CONFLICT+RESOLUTION

**CONFLICT RESOLUTIO****N** Estimates show that leaders spend 21% of their time managing conflict. That’s one day a week devoted to dealing with issues! (Harrell, 2009). How can we proactively address this on our GDT to be more efficient with our time and produce greater results?

To understand conflict in distributed teams, it’s important to recognize the four development stages most teams will go thru on the way to becoming a high performance team. These development stages are forming, storming, norming, and performing. Conflict will occur at many ongoing points of a team’s existence, but prior to entering the actual “storming” phase, it’s important to have actively addressed how your team will deal with issues. To best navigate conflict, particularly if team members are scattered in different locations and do not have much or any face to face communication, it’s important to have an articulated plan for acceptable ways of working through differences that all team members can agree on ( Johnson & Johnson, 2009).

Well-managed conflict can actually drive a team member’s commitment. Research shows that once team members are confident that their team can manage through conflict, they are encouraged to voice differing opinions and explore contrary positions. This drives innovation. Precisely because people don’t see things the same way, a broader perspective and more possibilities for creative problemsolving exist! By acknowledging that conflict is a normal, accepted part of people working together at the beginning of team formation, the discussion of team norms for resolving conflict can begin. Once the fear of conflict becomes normalized as part of the process, it becomes less of a fear and more of an accepted by-product of robust discussions. Left unaddressed, conflicts can fester and become toxic. Particularly in the virtual sphere, when teams sweep real issues under the rug by not calling them out or hoping they will go away, a team can stall and team members, sensing tension, may disengage. Because conflict is part of the team process, it should be identified as such so a team can map out a strategy for how they will deal with potential difficulties (Ford, 2001).


 * **// WHERE DOES YOUR TEAM STAND? //** ||
 * When it comes to conflict, a successful team is: ||
 * * Comfortable dealing with conflict ||
 * * Committed to resolving disputes close to the source ||
 * *  Able to resolve conflict based on real interest in moving past the conflict, even if this means you lose power or aren’t always “right” ( Cutcher-Gershenfeld and Kochan, 1997) ||

Within conflict, cultural differences become magnified. To manage these differences, we must first understand some basic dimensions of culture. Two salient cultural types emerge in teams, dictated by how you identify with the team as a whole. Cultures that are predominately **//individualist//** generally identify primarily with the team in terms of how the team serves their own self-interest. **//Communitarian//** team members, in contradiction, will identify more strongly with the group than themselves as individuals (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1998) (Ford, 2001). You can probably imagine how this key difference can play out during the completion of a team project! Jane (individualistic culture base) may place more emphasis on her individual contributions whereas John (communitarian culture base) may exert considerable time and energy to ensure the group process is working and that the product as a whole is on track. Often times this can be complementary if both parties are aware of the critical part they play in achieving the overall team goal. Key attributes of both cultures are summarized below.
 * ** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Individualist Cultures ** || ** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Communitarian Cultures ** ||
 * * Value autonomy, initiative, creativity and authority in decision making || * Value group before individual. Harmony, getting along, and “maintaining face” are seen as crucial ||
 * * Individual interests trump group interests and any group commitment made is a function of a perceived self-benefit || * Group conformity and commitment is maintained at the cost of personal interests ||
 * * May feel some discomfort with conflict, but see it as inevitable and something that must be dealt with || * Have a low comfort level with conflict. Conflict is seen as a sign of social failure, and to be avoided ||
 * * Dominant culture in the US, Canada, and Western Europe || * Dominant culture in the rest of the world (Ford, 2001)(Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1998) ||

When conflict arises, team members with a communitarian orientation will probably prefer if someone from within the team intervenes, rather than an external third party. Individualists may have preference for an unbiased mediator, who operates externally from the group and typically has few or no interactions with the group, like a HR representative or external negotiator (Ford, 2001).
 * ROLE OF THIRD PARTY IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION**

It is a general rule of thumb to let individuals solve problems amongst themselves first. Most conflict can be resolved this way. However, knowing when to intervene is crucial. If the conflict spills over to affect clients or people external to the team, it is probably time to get involved. If you feel the conflict is creating an obstacle to your team goal or in opposition to an agreed upon norm, this is another instance where intervention is appropriate. In other cases, you may spot a repetitive pattern that’s blocking progress which you feel could easily be aired, vetted, and resolved. Finally, escalation of the issue and intervention is necessary in cases of misconduct or other inappropriate behavior (O'Berry, 2010).

When a third party is called in, cultural differences may again come into play. In western culture, the role of the mediator is to facilitate the conversation without making any judgments or suggestions to influence either party. In these instances, the mediator may or may not provide evaluative notes after the fact, based on what s/he heard. They may even go so far as to break the summary notes out into the strengths and weaknesses of each argument to help the feuding members more clearly sort through everything that was said (O'Berry, 2010).

In contrast, in non-western, communitarian cultures, a mediator may be expected to be participative and provide counsel during a conflict. The mediator’s role is to restore harmony, and as an external party, the expectation often is that they will present solutions that neither party could see. They are both facilitator and negotiator, and will point out observations and viable alternatives throughout the discussion ( O’Berry, 2010).
 * ** Five Step Process to Work Thru Conflict ** ||
 * ** Step 1: ** Describe the conflict in neutral terms. What exactly is the issue? Describe it without including any inferences or assumptions. ||
 * ** Step 2: ** Identify critical needs and concerns. Identify what each team member needs to resolve the conflict. List any concerns. ||
 * ** Step 3: ** Develop alternatives to resolving the conflict. Through discussion and active listening, brainstorm possible alternatives all members can live with. ||
 * ** Step 4: ** Evaluate solutions to determine a win-win outcome(s). Using the items identified in Step 3, evaluate those that will have a win-win solution for each team member. ||
 * ** Step 5: ** Establish an action plan to implement solution(s). Put it into action! The conflict will continue until action is taken to create a different outcome. (O’Berry, 2010). ||

**COMMUNICATION STYLE IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION** Perhaps the most important piece of conflict resolution is communication. Understanding your own communication style is a first step. Asking others and actively observing what your team member’s communication preferences are is equally important. Finally, the ability to modify your standard ways of communicating in consideration for a team member’s preference will be a critical skill in preventing conflict and influencing others during negotiations when conflict does occur (Ford, 2001).

