Are you able to see conflict in your team before it happens?

When I was in the US Air Force, I learned quickly that conflict is often alleviated by chain of command and confidence in training. I was lucky: I was self-confident and had my mentors, shift leads, and shop chiefs in my corner and covering my "six" at all times. I made some huge decisions on my own, with little to no conflict - in my "local team". Ummm, I remember one support team (sheet metal shop) who really didn't like me at all and my Shop Chief solved that by bringing shop chiefs and leads together to better understand why I was being such a "jerk". I mean, I could hear groans on the radio when the sheet metal shop was called to my parking spot and they new it was me out there. I offered to get specific and supervised training to learn skills they already had so I could make better "on the spot" decisions that aligned with their expertise. I wanted to be "their eyes" and be part of their team, too ... in the end, the improvement to the overall mission was positive.

Of course there are really dumb kinds of conflicts teams can get into. When at Offutt AFB I used to support the E-4A/B (the 747 you see today as Air Force One). Anyone who has been to Omaha Nebraska knows, it can get quite cold on a swing shift (hey, so yeah, Minot is way colder, I know!). When I was on a long ops check (operational check) it was really cold and our portable heating unit wasn't going to be delivered straight away (lots of snow on the ground; I was Ok with the delay). I did have a "local procedure" that caused some conflict: I used the "lamp test" button for the entire cockpit control panel to warm up the cockpit. It works, but, the SPs (security police) on guard felt that they had to "investigate" ASAP ... Ok, I stopped that procedure real quick - conflict averted. :-)

Why do these stories matter?

In the Air Force I learned that solving conflict had very few moving parts: I knew how to read the other person pretty quickly, I would communicate clearly and with humility, and I knew my role and that of everyone involved - all the way up the chain. Handling this with each person 1-on-1 to find common ground so we all could be "whole" again got us to a resolution with no hard feelings pretty quickly.

Over these past few decades of managing teams in all sorts of companies it is clear that nothing tears apart a company’s culture more rapidly than internal conflicts within and between teams. And, as it turns out, there are quite a few more moving parts but they all have the same roots - if you look carefully enough.

See The Signs

When individuals and teams turn to conflict and away from collaboration, community, and problem solving, all that’s left is an environment fueled by resentment, avoidance, and other unhealthy and undermining behaviors. Nobody wants to be in an environment like this so it’s important to recognize, and truly understand, how organizations can avoid destructive conflict before relationships are ruined or worse, people leave.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint all the specific causes of conflict between teams, managers play a key role in identifying sources of conflict and reducing potential escalation. Managers need to develop an early warning system so as to be more aware of both individual and team behaviors and reactions to promptly take action to resolve issues earlier rather than allow the situation to fester. Let’s take a take a look at three common sources of conflict: personality, communication, and role clarity.

Personality Differences

Personality differences are the most common precursor of conflict and can easily form the optics someone has over another person or group of people that is perceived as wrong or unfair. The core conflict event(s) in these cases is substantive because a person’s individual ideology takes center stage. They see their ‘way’ as best because it’s core to their work style. Managers who have a strong read of individual temperament can diffuse concerns over issues that come from choosing one person’s approach over another. By understanding temperament, the manager can quickly move to getting all parties to constructive problem resolution. The same works across teams where managers need to come together and partner on identifying and clarifying what outcomes are expected and associated behaviors in terms of ways of working.

Misaligned Communications

Misaligned communications is another key factor. When communication is broken the emphasis typically comes from lack of information or the assumption of intent around information. While it may be hard to always worry about how all communications land and are interpreted, when managers layout specific guidelines and objectives, milestones and expectations of outcomes, it becomes easier to allow people to question and comment to ensure the right understanding is made.

If you think about the space program, there are thousands of people with different roles and deliverables that must communicate perfectly in order to get a spacecraft safely off the earth. Sometimes it seems tedious to go into the weeds, prepare projects and set clear targets but if you didn’t, people would die. When we base communications for teams drawing largely from the gut, being off-the-cuff, or just assuming people will know what to do, we introduce opportunity for conflict. The less a manager leaves room for interpretation, the better the chances teams will have the clarity they need to get the right job done.

Lack of Role Clarity

Lack of role clarity is closely coupled with communications where roles and responsibilities are not well outlined for team members. Many teams have a mix of different skill capabilities and experience. People may look at titles and hierarchy as a definitive way of making all the decision and directions. Often that is true, but it’s a conflict starter. When managers establish clear swim lanes of who does what, who leads on what, etc then align those to outcomes, there is less of a chance people will not understand their core and broad roles. The RASCI model is often a tool people use to outline who shows up where and does what, and as a guide to avoiding conflict.

These are just a few examples. Other variables such as competition for limited resources and performance are equally potential triggers for many team conflicts. Regardless of the source, managers must play a key role in evaluating potential sources of team conflict and nip them in the bud as quickly as possible.

Your Early Warning System

You need data, you need to read the teams, and you need to communicate clearly with respect for everyone's role - it's that simple. One of the best ways to do this is through regular 1-1 check-ins and conversations with team members and building an open environment that prizes dialogue when there is disagreement coupled with open channels to iterate through solutions. Additionally, data that support insights into both individual and job readiness is a major factor in knowing how to create healthy conflict to leverage the best teams have to offer. We at Jobsurv have developed an early warning system and we really want you all to benefit - so reach out to schedule your overview session with us today!

Get your conflict goggles on, ASAP! :-)

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