Leadership and Conflict

I found this article on Inc.com and thought I would share it with you. I believe it has some helpful insight into dealing with conflicts as a leader. When I find an interesting article on improving leadership, I will continue to share them with you.

Why Leaders Should Take Conflict Seriously
Posted by Craig E. Runde and Tim Flanagan


http://blog.inc.com/leadership/2008/07/why_leaders_should_take_confli_1.html

Most people prefer to avoid conflict. Leaders don't enjoy it either, but effective ones know that too much is at stake to ignore conflict. Poorly managed, it can lead to a number of out-of-pocket expenses. Addressed skillfully, conflict can actually improve creativity and decision-making.

If leaders avoid conflict or respond with destructive behaviors, it can lead to a type of conflict researchers describe as relationship or affective conflict. Then, things really get worse. Research has shown that this type of conflict tends to prolong and escalate negative feelings that lead to reduced communications and commitment.

When this kind of conflict is prevalent in organizations, you stop running a company, and you start running interference. Managers wind up spending more time trying to work out solutions, turnover rises as good employees leave to find more acceptable work environments, and absenteeism or its cousin presenteeism sap productivity. When conflicts fester and grow over time, they can lead to even more serious outcomes such as sabotage, violence, labor unrest, lawsuits, and bad publicity.

But when leaders are able to respond to conflict constructively and encourage others to do so as well, they can find benefits hiding in the very same differences that can lead to bad outcomes. Researchers have identified a second type of organizational conflict termed task or cognitive conflict that when harnessed can lead to higher productivity. When people engage in task conflict, their focus remains on the issue at hand and their efforts revolve around problem-solving rather than finger-pointing. When teams engage in task conflict, they regularly exhibit higher levels of creativity and innovation. When issues can be debated and ideas vetted, leaders are able to arrive at better quality decisions and team members will be more committed to implementation because they have been active participants in the process.

While the concept is straight forward, it is not easy to keep the focus on problem-solving. When people's ideas are criticized, it is very easy for them to take the criticism personally, become angry, and strike back. Leaders need to closely monitor when it emerges to make sure teams keep their focus on the task at hand. They also need to model effective behaviors to keep communications positive and solution- focused.

To make it work, leaders must respond rationally rather than just react. One leader's team faced a critical decision with team members deeply split about whether to invest in a new product design. The leader favored the new approach, as did two other members of the team. They argued vigorously for their position – so much so that the others on the team became angry because they felt they weren't being heard. Finally, they forcefully challenged the leader and he reacted with hostile remarks. Things deteriorated quickly and didn't get back on track until intervention from a third party.

While it is easy to get into a win-at-all-costs mindset, leaders must recognize that conflict can rapidly escalate when it is not handled well. Conflict is too important to ignore or to approach by flying on autopilot. Leaders need to become conscious of their emotional and behavioral responses to conflict and then exercise discretion as they address the critical opportunities that conflict provides.