Differences in communication styles can initiate a conflict, exacerbate it, or completely shut down a conversation if value judgments are made about the differing communication styles. Care should be taken to understand the individual communication methods without judging them as good communication styles or bad, but simply recognizing them as different. Is one team member more emotional, expressive, and prone to outbursts? (Ford, 2001). Are they explicit in their communications or are there instead implicit cues imbedded that indicate a desired outcome? For those who engage in tacit, indirect communications, soften your message for them and learn to spot their nuanced ways of planting ideas or showing dissent. For those who demand you cut to the chase, be direct and crisply state your needs. Learn to tolerate (to an agreed upon, acceptable extent) and expect passionate speech from them and recognize that you may need to project more confidence or boldness to get their attention.

A final communication tip for working with dispersed teams is to keep it brief. This way you can modify as needed and curb any misunderstandings before they spiral out of control, as in the video below. Crafting lengthy communications is to be avoided if you can just pick up the phone and articulate the same message much more quickly.

media type="youtube" key="5zv05AfFkdA" height="141" width="248" align="center" There are two main ways to approach an intercultural negotiation: The first is referred to as **positional negotiation** (Ford, 2001). This style of negotiation is demonstrated when opposing team members stick to their views no matter what. In essence, there is very little that will budge them from what may be an extreme position. The positions are generally values-based, and intractable. Win-lose situations typically result, with one member backing down because of intimidation or sheer exhaustion. The defeated party will be increasingly unhappy or reach an only grudging acceptance. Despite winning the battle, the team member who prevails may experience unrest, disengagement, and ill will from the defeated party. This can be problematic in future interactions.
 * NEGOTIATION STYLE IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION**

An **interest-based approach** focuses instead on exploring the underlying needs and motivations of the sparring individuals (Ford, 2001). This type of negotiator works to distill conflicts into manageable, discussion worthy pieces. Fact-based reasoning is employed by the facilitator, and compromises are sought. Both parties typically end up with at least a little of what they wanted, as concessions are expected to be made on both sides. In predominantly individualistic, western cultures, negotiations are almost always conducted face-to-face, while collectivist societies may prefer to engage in shuttle diplomacy with an intermediary (O'Berry, 2010). Interest-based negotiation is generally the preferred style in predominantly western cultures. Utilizing this approach, you hope to thoroughly convince your opponent and “win their hearts and minds.”

As part of your team norming process during formation, it’s important to agree up front to take an interest-based approach to future conflicts, so that everyone is on the same page. **OTHER CULTURAL FACTORS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION** //** If we establish norms for dealing with conflict up front during team formation, we can avoid and deal with pretty much anything that comes our way. There is no substitute for face to face meetings, so where possible, it's helpful for a geographically dispersed team to hold their kickoff meeting in person.
 * Several other cultural factors should be taken into consideration when dealing with conflict. **
 * Our relationship to //time// (Are we constantly multi-tasking or inclined to focus on one process at a time? Can we stop to put our attention on the conflict at hand?)
 * Our attitudes about //rules// (Do feelings and relationships matter more than order and regulations for you when dealing with conflict?)
 * Our preference of //venue// (Do you prefer to discuss conflict in public or in private? Is it a formal discussion or informal?) (Ford, 2001).
 * CONCLUSION**

Quick Tips for Resolving Conflict **// 1) Know yourself & your own culture first! 2) Learn others' expectations 3) Check your assumptions 4) Ask lots of questions and check frequently for understanding 5) Listen 6) Remember the "Platinum" rule: Treat your team members as //** they would like to be treated rather than the way **//**// we //** like to be treated (Ford, 2001).

When we have many cultures interacting in a virtual sphere, we need to expect differences, and be sensitive and cognizant to correctly interpret communications. Where there is conflict, there are multiple perspectives and multiple solutions. We need to be open to the ideas of others and willing to give up small pieces sometimes to accomplish our broader goal. If as a team we can learn to not fear conflict, we can harness it's power positively. When conflict occurs, we can identify it, deal with it, learn from it and move on. Different ideas clashing can create an opportunity for new and better ways of doing things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx " // H //// ave you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? // // xxxxxxxxxx Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed the passage with you?" // // xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - Walt Whitman, 1860 //

//**Exercise:**// When your new team is forming, broach the topic of conflict. Dedicate time to have each team member contribute an example of conflict and how it was approached and resolved in a past team effort. Have them identify what worked and why, and also what they would do differently for even better results (O'Berry, 2010).
 * //RESOURCES FOR THE ROAD //**

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 * //Further Reading://** Harvard Business Review: Managing Multicultural Teams
 * ** xxxxx Tjosvold Model for Making Conflict Positive ** ||
 * * x Value diversity and confront differences ||
 * * x Seek mutual benefits and unite behind cooperative goals ||
 * * x Empower individuals to feel confident and skillful ||
 * * x Take stock to reward success and learn from mistakes ||


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