Within any organization, you are bound to find projects requiring teams. Now, many employees thought they said goodbye to group meetings and projects when they received their diploma. However, teams are a critical aspect to any fully functioning organization. But throughout the process of having teams, conflict is abundant and is usually ignored by the members in hope that it will simply pass over. Truly, the idea of conflict is an interesting one that is worth taking a moment and thinking about.
Mark de Rond, professor at Cambridge’s Judge Business School, believes that conflict is a great tool that is needed by teams. He states that it “weeds out inefficiency, keeps people focused, and fuels high performers’ natural, competitive nature.” It is the conflict that keeps people on task, spurs related thoughts and eventually creates a solution. Without conflict, the team would be single-minded, constantly thinking as one and not as the team should.
How have you seen conflict show up in your work place? How did it help or hurt your team?