Week-by-Week Sneak Peek: Storming Week 1 – Managing Team Conflict

Navigating team conflict effectively is one of the most crucial skills a leader can develop during the Storming phase of team development. Conflict isn’t inherently bad—in fact, when managed well, it can drive innovation and strengthen team dynamics. The key is fostering constructive conflict that leads to better ideas and stronger collaboration while minimizing the kind of friction that derails progress. This week-by-week approach, taken directly from my Storming: Managing Conflict in Your Team workbook, equips you with actionable strategies to turn conflict into an opportunity for growth and alignment.

Below, you’ll find the full text for Week 1: Understanding Conflict Dynamics from Your Roadmap From Forming to Performing – Workbook 2: Storming. This week introduces the foundational concepts of conflict dynamics, helping leaders recognize and address different types of conflict while setting the stage for healthier team interactions. If this approach resonates with you, the full workbook is available on Amazon, packed with practical tools and exercises to guide your team through the challenges of the Storming phase.

Your Goal for Week 1:

The goal this week is to reflect on how you personally experience and respond to conflict. By gaining insight into your conflict triggers and patterns, you will be better prepared to guide your team through difficult situations in the coming weeks.

What Does Success Look Like?

1. Self-Awareness: You have identified your own conflict triggers and typical responses, recognizing patterns that influence how you handle disagreements.
2. Preparedness: You feel more confident in your ability to engage in discussions about conflict and lead your team through future challenges.

Core Knowledge:

Conflict is a natural and necessary part of any team’s development, especially during the Storming phase. It’s often seen as something negative or something to avoid, but when handled correctly, conflict can drive innovation and creativity. That said, unmanaged conflict can derail a team, leading to dysfunction and unproductive behavior. The key for leaders is to understand that conflict isn’t inherently bad—it’s how it’s managed that determines whether it helps or harms the team. Learning to manage conflict starts with understanding your own triggers and reactions to it.

There are two primary types of conflict within teams: relationship conflict and idea conflict. Relationship conflict arises when personal differences or clashes in personalities create tension. This type of conflict is often destructive, as it distracts from the team’s goals and creates division. Leaders should aim to minimize relationship conflict by encouraging respectful, neutral working relationships. In contrast, idea conflict involves disagreements about how to approach work, solve problems, or make decisions. This type of conflict is valuable when managed well because it allows the team to challenge ideas, consider multiple perspectives, and find better solutions. The leader’s role is to encourage idea conflict while keeping it respectful and focused on the team’s objectives.

A team with no conflict can be just as concerning as one with too much conflict. Teams that avoid conflict, especially idea conflict, may fall into groupthink, where members go along with ideas without critically assessing them. This stifles creativity and leads to poor decision-making. In such cases, members may be hesitant to challenge ideas because they don’t want to disrupt harmony. While this might look like smooth teamwork on the surface, the lack of healthy conflict can prevent the team from achieving its full potential. As a leader, you should be alert to the absence of conflict and encourage open, constructive dialogue.

Self-awareness is a crucial first step for leaders in managing conflict. Understanding your own conflict triggers—what behaviors or situations annoy or frustrate you—is essential. Without this self-awareness, you may find yourself reacting emotionally in conflicts without understanding the cause. Reflect on what typically triggers conflict for you: Is it a clash of work styles? Is it miscommunication? This understanding will help you respond more effectively and guide your team through their own conflicts. Moreover, leaders need to help their team members become aware of their triggers, encouraging them to own their reactions rather than blaming others.

Finally, a leader’s ultimate goal is to foster productive idea conflict. Encourage your team to challenge ideas, debate different perspectives, and push each other toward better solutions. However, always ensure that the conflict stays respectful and focused on problem-solving. By framing conflict as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat, you can help your team develop resilience and adaptability. Conflict, when managed well, strengthens the team and leads to more innovative and effective outcomes.

Your Initial Thoughts:

What is my current understanding of how I handle conflict, and how confident am I in recognizing my personal triggers? (Consider how well you can articulate your responses to conflict and how prepared you feel to manage them.)

Your Weekly Plan:

Choose one or more of the following actions based on the time and commitment you can invest.

Quick Win (Perfect if you only have 15 minutes):

• Action to Take: Take 15 minutes to reflect on a recent conflict you were part of (either within the current team or in a previous one). Write down how the conflict started, your role in it, and how it was resolved.
• Signs of Success: You identify specific triggers that led to the conflict and gain insight into your response patterns.
• Warning Signs: If you struggle to recall any conflicts or downplay your involvement, it may indicate avoidance of conflict reflection.

Make Progress (Ideal for newer or less experienced leaders):

• Action to Take: Reflect on your personal conflict style using a journal or notes. Ask yourself the following: How do I typically respond when conflicts arise? Do I tend to avoid, confront, or mediate? What patterns have I noticed in my reactions to disagreements?
• Signs of Success: You gain a clearer understanding of your natural conflict style and how it impacts your relationships within the team.
• Warning Signs: If your reflections reveal a tendency to avoid conflict or if you're uncomfortable confronting your conflict habits, this may indicate areas for personal growth.

Challenge Yourself (For seasoned leaders ready for a deeper dive):

• Action to Take: Conduct a deeper self-assessment of past conflicts, focusing on 2-3 specific instances where disagreements escalated. Write down what triggered the conflict, how you responded, and what you would do differently if faced with a similar situation now. Reflect on the emotional and practical outcomes of each conflict.
• Signs of Success: You develop a more nuanced understanding of how conflicts have shaped your leadership or teamwork style and identify strategies for future improvement.
• Warning Signs: If your reflections show recurring conflict patterns but no change in your approach, it may suggest a need to actively adjust how you engage with team tensions.

End-of-Week Review

1) How clearly have I identified my conflict triggers and typical responses this week? (Reflect on how effectively you recognized the patterns in your behavior and responses to conflict.)

2) What strategies or insights did I gain that will help me manage conflict more effectively in the future? (Consider how you might improve your approach moving forward.)

Weeks 2-4 Overview

Week 1 lays the groundwork for understanding the dynamics of team conflict, but the real transformation happens over the next three weeks in Module 1: Managing Team Conflict. Here’s what’s ahead:

• Week 2: Identifying Conflict Triggers – Help your team recognize the underlying triggers of conflict, whether rooted in personal dynamics or task-related challenges, and explore how these can be reframed as strengths.
• Week 3: Conflict Resolution in Action – Equip your team with tools and strategies for addressing conflict constructively, emphasizing active understanding and collaborative problem-solving.
• Week 4: How We Handle Conflict Workshop – Lead a collaborative workshop where your team creates their own conflict resolution guidelines, fostering a shared commitment to healthier and more productive interactions.

Each week builds on the last, guiding your team from awareness to resolution to a shared vision for handling conflict. If this approach resonates with you, the full Storming: Managing Conflict in Your Team workbook is available on Amazon. It’s packed with actionable strategies, practical exercises, and reflection tools to help your team turn conflict into an opportunity for growth and collaboration.

Get your copy today and transform how your team navigates the challenges of the Storming stage. Let’s make conflict constructive, productive, and a catalyst for success!