In 30 seconds
- Healthy conflict about ideas improves decisions.
- Unresolved personal conflict damages teams.
- Choose an approach that fits the situation.
Healthy vs unhealthy conflict
| Healthy | Unhealthy |
|---|---|
| About ideas | About people |
| Open and direct | Hidden or passive |
| Ends in a decision | Repeats endlessly |
Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002) lists fear of conflict as a key dysfunction.
Five conflict styles
The Thomas-Kilmann model describes five approaches: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating. None is always right; collaborating suits important issues, avoiding suits trivial ones.
Practical steps
- Talk early, privately, and about specific behaviour.
- Seek each side's underlying interests.
- Look for options that meet both.
- Agree a next step and check back.
Working agreements prevent many conflicts.
Myth vs reality
Myth · Good teams have no conflict.
Reality · Good teams disagree well.
Myth · The Scrum Master must resolve all conflict.
Reality · Teams resolve most conflict themselves.
Myth · Compromise is always fair.
Reality · It can leave both sides unhappy; collaboration may be better.
FAQ
When should a manager step in?
When conflict becomes personal or harms the team.
How do remote teams handle conflict?
Use video, not text, for difficult conversations.
Can conflict be prevented?
Clear agreements help; some conflict is healthy.