getting stuck so that the correct strategies can be used to manage those as the team continues to develop and transform.

Post-conflict follow-through is crucial to maintaining long-term team harmony. Guide your manager in monitoring the situation, consistently checking in with team members to confirm resolution effectiveness and prevent new issues from arising. This process may include extra training, revisiting team norms, or ongoing communication. By providing support during this phase, you ensure your manager's dedication to the team's sustained health and growth, thwarting recurring conflicts and fostering a resilient professional environment.

Encourage a Reflective Process. After the conflict has been addressed, encourage your manager to reflect on the experience and the outcomes. This reflection can help them identify lessons learned and apply these insights to future situations, ultimately strengthening their leadership skills.