How can conflict resolution improve cybersecurity?

Addressing conflict is pivotal for robust cybersecurity. Beyond technicalities, human factors play a crucial role. Conflicts stemming from divergent goals, communication gaps, or stress can erode trust and collaboration, heighten vulnerability to cyber threats, and impede creativity and innovation. This not only hinders information sharing and incident reporting but also poses challenges in adapting to evolving threats. Resolving conflicts becomes integral to fostering a secure cybersecurity environment, enhancing skills, and refining processes.

Conflict resolution significantly enhances cybersecurity by fostering open communication and collaboration among security team members. This improved communication reduces the risk of misunderstandings that might lead to security vulnerabilities. In a collaborative environment, security teams respond more promptly to cybersecurity incidents. Thus, promoting collaboration, addressing issues promptly, and fostering a positive work environment make conflict resolution a foundational element in improving overall cybersecurity resilience within an organization.

Effective conflict resolution enhances cybersecurity by fostering a collaborative environment where teams can openly address disagreements and concerns. Clear communication and mutual understanding help prevent internal conflicts that might compromise security. A harmonious work atmosphere encourages information sharing and reporting of potential threats without fear of reprisal. Moreover, conflict resolution processes can identify and address vulnerabilities in security protocols, creating a stronger and more resilient cybersecurity framework.

From my experience at NATO, constructive conflict was part of our daily reality because our office was in charge of communicating tech into various non-tech maps of the world. When it comes to cyber security, you have to do what feels counter-intuitive and not start with cyber security. Start with the needs, gap and desired outcomes of the other person/stakeholder. Connect with what is important to them, and then you demonstrate cyber represents a risk to what is important to them. Now they have not only awareness, but they understand without feeling pressured to comply to something they don't understand. Then you take it from their to collaborate on common ground towards the same outcome, that is translated in different ways.

Viewing conflict as an opportunity is the first step. As with any topic or team, when conflict can be addressed and learned from, then it matters a great deal to the team and company. The two main reasons conflict matters with cybersecurity is: (1) if everyone agrees, it results in group think and not being proactive or innovative to preventing attacks or loss and (2) if everyone disagrees and it gets ugly, then balls get dropped and attacks or loss happen. Having a clear understanding of how to address conflict on your cybersecurity team will make a huge difference in planning for, preventing and remediating cyberthreats. If the team is warring, they are more focused on that than cybersecurity - and that's not good for anyone.

Conflict is a natural output of human interaction. We should want this. Don’t manage it away with processes, you can’t, it only shifts like water in a river it will find a path, and you cannot separate the water from the other water, focus must be on managing the river, including the conflict, embrace it like a child, you cannot dump a child off your radar as they become a conflict ridden teenager, conflict is the real them trying to make its way out, don’t staunch the flow. Embrace conflict or we have an incredibly boring supermarket driven world where we are all drones and told what to think in order to avoid conflict. Without conflict we’d still have slaves, women aren’t allowed anything, children are not people. Conflict is progress.

This will sound cliche but the best first step to avoid conflict is to simply breath. When we stop and breath we allow our stress response to dissipate and we feel safe in our body so we can move from our hippocampus part of the brain (stress response) to our prefrontal cortex (rational). Sometimes, this means a few minutes is enough. Other times it means saying: Now is not a good time, let me get back to you or let's discuss this another time. Because when we feel anger or frustration or fear, it comes from a part where we don't feel as if our needs are met, validated and seen. When both parties are in the same spot of unmet needs, they are going to try to get their needs met to release the discomfort of anger, frustration and fear.

This one is tricky and definitely not universal. For example, someone who has high levels of assertiveness will make it clear that they are not satisfied and show it clearly. It is a potential beginning towards conflict. But someone who has low levels of assertiveness, may not even show you that they are dissatisfied or disagree. So they leave it boiling inside until one day, the slightest comment you make is causing their vulcano to erupt. It seems irrational in that moment, but it is all build up momentum. Communication, leadership and psychological safe spaces to speak up about what bothers people is essential to reduce the risk of vulcano's erupting within your teams.

The Ishikawa diagram, also called a cause and effect diagram, can be considered to resolve important conflicts. We find there the effect, the problem encountered by the company or the people at the head and the causes are modeled by branches. These causes, the “5 Ms”, each represent a component of the company.

Understand the difference between destructive and constructive conflict first, so you can reduce the risk of the former and manage the risk of the latter. Destructive conflict leaves people unmotivated, without moral and reduces performance of an entire team if left unmanaged. Constructive conflict can bring about new perspectives, better understanding and closer relationships. Because it is an opportunity to express our discomfort, our disagreement and our unmet needs. This opens up a space to form common ground and move forward, without holding on to resentment. When it comes to cybersecurity posture, threats result in incidents, turn into crises quite fast unless their is a strong and resilient collaborative culture build on trust.