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Conflict Management in Teams
Ideally in our work and personal lives there would be no conflict and everyone would get
along harmoniously. We all know this is not the case therefore, we must know why conflict
arises and what strategies we can use to resolve it. When bringing together different people
into a team environment there are no guarantees that everyone will get along 100% of the
time. Understanding how conflict manifests itself and strategies to resolve it are useful
skills for anyone in the world today.
Sources of Conflict
Wayne Turk states his favorite definition of conflict is when two or more people perceive
that they have incompatible or opposing ideas, interests or needs, or external or internal
demands (Turk, 2007, p.1). According to Julie Gatlin, Allen Wysocki and Karl Kepni in
Understanding Conflict in the Workplace (University of Florida Institute of Food and
Agriculture Sciences Website) there are eight common causes of conflict.
Conflicting Needs- Often when teammates have to share limited resources conflict arises
when other team members are getting more than their fair share. This can be real or
perceived either way conflict can arise from this mix. I know in my profession favoritism
real or perceived can be a major morale killer and it also feeds the gossip mill which often
causes more conflict.
Conflicting Styles- Oscar and Felix from The Odd Couple are a prime example. Two very
different styles come together and, for 5 seasons a sitcom was based on their team conflict
(Marshall, 1970). Whether it neat or organized, assertive or passive different styles can
cause roadblocks for many teams.
Conflicting Perceptions- Everyone has his or her own specific way of viewing things, this
can cause a difference in perception. For instance if a manager came into a meeting and
screamed that the quarterly profits were low he would be perceived differently by each
employee. Someone who grew up in a quiet household that was not used to yelling would
perceive his actions as being harsher than someone who grew up accustomed to raised
voices.
Conflicting Goals- When different priorities come into play on the same objective there
can be a conflict of goals. For example: The University of Phoenix states that it is
important that all documents be formatted in the APA format; however, an Instructor states
the formatting is less important and the focus should be on grammar instead.
Conflicting Pressures- Conflicting pressures can occur when two or more workers or teams
