Reaping The Fruits of Conflict

Posted on September 05, 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

** Since conflict in healthy functioning teams is inevitable (and is indeed a positive characteristic of high quality decision-making), it is important that leaders manage conflict rather than try to eliminate it. So how can a leader accomplish this?

A leader must realize that conflict is a normal part of highly effective decision making. B. Aubrey Fisher, the late Professor of Communications at Utah University, noted four distinct phases of the group decision-making process - each characterized by a different pattern of interaction:

1) The Orientation Phase – This phase is characterized by people getting acquainted, clarifying, and tentatively expressing vague thoughts concerning the issue being discussed. This stage is a period of forming thoughts, not rocking the boat, and getting orientated with the issue.

2) The Conflict Phase – The second phase of group decision-making is characterized by open debate. In the first phase, members only tentatively express their opinions, which are typically ambiguous. Now, in the "conflict" phase, many team members will appear to have their minds already made up. Group members will express much less ambiguous attitudes, and express them more tenaciously. They will also seek to provide evidence to substantiate their beliefs - and often times, a full-fledged debate within the group will occur - with various coalitions forming around the differing opinions being offered.

3) The Emergence Phase – If the group handles the conflict phase in a healthy manner, in time the process will move into the "emergence" phase, where a solution the whole group can support starts to form. Coalitions who have opposed various proposals start to weaken as a solution the whole group can support begins to emerge. Opposition to the proposal will still be expressed, but this opposition starts to dissipate as attidudes about the issue are modified.

4) The Reinforcement Phase – As group members begin reach a consensus on the decision, dissent all but vanishes. Pervading this final phase is a spirit of unity. All members seem to agree and strive to show this agreement by positively reinforcing one another. Group members are jovial, loud, laughing, and verbally backslapping each other. ** Group members feel confident the process has provided the best solution.

** Leaders should not fear conflict in the group decision-making process, but work to lead it well - so that its fruits can be richly harvested!